Summit Melbourne Marathon Plan (Intermediate, 12-Week), by Leighton Wells, PhD
Summit Melbourne Marathon Plan (Intermediate, 12-Week), by Leighton Wells, PhD
Structured Workouts automatically sync with compatible devices and guide you through workouts in real time.
Learn More about Structured Workouts.
Length
12 Weeks
Structured Workouts automatically sync with compatible devices and guide you through workouts in real time.
Learn More about Structured Workouts.
Plan Description
Go to sample weeks and training-load structure ↓
Twelve weeks to the flat, fast 2026 Melbourne Marathon, finishing on the turf of the MCG. This is the intermediate, condensed build for the runner who already trains consistently and is short on runway: a focused run-in that sharpens an existing base, not a from-scratch start. A fast course rewards even, controlled pacing off the 6:15am start, so it is built around marathon-pace work and a course-recon long run, not junk miles. More time up your sleeve? The 16-week intermediate build gives the volume more room to land.
WHAT'S IN EVERY SUMMIT PLAN
Coaching built in, not just a list of workouts.
Targets are set from your own heart rate, so they scale to you, not a generic chart.
Most of your running kept genuinely easy, with a smaller, sharper share of hard work. Endurance research links the fastest marathon and half-marathon times to more easy running, not more hard.
Every interval downloads to your device and guides you in real time.
Plain English, every Monday: what matters most and what to drop when life is loud.
Full, reduced and minimum, so a hard work or family week never derails the plan.
The reasoning behind every session, with every term defined in full.
THE INTENSITY THAT GETS YOU THERE
Most of your running, easy.
A big aerobic base with a smaller, sharper dose of hard work. The distribution the research ties to the strongest endurance results.
Polarised training has the strongest evidence, so these plans are built that way. Pyramidal training is also effective, so in one-to-one coaching the balance is tailored to your stage of training and your life load.
Endurance research links the fastest marathon and half-marathon times to more easy running, not more hard (Muniz et al., 2024, Sports Medicine →).
Dr Leighton Wells
PhD · MAppSpSci · TrainingPeaks Level 2 · 7× Ironman finisher · research on 34,731 training sessions
HOW IT IS BUILT
What it is built on
Built the way the evidence says a marathon is built: a mostly-easy aerobic base, a carefully limited dose of harder work, and a long run progressed by time with a marathon-pace finish, so race day feels rehearsed, not improvised.
Tuned for Melbourne: the course is flat and fast, so the plan leans into even-pace durability and marathon-pace running over hill strength, and a course-recon long run in the peak week puts you on the bay and Beach Road at goal effort.
Across twelve weeks the plan ramps in absorbable steps to a single peak, with the long run smoothed so a condensed build never spikes your load, then a clean taper. Strength is built in twice a week, and every run is anchored to your own threshold, your LTHR (Lactate Threshold Heart Rate), set from a 5 km field test. It is built to the same standards behind every Summit run plan.
THE SUMMIT COACHING CYCLE
Coach yourself the way we would.
This is the rhythm we run in one-to-one coaching, and we encourage you to run it yourself when self-coaching. The plan prescribes the training; you measure, monitor and manage, week to week, and each step feeds the next.
The plan designs each week with intent, built on the method above.
Capture every session, and just as important, how it actually felt.
Watch the trends, your fatigue and your life load, not just one session.
Adjust, progress or back off, then it feeds into the next week.
THE AUTHORITY BEHIND YOUR PLAN
Published in leading sport-science journals.
Teaches coaching, training load and exercise science in university sport-science programs.
For AusTriathlon and TrainingPeaks.
Presented at its 30th Annual Congress in Rimini, Italy (July 2025), a leading international sport-science congress.
ENDURANCE RESULTS FROM SUMMIT ATHLETES
Real results, from real endurance athletes.
“I reduced my Ironman 70.3 PB by 50 minutes in less than 12 months with Leighton, and he coached me to my first Ironman finish.”
Andrew Hyde · First Ironman finish“Exceptional, personalised service. Leighton provides great insights and really knows what endurance training is all about. I reduced my Ironman 70.3 time by 40 minutes.”
Scott Hunter · Ironman 70.3 athleteBefore you start
You should already be running consistently, around four to five times a week, with a marathon or a long half behind you, and you want a time-efficient run-in. Newer to the distance, or with more time? Start with the 16-week intermediate marathon plan instead. The plan opens with an orientation week to settle in, then a benchmark week that sets your zones from a 5 km field test, so nothing in the build is guesswork.
FROM PLAN TO COACHING
A plan gives you the structure. Coaching adds the person reading the data.
Buy this plan, and if you later move to one-to-one coaching with Dr Leighton Wells, PhD (Sport Science), MAppSpSci, your first month is free. We pick up from where the plan has taken you, with your training built and adjusted around you, week to week.
Free email support, with every plan
Stuck on a session, or a term in the plan? Email leighton@summittriathloncoaching.com.au and ask. You get a real answer from a real coach, not a help desk.
GO DEEPER
The full Melbourne race guide: How to Race a Strong Melbourne Marathon →
The standards this plan is built on: The Anatomy of a Marathon Build →
The science behind how I coach: the Summit method →
Independently produced for runners targeting the Melbourne Marathon and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with the event or its organisers. Delivered through TrainingPeaks and loads into your calendar from your chosen start date. Train to your own limits and seek medical advice before starting a new program.
How it Works
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Track Your Progress
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Training Plan Sample Week
Stats
Average Weekly Breakdown
| Workouts | Weekly Average | Longest Workout |
|---|---|---|
|
Run
x5
|
04:54:00 | 04:00:00 |
|
Strength
x2
|
01:14:00 | 01:00:00 |
| Workouts Per Week | Weekly Average | Longest Workout | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
04:54:00 | 04:00:00 | |
|
|
01:14:00 | 01:00:00 |
Training Load By Week
- This plan includes a Free Basic TrainingPeaks Account.
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- Track your performance with robust data tracking and detailed graphs.
- Plan for your event in the TrainingPeaks calendar.
- Track your weight, sleep, hours, fatigue and stress while you train.
- Completed workouts sync with popular apps like Garmin and Wahoo. Learn More
- If plan includes Structured Workouts, then planned workouts sync to compatible devices and guide you through workouts in real time. Learn More
Refund Policy
This plan is protected by our Refund Policy and may, with the author's approval, be exchanged for a plan of equal value from the same author.
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Premium unlocks smarter training with advanced analytics, TrainingPeaks Virtual, and Structured Strength to give you deeper insights and data-backed results.
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