Marathon Training Plans & Coaching Options

What runners have to say

The stories of gu vs. beans, vs. blox, vs. whatever else we could put in us for the long runs was fun sharing. Personally beans worked for me. Without all the nutrition information and articles/blogs that Gary provided on hydration the half would have been harder. — Wendy

One of the best things about having done the training program was seeing so many familiar faces during the race. It was also great having practiced with water, GU, and pace time. I felt prepared physically and mentally. I knew I could finish even when everything inside of me was saying otherwise. — Raegan

Gary’s training plan, with each day serving a different purpose, was music to my ears! Previously I followed a plan that just listed miles. — Midge

During my training I spent lots of time running intervals below my 5K pace, 6-8 mile runs at slightly faster than marathon pace. The long runs generally had a few miles at race pace and faster near the end. I feel this approach of focusing on a variety of quality runs helped me achieve my goal. — Virgil

Once I crossed the finish line I felt so great and I looked down at my watch. It said 2:29. “What?” I couldn’t believe I had done it! I knew I could but actually standing there looking at my watch while my tag was being cut and actually looking at my medal was an incredible experience. I didn’t cry though because I was really dizzy haha. — Jessica

Gary put me on a great plan that was challenging and kept pushing me even during rocky times. I train to race. I don’t really like the training aspect but I do it so I can get a certain time. — Elissa

The training plan challenged me a lot, but made me realize what I am capable of. It had not only built my strength, but my confidence. All the support and suggestions from the teammates (specifically on mental strength) really helped me to be strong and to believe in myself. — Saori

Marathon Training Plan Download

This option will give you everything you need in order to train for and complete a marathon with confidence. We have two training plans available and we divide them into “20 week Beginner” and “16 week Advanced” Programs. The programs include a detailed daily description of every workout, but we also include a general calendar layout of the program along with another document that goes into some additional details about specific workouts. The workouts are not generic workouts, they are specific and very task oriented. To help runners complete the workouts as described we include several different ways to classify the intensity. Within the support documents, we give you all the knowledge and details you need to appropriately set your workout intensity.

Which program is right for me?

First of all “advanced” does not mean you are an incredibly fast runner. It means that you have a history of running and have been running consistently. You need to have been running AT LEAST 4 days a week of 40 minutes per run or more in order to start using the Advanced program. You also need to have been injury free during your recent run history.

I’m just starting to run, should I train for a marathon with this program?

We know that running a marathon is a huge goal for many people. However, we suggest that runners train through a full training cycle for a half marathon and complete that race prior to doing a marathon. It just makes sense (and we’ve seen the results.. it’s the smart way to become a marathoner). You know the old saying, “this is a marathon, not a sprint”? Well, this is a marathon! You can use one of our half marathon programs to help you with that goal.

Does the Program Download include coaching support?

We try and include as much support in the additional documents to help you achieve your goals in training and racing. What we can help you do is figure out which plan may be the best option for you. Just contact us and we’ll try to help you out. The other option is to purchase the training plans & membership option. You will get all the available marathon plans, access to our vault of online materials, access to the team forum and can submit a question for the coaches to answer in upcoming articles or forum posts.

What extra do I get with the training plan & membership option?

We anticipate that people purchasing the plans and support documents for download are fairly self sufficient, they want the plan and will do it on their own. The training plan & membership option give you access to go deeper into figuring out how to train, with the guidance of the coaches and other team members. Not only will you get access to the workout descriptions, but you’ll be able to leave questions and comments on those workouts for additional clarification. You have access to the team forum to bring up questions about how to handle various aspects of your marathon journey. Plus you get full access to all the video and tutorials we create and continue to add for 1 full year.

Does the training plan & membership option include email or phone support?

We are very active on the team forum, we respond to comments and questions asked within the supporting videos, tutorials and resources and we are regularly on twitter and facebook. We will also take questions through the “ask the coach a question” ticket submission. If an athlete needs more hands on support and coaching, we do offer private coaching services for a small group of athletes.

How does the communication with the private coaching work?

We communicate with athletes through email and can schedule phone or Skype sessions as needed. The programs are delivered through a TrainingPeaks.com account. We anticipate scheduled workouts two weeks at a time, but this just depends on the athlete and situation. If the program and athlete require it we can work on a weekly or even daily basis. The essence is that we do as much as we reasonable can to make sure the runner is making progress towards their goal.