Switching from Battersea park marathon to half marathon encurs a £5 fee, so I’m just going to run half-of-the-marathon and DNF.
Training interrupted again this time by jury service. Will aim for 5:20/km in the vitality 10K on Sunday. Then some thing like a 2h10 for the half.
No Autumn marathon for me.
I decided I wasnt going to a while ago. I was thinking about a half Sunday but I am not as I have not done any speed work for a while.
I estimate I’m in about 3h45 marathon form, which isnt enough of an incentive to struggle through one, plus the recovery afterwards and I am sure the injury risk would be high…
I have been focusing on the bike for the last 8 - 10 weeks, with 40 - 48 km steady running a week.
I did an easy HM in training last Saturday 1hr55. Edit Could probably complete a flat out 1h42 ish but it would be grim.
I did not realise such a thing existed. That’s where I used to do loads of laps, and was my primary training location for my marathon pb. It would be a bit dull, but absolutely perfect to nail an optimal time
I think it started earlier this year.
Setting up my training plan, ChatGPT has spat out something based on my previous raced. 3:56 / 3:44 / 3:55
For one, I was in decent shape and cramped up, the mara I did last year was undercooked but went out to just complete. This time, it’s London and I want to go well. Think I’ve got a 3:29 in me if I get training in. I’ve found just base mileage and long runs builds my speed, don’t think I need as much specific tempo or speed work to get to sub 5m/km pace but please tell me if I’m wrong.
Thoughts on the plan?
| Week Starting | Week | Weekly Distance (km) | Runs per Week | Long Run (km) | Notes | Need to adjust for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/11/2025 | 1 | 25 | 4 | 12 | Re-establish routine; easy effort | |
| 17/11/2025 | 2 | 28 | 4 | 14 | Add 1 short mid-week run | |
| 24/11/2025 | 3 | 31 | 4 | 16 | Build gently | |
| 01/12/2025 | 4 | 27 | 4 | 12 | Cut-back / recovery | |
| 08/12/2025 | 5 | 34 | 4 | 18 | Increase volume again | |
| 15/12/2025 | 6 | 38 | 4 | 20 | Strong aerobic week | |
| 22/12/2025 | 7 | 42 | 5 | 22 | Add optional 5 km recovery jog | |
| 29/12/2025 | 8 | 38 | 4 | 16 | Cut-back | |
| 05/01/2026 | 9 | 45 | 5 | 22 | Endurance phase starts | |
| 12/01/2026 | 10 | 48 | 5 | 24 | First >20 km long run | Fred Hughes 10 mile |
| 19/01/2026 | 11 | 52 | 5 | 26 | Steady build | |
| 26/01/2026 | 12 | 45 | 4 | 18 | Recovery | |
| 02/02/2026 | 13 | 55 | 5 | 28 | Marathon-specific work begins | |
| 09/02/2026 | 14 | 58 | 5 | 30 | Long-run confidence boost | |
| 16/02/2026 | 15 | 62 | 5 | 32 | Peak endurance week | GVH 17.5 mile |
| 23/02/2026 | 16 | 50 | 4 | 22 | Cut-back / recovery | |
| 02/03/2026 | 17 | 60 | 5 | 30 | Return to big mileage | Cambridge Half Marathon |
| 09/03/2026 | 18 | 63 | 5 | 32 | Peak mileage | |
| 16/03/2026 | 19 | 65 | 5 | 32 | Final long run block | GVH 20 mile |
| 23/03/2026 | 20 | 50 | 4 | 22 | Start tapering | Oakley 20 Mile |
| 30/03/2026 | 21 | 45 | 4 | 18 | Taper begins | |
| 06/04/2026 | 22 | 40 | 4 | 14 | Reduce fatigue | |
| 13/04/2026 | 23 | 30 | 3 | 10 | Keep legs fresh | |
| 20/04/2026 | 24 | ~15 + 42 race | 3 | Race – 42.2 km | London Marathon  |
Updated to account for the other races I’ve booked
| Week | Dates (2025–26) | Weekly Distance (km) | Runs per Week | Long Run (km) | Key Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 10–16 | 25 | 4 | 12 | Re-establish base |
