Marathon running programs

Here you will find your upcoming marathon running program.

The marathon is the most prestigious distance in the world of exercisers. Every year, thousands of Danes participate in marathons around Denmark and abroad.

The biggest challenge is choosing the right marathon program.

On this page you will find a variety of different marathon programs (og en video guide ), which depends on your level, your effort, your goal, etc. I strongly recommend you read this page carefully before choosing your marathon program.

• Under 4 hours – beginner – 8 weeks
• Under 4 hours – beginner – 12 weeks
• Under 3:30 hours – easy – 8 weeks
• Under 3:30 hours – easy – 12 weeks
• Under 3:15 hours – experienced – 8 weeks
• Under 3:15 hours – experienced – 12 weeks
• Under 3:00 hours – expert – 8 weeks
• Under 3:00 hours – expert – 12 weeks

Read here before choosing a marathon running program

There are different ways to build marathon programs. The running programs on this page are based on Jack Daniels running terminology and his different types of runs. I recommend you to get a good handle on the running concepts, used in marathon programs. In some places on the web, “tempo running” means one thing while in another it may mean something completely different. So be sure to study my terms at the link above.

When choosing a program, be conservative. If you are between 2 marathon running programs, I would always choose the most conservative program to avoid injuries. Also, make sure to follow the paces suggested by the programs. Do not run faster in interval training, or slower on the long runs. Make sure to keep the pace, as that is the whole basis of the marathon programs.

If you have any questions about the marathon programs, you can use the comments section at the bottom of the page, the comments section on the various specific running programs, or on overview of all running programs, where you can also read about the amount of training, which program you should choose, how many weeks your training program should be and much more.

How the programs are structured

The physiology behind the half marathon distance

For many, the marathon is the greatest distance there is – at least among exercisers, where the picture is completely different in the world of athletics. It is a long distance that, seen in isolation, is harmful to the body. However, the psychological gain will far exceed the physical loss of running a marathon.

One of the biggest challenges for runners at this distance is that glycogen stores are depleted. You run out of energy. That’s why energy supplementation is an essential part of the marathon. Without extra energy, your performance will deteriorate significantly.

The better your body becomes at breaking down fat, the less carbohydrate you burn and the longer you can keep going at your marathon pace without hitting the wall, which is basically just an expression of going sugar-cold.

Unlike the other distances (half marathon, 10 km and 5 km), the base training period is very similar to the training 2-3 months before the competition. Your training over the winter will therefore follow the same structure as your specific marathon training.

The focus is primarily on endurance. By training your endurance, you are also training your body’s ability to burn fat. Towards the marathon, you will experience increased intensification and more tempo running, which pushes your lactic acid threshold to the last tooth. Otherwise, the focus is primarily on endurance. You will also include interval training in your marathon training to push your pace, but the focus is on endurance. Make sure you don’t run your intervals too fast. Keep to the suggested pace.

Practical in relation to the programs

Since the marathon is a very tough distance, a 3-week taper is required, where the weekly training is reduced by approximately 20% per week. The last 3 weeks should feel very easy and you should have a lot of energy. The trick is to hold back and not run extra runs.

If you have a tight schedule and race days don’t suit you well, you can move around in the order. However, make sure to spread the load out as much as possible. This reduces the risk of you ending up with an injury.

You will find that every 4th week is a recovery week, where you run easy miles and recover from the hard training of the last few weeks. The recovery week is at least as important as the other weeks. It is a classic mistake to underestimate the recovery week.

The programs are 8 weeks and 12 weeks. It must be said that if you prepare alone 8 weeks before a marathon, you may end up being very pressured. The 8 week programs are primarily for spontaneous people who have suddenly decided to participate in a marathon and who have a good basic shape from running or other endurance sports.