Understanding Your Marathon Nation Training Plan

Marathon Nation LogoMN Training Plan Overview

With your training zones calculated, it’s time to begin mapping out what your season will look like.

There are several different types of Marathon Nation Training Plans, and they are all listed below including some soon-to-arrive options.

Find your plan below to learn more about how it was designed to be used.

 

 

 

 

Master Marathon Training Plans (24 weeks)

  • Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced levels
  • Couch to Marathon (for total beginners)

Marathon Race Prep Plans (12 weeks)

  • Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced levels

Half Marathon Race Prep Plans (12 weeks)

  • Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced levels

Get Fast Plans (8 wks)

  • Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced levels

Post Race Plans (2 to 4 weeks) — Coming Soon!

  • 26.2 All Abilities (4 wks)
  • 13.1 All Abilities (2 wks)

Basic Week Plans (1 week)  — Coming Soon!

  • Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced levels

Goofy Challenge Plans (12 weeks)  — Coming Soon!

  • Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced levels

Marathon Training Plans (12- and 24-week options)

Master Marathon Plans combine the 12 week Pre-Training & 12 week Race Prep plans into a single plan. Excellent for athletes starting with more than 12 weeks until Race Day.

The ideal training cycle runs 24 weeks, or approximately 6 months from the date of your race. It consists of a 12-week pre training phase and then a 12-week race prep phase. While it is possible to just do the final 12 weeks, this is only recommended for those with 2-3 marathon finishes who bring some fitness to the table. All marathon plans have a three week taper.

The plans are structured so that the Advanced athletes will do more intervals and a few longer runs than their Intermediate counterparts. The Couch to Marathon Plan is for the first-timer just looking to finish

Half Marathon Training Plans (12 weeks)

These plans continue our quality over quantity focus, with plenty of solid intervals to help you train for your 13.1 mile adventure. The plans are structured so that the Advanced athletes will do more intervals and have a slightly shorter taper than their Intermediate counterparts.

Get Fast Training Plans (8 weeks)

The newest addition to the Marathon Nation training plan library, these plans focus on lifting your 5k pace to improve your vDOT score (and overall fitness). These plans are great for 5k or 10k races. Other runners use the Get Fast Plan to break up a long season that is focused on training for a marathon; opting to get fast first before embarking on a 12-week training program.

Post Race Training Plans (2+ weeks) — Coming Soon!

On some level, your race is little more than the biggest workout you’ll do all season. And just like any workout, if you can recover properly you’ll emerge stronger and fitter than ever before. Easier said than done, as most folks prefer to skimp on recovery and get back to running sooner than they should. Follow our plans to make sure that you are 100% before you start running again…think of the long term!

Basic Week Training Plans (1 week, you repeat it) — Coming Soon!

There are times when no plan is just right. If you are too far from a race, or just looking to get fit, you will soon be able to follow one of our Basic Week plans. This is a recurring week that you can do as a holding pattern until you are ready to make the leap to a real plan…or just do it while you race for fun!

Goofy Challenge Training Plans (12 weeks) — Coming Soon!

There are races and then there are events. The Goofy Challenge, a weekend in Disney that combines a Half Marathon on Saturday with a Marathon on Sunday is one such experience. It defies traditional training because of the sheer mileage required on race weekend, and as such we have built a custom plan to help you get ready for a great weekend.

Important Links for Your MN Plan Experience