Training plan – Marathon sub 4h

This training plan will help you run a marathon in under 4 hours. The plan consists of 15 weeks of training with 3 fixed running sessions per week. They are designed to be easily printable, providing a clear overview of which training session to do each week. You can also tick off each completed session (trust me, it's very motivating!).

Don't wait any longer; get your training plan now to work towards your personal goal!

Which marathon training plan?

When you want to start with a marathon training plan, it is important that you already have a basic level of fitness. All training plans assume that you can do an 80-minute easy run.

If you are not yet able to run this long, you can start with the half marathon training plan. With the 12-week training, you will be prepared to run the half marathon in your desired time. If you think you can quickly build up to running 80 minutes at an easy pace, you can also train for a few weeks until you can manage an 80-minute run. Once you achieve this, you can start with the marathon training plan.

Not sure which of the marathon training plans to choose? Below, I will provide the paces for all training plans that you should be able to maintain during an easy run and an interval training. An easy run should always be performed at a relaxed pace, and you should be able to hold a conversation. The interval session is performed at a much faster pace. For example, you should be able to maintain the pace for 6 x 3 minutes with 1 minute of jogging in between. Additionally, I have included a target time for the half marathon. The time you potentially achieve in the half marathon is a very good indication for your marathon time.

Marathon sub 3:15 (4:37/km): pace easy run 5:10-5:40/km, pace interval ± 4:10/km and half marathon indication 1:32:00 (4:22/km).

Marathon sub 3:30 (4:58/km): pace easy run 5:30-5:55/km, pace interval ± 4:30/km and half marathon indication 1:40:00 (4:44/km).

Marathon sub 3:45 (5:19/km): pace easy run 5:55-6:25/km, pace interval ± 4:50/km and half marathon indication 1:48:00 (5:07/km).

Marathon sub 4:00 (5:40/km): pace easy run 6:15-6:45/km, pace interval ± 5:15/km and half marathon indication 1:55:00 (5:27/km).

Marathon sub 4:15 (6:02/km): pace easy run 6:35-7:00/km, pace interval ± 5:30/km and half marathon indication 2:02:00 (5:48/km.

Marathon sub 4:30 (6:23/km): pace easy run 6:45-7:15/km, pace interval ± 5:35/km and half marathon indication 2:11:00 (6:13/km).

Marathon sub 4:45 (6:45/km): pace easy run 7:00-7:40/km, pace interval ± 5:45/km and half marathon indication 2:18:00 (6:29/km).

Marathon sub 5:00 (7:06/km): pace easy run 7:15-7:55/km, pace interval ± 6:00/km and half marathon indication 2:24:00 (6:49/km).