95-Day Marathon Training Program
Straight from Shalane Flanagan herself, here is a 13-week training program to get your ready for your next marathon, inspired by our very own Slightly Mighty - a lo-cal IPA that's mighty in hop character and just 95 calories!
Geared toward a beginner / intermediate level runner, this program is about building miles and running four to six times per week. The key is to run as much as you can but stay healthy! On the non-running days, Shalane recommends low-impact exercise – think swimming, weight training, yoga and even spinning. Cross-training allows you to reduce injury, but still increase overall fitness.
Tackling your first marathon? The focus is completing the distance and not about a specific time … 26.2 is no joke!
For the intermediate runner who has run a few races, Shalane has created a pace calculator that should help give you a goal pace to train at and race at. Let’s break it down.
- Easy run – Should be conversational. Not only can you talk fairly easy, you can hold a chat with another person.
- Marathon pace – Can talk but gets harder the further you go. This is the pace you’re shooting to run your marathon at. As you get more and more fit, this pace will become easier to hold and for longer amounts of time. Marathon pace is roughly 30 seconds to 1 minute faster than your easy runs.
- Mile repeat pace – Should be difficult to hold a conversation. This is roughly your half marathon pace or about 1-1:30 minutes faster than your marathon pace. The recovery between the mile repeats is 90 seconds.
- Speed session – Good running form but trying to basically run as fast as you can! Great for leg turnover.
Now, it’s time to figure out what pace to train at. To figure that out, go for a 3-mile run. Go to a track to measure out 3 miles or use a GPS watch. What is your average mile pace? This pace will be the starting point for your training.
Ready to get after it? Here's a chart to help you find your training goal and pace!