Training engine

A plan that grows with you.

Six phases. Walk-run progressions for first-time runners through marathon taper. Every session coached, not just listed.

Train at your own pace

Training plans are starting points. Progress varies between people. Stop and seek help if you feel pain, dizziness or unusual fatigue.

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4 weeks

Beginner conditioning

Walk-run intervals build a base without injury risk.

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4 weeks

5K preparation

First continuous runs. The 5K becomes routine.

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4 weeks

10K preparation

Build comfort at distance. Introduce easy intervals.

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6 weeks

Half marathon build

Long runs grow steadily. Confidence compounds.

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8 weeks

Marathon build

Peak mileage, race-pace work, fuelling rehearsals.

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2 weeks

Taper & race prep

Smart recovery, sharp legs, finish line ready.

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Sample week — Phase 4

Half marathon build

Long runs grow — patience is everything.

This week's coaching focus

Mental durability alongside physical capacity.

Emotional tone

Longer distances stretch identity. You're becoming a marathon runner.

Recovery priority

Post-long-run fuelling within 60 minutes. Easy day after.

Confidence

Some long runs will feel impossible mid-way. That feeling passes.

Fatigue

Cumulative fatigue is real now. Plan for an easier week every 3–4 weeks.

What success looks like

Finishing the long run, regardless of pace.

Mon

Rest day

RPE 0

Tue

Easy run

RPE 3–4

Wed

Strength session

RPE 6–7

Thu

Intervals

RPE 7–8

Fri

Recovery run / walk

RPE 2–3

Sat

Long run

RPE 3–5

Sun

Cross-training

RPE 4–6

Inside the sessions

Every session has a purpose, an effort cue, and a coach's note. Tap any to see how it works.

Easy run

RPE 3–4

Build aerobic base without fatigue.

Why it matters: Easy running is the foundation of every finisher. It teaches your body to use fat for fuel and protects you from injury — the slow miles do the quiet work.
Effort cue: Could chat in full sentences.
Pacing: Conversational pace. If you can only speak in 2–3 word bursts, it's too fast.
Beginner tip: Almost everyone runs their easy days too hard. Going slower is the experienced move, not the weak one.
After: Light stretch, hydrate, normal day. No special recovery needed.
Mindset: Trust the slowness — you're building the engine that finishes marathons.
Warm-up / cooldown: 5 min brisk walk before. 3–5 min walk after.

Long run

RPE 3–5

Build endurance, mental resilience, and fuelling practice.

Why it matters: The long run grows your aerobic capacity and rehearses the marathon mindset. Most of the adaptation happens in the recovery afterwards.
Effort cue: Easy throughout — start slower than you think.
Pacing: Hold conversational pace from the first step. Negative-split if anything.
Beginner tip: Walk breaks are not failure — they're a smart pacing tool used by elites. Run/walk longer runs build endurance just as well.
After: Refuel within 30–60 min (carbs + protein). Easy day or rest tomorrow. Fatigue after long runs is normal.
Mindset: This is real marathon territory. You're showing your future self what you're made of.
Warm-up / cooldown: 5 min walk into it. Walk the last 2–3 min as a cooldown.

Intervals

RPE 7–8

Build speed, leg turnover, and aerobic ceiling.

Why it matters: Short, harder repeats teach the body to run efficiently. The recovery between reps is where the adaptation lives.
Effort cue: Hard but controlled — not all-out.
Pacing: Each rep at a pace you could hold for a 5K race effort. Easy jog between.
Beginner tip: Skip this session if you're new or feeling fatigued — easy miles always come first.
After: Easy day or rest tomorrow. Legs will feel heavy — that's normal.
Mindset: You don't need to win the workout. Even effort across reps is the goal.
Warm-up / cooldown: 10 min easy jog + 4×20s strides before. 5–10 min easy jog after.

Strength session

RPE 6–7

Build durable, injury-resistant marathon legs.