| 2 | Nov 17–23 | 28 | 4 | 14 | Build gently |
| 3 | Nov 24–30 | 31 | 4 | 16 | 3 runs + 1 long |
| 4 | Dec 1–7 | 27 | 4 | 12 | Cut-back / recovery |
| 5 | Dec 8–14 | 34 | 4 | 18 | Increase endurance |
| 6 | Dec 15–21 | 38 | 4 | 20 | Consistent week |
| 7 | Dec 22–28 | 42 | 5 | 22 | Add recovery jog if fresh |
| 8 | Dec 29–Jan 4 | 38 | 4 | 16 | Recovery |
| 9 | Jan 5–11 | 45 | 5 | 22 | Build again |
| 10 | Jan 12–18 | 48 | 5 | 10 mi race (≈16 km) | Fred Hughes 10 M – strong tempo effort |
| 11 | Jan 19–25 | 50 | 5 | 24 | Long aerobic run |
| 12 | Jan 26–Feb 1 | 45 | 4 | 18 | Cut-back |
| 13 | Feb 2–8 | 52 | 5 | 26 | Long endurance |
| 14 | Feb 9–15 | 55 | 5 | 28 | Solid volume |
| 15 | Feb 16–22 | 58 | 5 | Gade Valley 17.5 mi (≈28 km) | Treat as long run |
| 16 | Feb 23–Mar 1 | 50 | 4 | 20 | Recovery week |
| 17 | Mar 2–8 | 55 | 5 | Cambridge Half (21.1 km) | Race effort or steady long run |
| 18 | Mar 9–15 | 58 | 5 | 26 | Post-race consolidation |
| 19 | Mar 16–22 | 63 | 5 | Gade Valley 20 mi (≈32 km) | Peak long run option 1 |
| 20 | Mar 23–29 | 65 | 5 | Oakley 20 mi (≈32 km) | Peak long run option 2 |
| 21 | Mar 30–Apr 5 | 55 | 5 | 26 | Final big week before taper |
| 22 | Apr 6–12 | 45 | 4 | 18 | Taper begins – reduce volume slightly |
| 23 | Apr 13–19 | 35 | 4 | 14 | Sharpening phase |
| 24 | Apr 20–26 | ~15 + 42.2 km race | 3 | London Marathon  |
Race week |
I don’t think I can add any judgment on whether it’s a good plan or not for you with too many variables.
I wouldn’t say there’s any intelligence there. Sure, it’s a basic gradual build in distance with a 3-1 cycle throughout as your expect from any cookie cutter plan online and probably fine for the average person to safely build to finish a marathon. Only you can judge the weekly volumes and build rates from previous experience. Eg 180km months are about the most I’ve ever achieved in a month without injury.
ETA: not meant as negative as it comes across! I’m all for encouraging and hope having that accountable structure is useful. But without knowing what prompts you gave it I have no idea if it’s any better than hal higdon etc online which are probably very similar
I think that’s fair, it can only base it on known training approaches. Seems as good as anything out there non-bespoke.
I’ve been playing with it as I am doing a 70.3 - 3 weeks after London and so want to include 2 swims and bike prep into next year. It reduced the run volume slightly (max week of 55km) and built in 2 x bikes up to three hours. I squeeze S&C in at the gym when my kids are at swimming club.
I did a 4 week rolling average and it peaks at 212km. I’ve got no idea if that’s sensible or not.
If I keep to the plan, it will be my highest ever CTL. Aim high right?
All of this is work dependent, if work takes over the whole lot will probably get binned and I’ll end up winging it again.
Firstly, good luck. My 20p.
I’m looking at weeks 17-20 nervously, guessing the idea is only one of the 20 milers? If you do the half as a race then I’m less sure about a 20 a fortnight later unless you can control that to a steady pace which is hard when there’s people around.
I’m also not sure if you do the second 20 then straight into a final big week, again it depends on how you pace that 20, and you could dial back that week if the 20 was harder than planned.
But I’d ease back any cycling that week. Not sounding mean but it’ll be hard to do both the marathon and 70.3 well, but not impossible.
