You Got In! (Or not.) What next? Emily’s Marathon Training Tips (Part 1)

Congratulations (or commiserations)! You’re (finally) in the London Marathon 2022! In the hangover of lockdowns - it’s another Autumn edition of this usually popular spring race, and one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors.

Didn’t get a London marathon spot? Don’t forget there are many other races out there from Manchester to Malaga!

But if you are in, you have just over six months to prepare for race day, 2 October. So a summer of training beckons - and that means warmer weather and longer, lighter evenings. But as with any blank canvas, where do you start? And when?

You may not have run 26 miles before. It may even seem unfathomable to run that far. But don’t worry - there are some key things that will help you.

Training blocks

Work backwards from your race day and see how many weeks you have to train and split it into 3 blocks:

1. Base block

This phase builds your strength and aerobic capacity to train long – think steady effort gradually adding distance and low repetition heavy weight single legged run specific strength and conditioning sessions. Base training can be anything between 6 – 24 weeks depending on what your starting point is and how much time you have.

2. Build block

This block is where you would gradually ramp up in speed adding intensity, think shorter, faster interval sessions focusing on turning your feet around quickly and lightly. Build from 200m repeats to 1km repeats of faster efforts. Moving from heavy weights to plyometrics (jumping exercises) to get your muscles to adapt to quick contractions.

3. Taper and race

Up to 3 weeks (depending on your pace) before your race, you would dial down your training volume – think shorter duration, fewer repeats but keeping speed up. 2 days before your race, get your kit ready, sort out travelling logistics and you’re ready for your marathon!

Training plans

There are plenty of good training plans (Runner’s World is a very good place to start).

The long run is important for first time marathoners - to develop your racing strategy, pacing, nutrition and hydration. But for experienced distance runners, you can substitute gym work, strength and conditioning, swimming, cycling and other cardiovascular exercises. (Find out more about this in Emily’s blog.)

Don’t forget the 10% rule though - read about this in Emily’s Marathon Tips Part 2!