Why it matters: Stronger runners stay healthy and run more economically. 30–40 minutes, twice a week, is plenty.
Effort cue: Work hard, leave 1–2 reps in reserve.
Pacing: Compound lifts and single-leg work. Slow, controlled tempo.
Beginner tip: Bodyweight work counts. You don't need a gym to build runner-proof legs.
After: Some next-day soreness is normal. Stay hydrated.
Mindset: This is the work that protects your marathon journey months from now.

Effort cues use perceived effort (RPE), not heart-rate prescriptions. Non-medical guidance.

Explore every training type

Why each session matters

Every session has a job in the bigger arc. Here's what the long run and tempo are quietly building.

Long run

Why your long run matters

The long run grows endurance, pacing discipline and the marathon mindset — all in one session.

BuildPeak

Coach insight

The long run is where you build the runner you will be on race day. Pace it like a rehearsal, not a test.

What's adapting

Endurance

Your aerobic system extends — heart, lungs and muscles learn to keep working efficiently under accumulated fatigue.

What's adapting

Glycogen efficiency

Your body becomes better at sparing carbohydrate stores, which is exactly what race day demands.

What's adapting

Fatigue resistance

Form, focus and pacing all learn to hold together when you're tired — a separate skill from raw fitness.

Why it matters

Prepares you for the late stages of the marathon, not just the distance on paper.
Rehearses fuelling, hydration and pacing under real conditions.
Builds the mental confidence that comes from finishing something hard.

How it should feel

Easy throughout — start slower than you think.
Steady, controlled breathing for most of the run.
Honest fatigue in the final 20–30 minutes is normal and useful.

What beginners often get wrong

Long runs are not about proving speed — they are about staying efficient under fatigue.
Walk breaks are a smart pacing tool, not failure.
Feeling tired the next day is normal — it is the adaptation arriving.

Mental focus

This is real marathon territory. You're showing your future self what you're made of — one steady kilometre at a time.

A little reassurance

You only have to be calm and consistent today.
Every long run makes the next one feel more familiar.
It is allowed to be hard. That does not mean it is going badly.

Explore every training type Ask the Journey Coach

Tempo run

Why your tempo run matters

Tempo work teaches you to sustain controlled discomfort — the heart of marathon pacing.

BuildPeak

Coach insight

Tempo running teaches calm under pressure. Race-day confidence is built here, in the moments you choose to stay steady instead of surging.

What's adapting

Lactate threshold

You become more efficient at clearing the by-products of harder running, so a given pace feels more sustainable.

What's adapting

Pacing discipline

You learn to hold an honest, even effort instead of surging and fading.

What's adapting

Mental durability

You rehearse the feeling of “I could just about hold this” — the exact feeling of marathon racing.

Why it matters

Teaches your body to stay efficient at stronger efforts without red-lining.
Builds confidence that uncomfortable does not have to mean unsustainable.
Bridges easy aerobic work and race-pace running.

How it should feel

Comfortably hard — short sentences only.
Steady, controlled — like an effort you could just about hold for an hour.
The last few minutes should feel honest, not desperate.

What beginners often get wrong

Tempo means controlled, not survival mode.
If you are barely hanging on at the end, you almost certainly started too fast.
It is allowed to feel uncomfortable. That is the session working.

Mental focus

This is the pace that teaches confidence — staying calm when it gets uncomfortable, instead of fighting it.

A little reassurance

A controlled effort is the goal — not a personal best.
You do not need to win this session.
Even effort across the whole run beats a heroic start every time.

Explore every training type Ask the Journey Coach

Fuel each session

Nutrition guidance built around the actual session — not generic tips. Tap into the long run and easy run plans below.

Long run

Fuel your long run

The long run is fuelling practice. Treat it as a rehearsal for race day.

BuildPeak

Coach insight

Long-run fuelling is gut training. Every long run is a rehearsal — race day should feel familiar, not experimental.

Before Your Run

2–3 hours before: a familiar carb-led meal with a little protein. Keep fibre and fat modest so your stomach settles before you start.

