ndash; just tell us a recent run time and we’ll do the rest

A 3:30-hour marathon is approximately 8:00 per mile/5:00 per km.

Our sub-3:30 marathon plan, encompassing five to six runs per week, is aimed at experienced runners who are regularly running a minimum of four times per week. The advanced nature of this plan means you should have some experience of structured, interval-based training before you start.

We have broken the plan down into four-week blocks to give you regularly opportunities to reflect on how your training is going and change plan to one that is more suitable to you if you need to. Not all progress is linear, and if you find the last four weeks were a little too much, or not enough, for your current level or lifestyle, that’s okay – we will help guide you to pick out the best training plan for you as you get closer to race day.

The paces are not set directly for you and the day you’re running (it could be super-hot or you might have had a poor night’s sleep), so don’t feel like you have to stick to them 100%. Allow yourself 5-10 seconds either side of the suggested pace per mile or per kilometre. If it doesn’t feel right on the day, and if that feeling is happening on every session, then consider dropping to a different pace plan (Silver and Gold RWC members have access to over 60 training plans)

Rest days: Rest days are an important part of your recovery and adaptation. Respect them and use them as a chance to reflect on your sleep and nutrition. Find some calm space and time to wind down to lower your stress levels and have some time away from your smartphone.

Easy runs: Easy, conversational paced running forms the backbone of endurance for events from middle distance up to ultramarathons. Running at a relaxed, easy, conversational pace helps to improve your ability to burn stored fats, improves capillarisation at the lungs and muscles and increases the development of mitochondria (a cellular component that supplies energy to your muscle cells). These runs also allow you to increase your training volumes in a sustainable way. While we have suggested a guideline pace, how these runs feel is probably even more important. You should be able to hold a comfortable conversation and breathe easily. If you run to heart rate these runs might be between 60-75% of your maximum heart rate, depending on the individual.

You can replace some of these easy runs with cardiovascular cross-training sessions of a similar volume and intensity on a bike, rowing machine or elliptical trainer, or in the pool, swimming or aqua jogging. This is a particularly good idea if you are injury prone because it will reduce the impact on your muscles and joints, while still working your heart and lungs.

Interval sessions: Interval sessions involve a series of short repetitions of running, typically between 30 seconds and 5-6 minutes, with either static rest periods or a very easy jog recovery. Interval training is designed to get you breaking out of your comfort zone and challenging your body to work harder or faster, building fitness and callusing your mind ready for race day.

Fartlek runs: Fartlek training is similar to interval training but differs in that the recovery periods are run at an easy or even steady intensity, rather than static rests. Often fartlek sessions will have a more relaxed structure and include a mixture of different paces in one session. They can be an effective way of varying your paces while maintaining a focus on continuous running and building endurance.

I’ve missed a week of the plan, what should I do: These sessions are designed to allow you to sustain higher intensity paces for longer. They can include a mixture of longer intervals between 3-15 minutes or they can be run as continuous efforts of between 10-40 minutes. They are run at a strong, but just about sustainable, intensity. It’s typically a pace you could hold for 60-70 minutes in a race.

Progression runs: Progression runs – which progress in speed as the run goes on – are a great way to start to work quality running into your week without getting too worked up about structure. They are good for getting you used to running at the intensity you would in a race and can be an effective way of adding more threshold running and race-pace efforts into your training week.

Long runs: Long runs are a key run in your training plan. They are an essential building block for endurance, and not only have a wide range of positive effects on your cardiovascular system, but condition your muscles and bones to run for longer, while also helping to improve your running economy. Some long runs will be run at a fully easy intensity but sometimes you may be asked to run at a stronger pace or even include some blocks of race pace running depending on what you are training for.

Strides: Strides are a good way to get used to running faster and developing speed without the physical and psychological demands of full sprinting. They involve running short efforts, normally between 60-100m, where the focus is on running at a fast but relaxed speed and running with good form. In the plan, we include strides as part of our warm-ups before interval training to help you prepare for the sustained faster running in the main session. You may also see strides included after easy runs on occasions to help promote a feeling of speed and zip even on low-intensity days. For more on how to perform them correctly, hit the link here.

Main set x 3: Main set x 3 are an important complement to your running. By building a greater number and size of muscle fibres, strength training can help you sustain paces for longer, improve running economy and may play a role in injury prevention. We have written a number of common-sense bodyweight plans, but feel free to replace these with gym-based strength training or classes, such as Pilates.

RWC: 16-week sub-4:00 marathon training plan Updated: 08 April 2025 – just tell us a recent run time and we’ll do the rest.

Very few runners will get to the end of their marathon training schedule without missing some runs due to illness, injury or life getting in the way. If you’ve missed four weeks or more, our best advice is to adjust your race day goal as it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get the time you want on race day having missed a month. If the prospect of a marathon feels too difficult, postpone your race.

If you’ve missed two or three weeks, you should still have time to build up to your longest training runs, which are key to race-day success. If you are coming back from injury, spend a week or two gradually increasing your training volume, using previous weeks on the training plan as a guide.

Below is a two week sample of the RWC training plan - you can access the full plan by becoming a x 20 secs.

If you become a Runner's World Club member, you can access a whole catalogue of training plans, catering to all distances and time goals, plus you get a magazine subscription exclusive offers, discounts and much more.

x 20 secs.

Expert consulted:Tom Craggs

Tom Craggs is the National Endurance Manager (Off Track) with England Athletics, a running coach and a contributor for Runner's World. 

Expert consulted:Robbie Britton

Robbie Britton is an ultra-endurance coach, athlete, author and the British 24hr record holder (277km/172miles). He is also one the brains (alongside Tom Craggs) behind all our Runner's World Club training plans.