Dangelo Running Plans About

Sub 3 hour 30 minute marathon

 Distance: Marathon (42.195km)

 Target pace: 4:59 per km

Our Sub 3 hour 30 minute marathon training plan is over 16 weeks and is completely free to use.
You can decide if you want to do all 16 weeks or start at any point during the training plan, it's completely up to you.

Ready to get started on your journey?

Week 1 - Distance: 41.0 km - Number of runs: 5 Week 2 - Distance: 50.8 km - Number of runs: 5

Monday Monday
Rest Rest

Tuesday Tuesday
Easy - 6km Intervals - 1.5km WU, 4 x 1.5km (F) x 400m (S), 1.5km CD
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km Pace: 3:48 - 4:12 / km

Wednesday Wednesday
Easy - 8km Easy - 10km
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km

Thursday Thursday
Race pace - 5km Tempo - 1.5km WU, 3.2km (T), 1.5km CD
Pace: 4:59 / km Pace: 4:10 - 4:40 / km

Friday Friday
Rest Rest

Saturday Saturday
Recovery - 6km Recovery - 6km
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km

Sunday Sunday
Long run - 16km Long run - 18km
Pace: 5:40 - 6:20 / km Pace: 5:40 - 6:20 / km

Week 3 - Distance: 54.6 km - Number of runs: 5 Week 4 - Distance: 45.0 km - Number of runs: 5
 Monday Monday
Rest Rest

Tuesday Tuesday
Intervals - 1.5km WU, 4 x 1.5km (F) x 400m (S), 1.5km CD Intervals - 1.5km WU, 6 x 800m (F) x 200m (S), 1.5km CD
Pace: 3:48 - 4:12 / km Pace: 3:48 - 4:12 / km

Wednesday Wednesday
Easy - 11km Easy - 12km
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km

Thursday Thursday
Race pace - 6km Tempo - 1.5km WU, 5km (T), 1.5km CD
Pace: 4:59 / km Pace: 4:10 - 4:40 / km

Friday Friday
Rest Rest

Saturday Saturday
Recovery - 6km Recovery - 6km
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km

Sunday Sunday
Long run - 21km Race - 10km
Pace: 5:40 - 6:20 / km Pace: 4:59 / km

Week 5 - Distance: 59.5 km - Number of runs: 5 Week 6 - Distance: 67.4 km - Number of runs: 5

Monday Monday
Rest Rest

Tuesday Tuesday
Tempo - 1.5km WU, 6.5km (T), 1.5km CD Intervals - 1.5km WU, 8 x 600m (F) x 200m (S), 1.5km CD
Pace: 4:10 - 4:40 / km Pace: 3:48 - 4:12 / km

Wednesday Wednesday
Easy - 12km Easy - 14km
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km

Thursday Thursday
Race pace - 8km Tempo - 1.5km WU, 6km (T), 1.5km CD
Pace: 4:59 / km Pace: 4:10 - 4:40 / km

Friday Friday
Rest Rest

Saturday Saturday
Recovery - 6km Recovery - 6km
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km

Sunday Sunday
Long run - 24km Long run - 29km
Pace: 5:40 - 6:20 / km Pace: 5:40 - 6:20 / km
Week 7 - Distance: 74.0 km - Number of runs: 5 Week 8 - Distance: 55.9 km - Number of runs: 5

Monday Monday
Rest Rest

Tuesday Tuesday
Intervals - 1.5km WU, 10 x 400m (F) x 200m (S), 1.5km CD Intervals - 1.5km WU, 12 x 200m (F) x 200m (S), 1.5km CD
Pace: 3:48 - 4:12 / km Pace: 3:48 - 4:12 / km

Wednesday Wednesday
Easy - 16km Easy - 13km
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km

Thursday Thursday
Race pace - 11km Tempo - 1.5km WU, 5km (T), 1.5km CD
Pace: 4:59 / km Pace: 4:10 - 4:40 / km

Friday Friday
Rest Rest

Saturday Saturday
Recovery - 6km Recovery - 6km
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km

Sunday Sunday
Long run - 32km Race - 21.1km
Pace: 5:40 - 6:20 / km Pace: 4:59 / km

Week 9 - Distance: 74.0 km - Number of runs: 5 Week 10 - Distance: 60.8 km - Number of runs: 5

Monday Monday
Rest Rest

Tuesday Tuesday
Intervals - 1.5km WU, 10 x 400m (F) x 200m (S), 1.5km CD Intervals - 1.5km WU, 3 x 2.5km (F) x 400m (S), 1.5km CD
Pace: 3:48 - 4:12 / km Pace: 3:48 - 4:12 / km

Wednesday Wednesday
Easy - 13km Easy - 14km
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km

Thursday Thursday
Race pace - 14km Tempo - 1.5km WU, 5km (T), 1.5km CD
Pace: 4:59 / km Pace: 4:10 - 4:40 / km

Friday Friday
Rest Rest

Saturday Saturday
Recovery - 6km Recovery - 6km
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km

Sunday Sunday
Long run - 32km Race - 21.1km
Pace: 5:40 - 6:20 / km Pace: 4:59 / km
Week 11 - Distance: 71.5 km - Number of runs: 5 Week 12 - Distance: 75.5 km - Number of runs: 5

