STRUCTURED TRAINING
Coach Laura Henry’s training plans will help you develop the fitness and confidence to reach your goals with a smile.
ABOUT THE TRAINING PLAN
This 20-week training plan is designed for beginner or first-time marathon athletes who are seeking to cross the finish line of the Chicago Marathon feeling strong.
All training weeks in this plan include four runs, one cross training session, and at least one strength training session. As it is written, your rest days are on Tuesdays and your long runs are on Sundays. Race day is planned as a Sunday since the Chicago Marathon takes place on a Sunday. You will need to adjust the training plan workouts on your own if the planned schedule doesn’t work well with your personal schedule or if you end up doing a different race.
Workouts are planned using a variety of tools - Heart Rate, Effort, and Pace - throughout the training plan. Incorporating all of these tools into your training helps to give you a wide range of options to choose from in terms of what tools are best for you to implement on race day.
In order to train by heart rate, you need to be able to run for 30 minutes at your hardest effort without stopping for any reason in order to determine your heart rate training zones. The assessment workout to set your heart rate zones is included in the first week of the training plan. If you are unable to complete 30 minutes of running without stopping, you should consider the 20-Week Chicago Marathon Training Plan - By Effort written by Coach Laura Henry.
WORKOUT DISTANCES AND DURATIONS
Prior to starting this plan, you should have a good base of at least an average of 4-5 hours of weekly training for the past four weeks and be able to complete a six-mile run. Prior running training experience for shorter distances is highly recommended.
The first week of the plan includes 6 hours of training, plus strength & mobility sessions:
- 1 hours, 40 minutes + 8 miles of running / 8 miles as your longest run
You will build in your max week to 12 hours of training, plus strength & mobility sessions:
- 2 hours, 15 minutes + 28 miles of running / 20 miles as your longest run
TRAINING PEAKS WORKOUT BUILDER
TrainingPeaks's Workout Builder is used for run workouts. This gives you specific details about the targets for each workout and can be imported to various other training devices, such as Garmin.
ABOUT COACH LAURA
Coach Laura Henry holds coaching certifications from USA Triathlon (Level II Long Course & Level II Paratriathlon) and USA Cycling (Level 2). She is also a certified Bike Fitter.
As a former swing shift worker with a demanding schedule, Coach Laura knows how to set goals and train as a time-limited athlete on a non-traditional schedule, and she focuses on developing effective plans for time-crunched athletes who lead busy lives. Her experience and enthusiasm has enabled her to coach many athletes of all abilities to success over the course of her career.
Coach Laura has coached dozens of athletes to finish lines of all distances and has coached many athletes who have run the Chicago Marathon. From first-timers to experienced athletes, Coach Laura has proven success with helping athletes of all abilities reach their goals.
To learn more about Coach Laura and Full Circle Endurance, please visit: https://fullcircleendurance.com/
Full Circle Endurance’s mission is to empower and develop athletes of all abilities to reach their potential and personal goals.
Full Circle Endurance is not your average coaching company. We seek to empower you to lead a balanced lifestyle that is based on good health, fitness, and reaching your own full potential. Whether you’re looking to become more active, run your first race, or train for an IRONMAN, we can help you on your path to your personal goals.