Porridge with banana and honey
Bagel with jam + small coffee
White rice with eggs
Toast with peanut butter and banana

During Your Run

Aim for 30–60g of carbohydrate per hour, starting around 30–45 minutes in — not when you're already empty. Sip water with anything sticky.

1 gel every 30–40 min (≈22–30g carbs each)
A small handful of jelly sweets every 20 min
Sports drink (~30g carbs per 500ml)
Half a banana + a few dates

Hydration

Sip on schedule, not on thirst. In normal conditions ~400–800ml per hour is a reasonable range. In heat, more — and add electrolytes.

Electrolytes

For runs over 75–90 minutes, or anything sweaty, add an electrolyte tablet or sports drink. Heavy sweaters may need 500–700mg of sodium per litre.

Gut Training

Your stomach learns to absorb carbs at pace the same way your legs learn to run further. Use the same products, same timing, every long run.

After Your Run

Within 30–60 minutes: a fist of carbs + a palm of protein + fluids. This is when training quietly becomes fitness.

Rice + chicken + roasted veg
Eggs on toast + a glass of milk
Smoothie with banana, oats and a scoop of protein
Bagel with cream cheese + a flat white

Real-world examples

Pre: porridge + banana 2.5h before

During: gel at 0:35 / 1:10 / 1:45 with water

Post: rice bowl + chicken + glass of milk within an hour

By experience level

Beginner
Start with one gel at 45 minutes and see how your stomach responds. Build from there — don't go from zero to four gels in a single week.
Intermediate
By the peak block your race-day fuel should be locked: same brand, same flavour, same timing — every long run.
Experienced
If 60g/h feels comfortable, gradually train toward 70–90g/h using mixed carbs (glucose + fructose) for marathon performance.

Common mistakes

Saving fuelling "for race day" and never practising in training.
Eating too much, too late, and feeling sick at km 25.
Mixing three new products on one key long run.

Race week tip

Your final long run should mirror your race plan exactly — same breakfast, same gel timing, same bottle strategy.

Full nutrition library Ask the Journey Coach

Easy run

Fuel an easy run

Most easy runs need almost nothing. That's the whole point.

FoundationBuildEveryday

Coach insight

Easy runs build the aerobic engine. Over-fuelling them dulls your appetite for real meals and teaches your body the wrong lessons.

Before Your Run

Under 45 minutes: usually no special fuel. Under 75 minutes: a small carb snack only if you're genuinely hungry or it's been 3+ hours since you ate.

A banana
A slice of toast with honey
A small handful of dates

During Your Run

Water is plenty for almost every easy run. Save gels and sports drinks for sessions over 75–90 minutes — they teach your gut nothing useful on a 5k jog.

After Your Run

A normal meal within an hour or two. You don't need a dedicated recovery drink for a 30–40 minute easy run.

Hydration

Sip steadily across the day. Pale-yellow urine is the friendly signal. No need to load fluids right before an easy run.

Real-world examples

Glass of water + banana before

Normal breakfast or lunch within 60–90 min after

Greek yoghurt and berries as a relaxed recovery snack

By experience level

Beginner
You almost certainly don't need a gel for a 5k easy run. If every easy run feels like it needs fuel, the run is probably too hard — not under-fuelled.
Intermediate
Use easy runs to listen to hunger signals. They're the most honest day of the week — appetite tells you whether the week is balanced.
Experienced
An occasional fasted easy run can support fat-burning adaptation. Keep it short, keep it easy, and never on a quality day.

Common mistakes

Treating a 5k jog like race day and stacking it with gels.
Skipping breakfast, running easy, then crashing all afternoon.
Trying a brand-new race gel "for practice" on a recovery jog.

Full nutrition library Ask the Journey Coach

Recommended learning

Recommended learning for this block

Coach insight on the sessions that shape your block.

Browse Academy

Why runners often get this wrong — explained calmly inside each lesson.

Academy

Consistency matters more than perfection. Missing one session does not ruin progress.