Monday Monday
Rest Rest

Tuesday Tuesday
Fartlek - 1.5km WU, 6.5km Fartlek, 1.5km CD Intervals - 1.5km WU, 5 x 1.5km (F) x 400m (S), 1.5km CD
Pace: 3:48 - 4:12 / km
Wednesday
Easy - 10km Wednesday
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km Easy - 14km
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km
Thursday
Race pace - 14km Thursday
Pace: 4:59 / km Tempo - 1.5km WU, 5km (T), 1.5km CD
Pace: 4:10 - 4:40 / km
Friday
Rest Friday
Rest
Saturday
Recovery - 6km Saturday
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km Recovery - 6km
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km
Sunday
Long run - 32km Sunday
Pace: 5:40 - 6:20 / km Long run - 35km
Pace: 5:40 - 6:20 / km

Week 13 - Distance: 66.6 km - Number of runs: 5 Week 14 - Distance: 57.4 km - Number of runs: 5

Monday Monday
Rest Rest

Tuesday Tuesday
Intervals - 1.5km WU, 4 x 1km (F) x 400m (S), 1.5km CD Intervals - 1.5km WU, 6 x 800m (F) x 100m (S), 1.5km CD
Pace: 3:48 - 4:12 / km Pace: 3:48 - 4:12 / km

Wednesday Wednesday
Easy - 11km Easy - 10km
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km

Thursday Thursday
Tempo - 1.5km WU, 6km (T), 1.5km CD Race pace - 12km
Pace: 4:10 - 4:40 / km Pace: 4:59 / km

Friday Friday
Rest Rest

Saturday Saturday
Recovery - 6km Recovery - 6km
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km

Sunday Sunday
Long run - 32km Long run - 21km
Pace: 5:40 - 6:20 / km Pace: 5:40 - 6:20 / km
Week 15 - Distance: 40.4 km - Number of runs: 5 Week 16 - Distance: 56.395 km - Number of runs: 4

Monday Monday
Rest Rest

Tuesday Tuesday
Intervals - 1.5km WU, 9 x 400m (F) x 200m (S), 1.5km CD Intervals - 1.5km WU, 10 x 200m (F) x 100m (S), 1.5km CD
Pace: 3:48 - 4:12 / km Pace: 3:48 - 4:12 / km

Wednesday Wednesday
Easy - 8km Rest
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km
Thursday
Thursday Easy - 5km
Tempo - 1.5km WU, 5km (T), 1.5km CD Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km
Pace: 4:10 - 4:40 / km
Friday
Friday Rest
Rest
Saturday
Saturday Recovery - 3.2km
Recovery - 6km Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km
Pace: 5:20 - 5:50 / km
Sunday
Sunday Race - 42.195km
Long run - 10km Pace: 4:59 / km
Pace: 5:40 - 6:20 / km

Easy

This is essentially a recovery day. It doesn't matter if you're in the mood to break world records, it's important you take the time out to recoup. These runs are dropped in between interval and tempo sessions for a reason. So take it easy
and just log some kilometers. Don't be afraid to skip a day if your body needs some time off. (Yoga, some cross training or stretching is a great alternative if you want to keep active and not risk injury)

Recovery

Today is recovery day, and the pace should reflect that. We've scheduled this on the day before your long run so you can be good and rested going into it. Take it slow, or go for a 5k walk, and don't be afraid to skip a day if your body
needs some time off. (Yoga is a great alternative if you want to keep active) Alternatively if you're feeling strong on a Saturday morning, why not head down to the local parkrun and test your progress under race conditions. It's a great
place to geta time over the same course every week and to practice your race-craft.

Intervals

Although a lot of your marathon training will be focused on racking up the miles at or below race pace, use this speed session to work on gaining explosive power in the legs and really stretching the lungs. Our pace recommendation
for the sprints should have you going almost flat out, with some sessions being pretty brutal. Be mindful of keeping relaxed, take note if you are clenching your jaw or feeling tense in the hamstrings and quads. It's easy to go out too
hard in these sessions and pay for it down the line. Instead aim to keep your cadence and breathing steady, find a rhythm and you’ll find that your pace will actually improve. Finally, take the rest time seriously. There should be enough
time in between sprints to get your heart-rate down before going again, ideal for boosting your cardio-vascular performance and VO2 Max.

Long Run

The most important run of the week. This is where you train in the art of being comfortable in discomfort. By race day, you'll have ran 8 half-marathons and you should be at a point where those first 21 kilometres feel like a walk in the
park, after all the race really begins at the halfway point. You have a couple of options with pace. With our pace suggestions you can either take it nice and slow with the aim of getting those miles under your belt and get yourself used
to being out on the road for 3-4 hours at a time. Alternatively, you can aim for your race pace to get an idea of how you're progressing.

Race Pace
Today should be self-explanatory. Complete the distance in or around the pace you're aiming for. By building up the distances at this speed you get frequent feedback on where you are in the grand scheme of things and can adjust
your training accordingly. Are you flagging towards the end of a run? Maybe add some kms to your easier runs to increase endurance. Struggling to get up to speed? Focus on our interval sessions to build up the strength you'll need to
complete these runs. If it's clear you're struggling for pace, take a look at some of our other plans that might be better suited to you. If you're hitting your targets without breaking a sweat, you can always step up and aim for a faster
time with one of our other plans.

Tempo

Tempo runs differ from our speedwork sessions in that you will be pushing yourself at higher speeds than your planned race-pace, but for longer periods than during the interval sessions and without any breaks. Our pace suggestions
should have you running at a point where you can't maintain a conversation, but you should remain comfortable enough to run 20-30 minutes at this pace. Running at tempo is a great way to build up strength and stamina during
training and will be a big factor in your overall race pace getting faster. Just make sure to relax as much as you can during these sessions and don't be intimidated into going out too quickly, you can always start slower and aim for
negative splits.

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