It doesn’t seem to mention any intensity. I’d be tempted to get hold of the Daniels running chart, try and do a 10k & possibly a 5K and get some paces for your runs from that, so that you aren’t doing easy runs at tempo or something.
Finally, admittedly I had less kids than you but tried to do my last long run on a Friday evening just to give an extra 2 days recovery, but a lot of friends went with a 3 week taper which might actually have been better.
I was worried about this earlier in the year… Manchester into Outlaw 3 weeks later… it turned out to be perfect timing… hardly any bike which was a worry but the run fitness carried over really well, strongest run in a half by some way.
Having said that I crammed a load more run volume in because I could, the month before the marathon, March, was 533km running and 1h42 walking, 2h15 on the bike. My situation was unique though (it would be madness for many, high risk but high reward) I was ill almost all of the preceeding November and half of December so I was playing catch up.
The content of the kms is more important than the number of KMs per week imo.
Increasing quality within the long run is very important imo, especially if KM / time crunched.
WDIK, but looks good to me in principle.
One thought that comes to mind is that whenever I have set out with a structured training plan, 100% of the time life has had other ideas. Maybe you are more disciplined, but just for interest pushed your plan back into ChatGPT and asked it for a flexible version based on time not distance.
ChatGPT 5
My mate Kipchoge has this marathon training plan, but say life gets busy and he may not be able to follow it to the letter. Can you suggest a more flexible plan based on hours spent running per month (not distance) and with 6 key long runs?
ramble ramble …. then:
The new plan assumes:
Busy schedule → only hours, not distances, are tracked.
Six key long runs, the longest ≈ 2 h 30 min.
Marathon goal pace ≈ 5 min/km (≈ 8 min/mile).
Time equivalents use that pace (e.g. 25 km ≈ 2 h 05 min).
Weekly total time fluctuates between 3 h → 6 h depending on phase.
Flexible Time-Based Marathon Plan (6 months)| Month | Approx. Weekly Running Time | Long Run (duration) | Key Focus / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov (Weeks 1–4) | ~3–4 h/week | 1 h 15 → 1 h 30 | Re-establish easy aerobic base. 3–4 runs per week. No speed work yet. Keep everything conversational pace. |
| Dec (Weeks 5–8) | ~4 h/week | 1 h 30 → 1 h 50 | Build endurance gradually. Include one short tempo or hill session weekly (≈ 45 min). Week 8 cut-back to 1 h 20. |
| Jan (Weeks 9–12) | ~4.5–5 h/week | 2 h 00 → 2 h 10 | Fred Hughes 10 M (Jan 12–18): replace tempo run that week. Keep one midweek run of 45–60 min steady. Week 12 recovery (1 h 30 long run). |
| Feb (Weeks 13–16) | ~5 h/week | 2 h 15 → 2 h 25 | Gade Valley 17.5 mi (Feb 16–22): treat as long run #3. Continue one moderate-effort run midweek. Week 16 easy (≈ 1 h 20 long run). |
| Mar (Weeks 17–21) | ~5–6 h/week | 2 h 20 → 2 h 30 (max) | Cambridge Half (Mar 2–8): long tempo effort. Gade Valley 20 mi / Oakley 20 (Mar 16–29): use as long run #5 (2 h 30). Final build week (~2 h long run) then taper begins. |
| Apr (Weeks 22–24) | ~2–3 h/week | 1 h 15 → 0:45 (shake-out) | Reduce time by ~40%, then another 40%. Keep 2–3 short easy runs per week. Marathon week: optional 30 min jog + London Marathon (3 h 30 target). |
| Long Run # | Approx. Timing | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Nov | 1 h 30 | First extended endurance run |
| 2 | Mid Dec | 1 h 50 | Comfortable pace |
| 3 | Mid Feb | 2 h 15 | Gade Valley 17.5 mi race |
| 4 | Early Mar | 2 h 20 | Steady effort after half-marathon |
| 5 | Mid–Late Mar | 2 h 30 | Peak long run (Gade Valley 20 / Oakley 20) |
| 6 | Early Apr | 1 h 30 | Final confidence run before taper |
Not sure I 100% buy it though, especially the 3 week taper which seems rather generous
edit: and is it suggesting doing all the long runs at marathon target pace??
