This is a 16 week training plan designed for newer runners, first time marathoners and those targeting a 4:30 to 6 hour road marathon and has been prepared by Dr Garry Palmer. It is especially useful If you are time poor, or haven't been training for long.

Over the period of 112 days, the plan firstly builds training volume, then adds two periods of building endurance volume (with lighter rest week) and progresses into adding a shorter block of threshold running and ends with a 3 week taper. The taper in achieved by reducing both volume and duration of the sessions, whilst maintaining intensity. It is designed to get you to the start line in the best possible shape whilst training only 4 or 5 days per week, and carefully takes consideration of overload and recovery.

The plan is best targeting to runners who have not been running (as much as they would like) or are starting out to achieve a finish for their first charity marathon. It assumes you have been doing a limited amount of running but are capable of running for 20-30 mins. PLEASE DON'T WORRY if you are not able to feel you can run the whole of the duration. The aim is to keep you moving and as close to your target heart rate to gain fitness.

The plan uses a combination of target distance (for interval sessions) but is focused on using heart rate based zone running (for longer aerobic efforts), but the athlete can easily switch these metrics to use the plan as duration based or pace based training sessions.

The plan is suitable for any road based marathon. However, please note, it assumes that race day is on a SUNDAY. The plan can be reused for future races.

The sessions prescribed are based on Dr Palmers book Elite Performance Running; From Middle Distance to Marathon

PLEASE NOTE: The weekly and average weekly training hours shown in the summary are incorrect as TrainingPeaks fails to account for the duration of the intensity sessions. This will be corrected when you add your personal metrics for threshold heart rate and threshold pace. Apologies. :-)