The Phases of Training
Understanding training blocks
Training Phases Overview
Breaking a 3-hour marathon requires a structured progression through distinct phases, each building on the last to prepare you for race day. Below is a summary of these phases with specific examples tied to your 16-week plan.
Base Building Phase
The base building phase establishes your aerobic foundation, focusing on consistent, low-intensity mileage to prepare your body for the demands of marathon training. This phase emphasizes endurance over speed, using easy runs and a gradual increase in weekly volume to build stamina and resilience while minimizing injury risk.
Aerobic Development Phase
This phase enhances your aerobic capacity by introducing moderate-intensity workouts like tempo runs and intervals. The goal is to improve your lactate threshold and efficiency at faster paces, bridging the gap between base endurance and marathon-specific speed.
Marathon Pace Conditioning Phase
Here, the focus shifts to locking in your sub-3 marathon pace (around 6:50/mile) through targeted long runs and threshold workouts. This phase builds speed endurance, training your body to sustain goal pace over longer distances while adapting to race-like conditions.
Peak Performance Phase
The peak phase pushes your longest runs to maximize stamina and mental toughness, simulating marathon effort under fatigue. Volume and intensity peak here, followed by a taper to ensure you’re fresh for race day. Long runs with marathon pace segments are key.