12 Week Accelerated Advanced Level Marathon Training Plan
This is a 12 week accelerated advanced competitive marathon program that uses one workout per day on 4 to 7 workouts per week. This marathon training program that is designed for experienced competitive runners. This program includes high intensity workouts, weekly long training runs and high intensity strength training. The 12 week program begins with a long run base of 12 miles. If you prefer a longer training plan using a minimalist approach we also have a 24 week minimalist advanced marathon training plan.
Accelerated training programs are designed for those time when you don’t have enough training time before your race for a more conventional training approach. This accelerated training program concentrates on goal pace running and quality training sessions with fewer easy or recovery run workouts. There is also greater use of rest days to assist with recovery. This accelerated marathon program also uses a shorter taper or period of declining mileage and intensity that is used for recovery and strengthening before your race. To compensate for the shorter taper I have included more days of complete rest.
While accelerated programs are not the ideal training scenario, these programs will help you reach your training goal in a shorter period of time. When engaging in an accelerated program you should always pay close attention to any signs of over training such as elevated resting heart rate, chronic fatigue, frequent illness, mental burnout, muscle weakness or muscle pain.
Running Workouts
There are ten specific types of running workouts in your program:
Endurance Runs
This type of run is also known as aerobic conditioning. Endurance runs make up the highest percentage of overall mileage for a distance runner. Endurance runs build your overall endurance, increase your blood volume, improve your ability to store energy supplying fuel, and improves the ability of your system to deliver oxygen to your muscles. These workouts are performed at about 55 to 75 percent of your VO2 max (your body’s ability to process oxygen). This pace should feel easy and “conversational” in nature.
Lactate Turnpoint Runs
These workouts, which are also called anaerobic conditioning, are intended to improve your body’s ability to process accumulating lactic acid to produce energy. They also improve your ability to continue to run with rising potassium levels (a cause of running fatigue). LT runs are typically performed at between 75 percent and 90 percent of your VO2 max. Your LT pace is about 2 to 4 percent slower than 10K pace. These workouts are performed at or near 10K race pace because you are flooding your system with lactic acid and potassium at that pace, which makes 10K pace very efficient at improving your LT.
Progressive Runs
Progressive runs are a workout that combines endurance training, tempo training, lactate turn point training. When performing progressive runs you should start at an easy endurance pace and gradually increase your pace through out your training run. Increase from endurance pace to lactate turnpoint pace through all but the final mile of your progressive run. Then speed up to speed or 5K pace for the final mile. For example, if you are doing a 6 mile progressive run you should start at endurance pace and gradually speed up to lactate turnpoint pace through the first 5 miles. Then speed up to goal 5K pace for the final mile.
Speed Runs
These workouts are also known as aerobic capacity training. Speed runs are performed at between 90% and 100% of your VO2 max which is between your speed pace or 5K race pace and your vVO2 max or 3K race pace. Improving this pace will increase your fitness, speed, endurance and speed endurance.
Sprint Training – This workout is not the same type of high intensity running that a sprinter would do. Sprint training for a distance runner involves running at very high intensities of between 100 and 125 percent of VO2 max. These workouts should be performed at a nearly “all out’ but relaxed pace. You should concentrate on maintaining good form and a smooth, fluid stride. The purpose of these types of workouts are to improve your top running speed, running strength, running economy and neuromuscular conditioning or the ability of your brain to communicate with your muscles.
Hill Training
Your 12 week accelerated advanced marathon plan includes hill training. One of the best ways to improve your running strength and running economy is through the use of hill running. Hill running also helps improve your LT pace.
Long Runs
These runs improve your endurance, goal pace endurance and mental toughness. They also improve your body’s ability to burn fat as fuel and conserve carbohydrates. Long runs are performed at an easy pace, goal pace or a combination of the two paces.
Goal Pace Training
One of the most important and often forgotten competitive training paces is goal pace running. Goal pace training will improve your goal specific neuromuscular function and make you a more efficient runner at goal pace.
Strides
Strides are a form of sprint training that is often done just before a post training cool down. In this program, strides are 100 meter runs in which you start your stride at a moderate pace and smoothly accelerate to full sprint pace at about 80 meters. You then use your forward momentum to “coast” the final 20 meters.
What about tempo runs? Most training program depend heavily upon tempo training runs. Tempo runs are moderate to long distance run that are performed at between marathon pace and about 15 seconds per mile slower than 10K pace. Tempo training intensity is slightly less than lactate turn point intensity. The purpose of tempo running is to improve your ability to run long distances at paces that produce a significant amount of metabolites without the limiting factor of reaching your lactate turn point. Why doesn’t this program include tempo runs? It does – this program uses many goal pace training workouts. Your marathon goal pace is on the low end of tempo run pace. We use this tempo pace because it is critical to develop your neuromuscular efficiency at your goal marathon pace.
This 12 accelerated advanced marathon training plan is presented in PDF format. You can move through the pages using your scroll bar or by using the PDF viewer controls at the bottom of each page.
Accelerated 12 Week Advanced Competitive Marathon