Answer: no
“Use pace only to estimate time, not as a target for all runs. Most running (~80%) should feel easy. Marathon pace (≈ 5 min/km) is reserved for small sections of tempo runs or the last 20–30 min of key long runs.”
–+
Nah, on reflection I’m not buying it. 3-5 hours per week, 80% easy and with a 3 week taper isn’t going to deliver a 3h30 marathon. Sorry ChatGPT
Depends on if your mate is Eliud Kipchoge or Bob Kipchoge who works for the council
Agreed.
I’ve been playing and adding in S/B on top
Base - 5-6 hours p/w
Endurance - 8 hours p/w
Big block peaks at 12 hours (eek 
)
Swim is 2 sessions - 1 endurance and 1 skills/drills (works with what my club run) starting where I am now at approx. 1600m per swim working up to 2300m
Bike is 1 short (1 hour ish) and 1 longer getting up to 3 hours rides.
Definitely this, with work changing I could have loads of time but no money, or no time and plenty of money. What I do know is that without a plan, I tend to wing it and not do enough. Need something to aim towards even if I fall short.
Yes, I put them both in as not sure which I’d do but not likely to do both. That block does scare me too.
I tend to go off Runalyze which uses Daniels. Given it uses current data it looks about right to me.
Try adding more factors to the prompt, current fitness, training history, injury history, recent races etc?
haha yes like Jim says maybe if someone just ran a 3h15 , then a 3h30 in 6 months is realistic with that detraining plan
Now you know it is talking total sh💩
How is that specific to the Marathon? A: Its not.
IMO your training, once you get into the last 9 - 12 weeks should become more specific to the event which means more and more time at marathon pace (including in the long run, obviously a small amount, or none, progressing to a peak 3-4 weeks out)
If you can do something like 5x 3km (or 3x 5km if you prefer longer reps) at about 4:50 - 4:55km with 1km float moderate, so 15km at MP within a session of something like a 25km 3-4 weeks out you should be able to run a 3h30, (with preceeding weeks build up to this.)
A similar session would be last 12km of long run at MP.
Progression could be
3km,
6km,
9km,
12km
(even 15km) at MP in the long run every other week,
with the intervening weeks just a standard easy long run if fatigue management its becoming an issue (or niggles.)
I’ve done this progression up to 10km (couldn’t face the last 2km and was kind of starting to bonk), the progression gets a bit spicy, but I did it week on week. Next Marathon I think I will try building to 5x 3km or 3x 5km with 1km float recovery, think it would be easier mentally, and to adjust plan progress.
Of course none of this is required 
its just leaving less things to chance and fluking a good Marathon. Some people can do anything and run well.
Keep in mind I know F all… 
Last thing,
Not convinced about a 3 week taper either.
It is probably basing this of people running 100km plus weeks or the cookie cutter plans used by the masses (apparently 1.1 million a year) Lets face it a vast majority are just trying to complete the thing and there is so much information out there for this rather than performance related running (at an amateur level especially.) So it is likely to give a reply with this bias 
edit: spelling errors (still plenty I am sure) and random additional words removed. I’m not attached to the 5x 3km or 3x 5km float sessions btw, the point was float sessions where you accumulate ~15k at Marathon pace, I like the idea of 5,4,3,2,1 km.
5,4,3,2,1,2,3 if you want 20km @ MP pace (hardcore)
All food for thought. I’ve not really considered quality in the runs and like the idea of MP blocks inside the long run.
If I can get to it, theres a local group who do a 45 min intervals or hills sessions locally on a Tuesday to do some faster reps. Depends when Mrs gets home.
The key thing is to get the athlete out and training, consistently. If your plan helps you do that then I’d say it’s achieved what most do not.
The specifics of what you need to get to sub 3:30 will need more thought.
Whenever I’ve done a marathon training block, I’ve had more success with putting in an hour at MP inside a longer run, rather than ‘ 5 x 5km at MP’ type thing but that’s me. ( you need to build up to it of course)
Everyone is different.
