Breaking 4 hours is the "gold standard" for many recreational marathoners. This plan focuses on consistency and building your weekly mileage safely to ensure you have the endurance to maintain your pace in the final 6 miles.
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Sub 4:00 Marathon Plan
« Back to All PlansTarget: Sub 4:00 Marathon
To break the 4-hour barrier, you need to maintain an average pace of approximately 9:09 min/mile (5:41 min/km).
| Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rest | 4M Easy (approx 9:30 pace) | 5M Steady (9:00 pace) | 3M Tempo (8:45 pace) | Rest | 3M Easy | 8M Long Run |
| 2 | Rest | 5M of 1M jog, then 8x400m at 5K pace (approx 2:00), 1M jog | Rest | 5M Steady (9:00 pace) | Rest | 3M Easy | 10M Long Run |
| 3 | Rest | 5M of 1M jog, 3x1M at 10K pace (approx 8:30) with 400m jog recovery, 1M jog | Rest | 6M Progression (start slow, finish fast) | Rest | Parkrun or 4M Fartlek | 12M Long Run |
| 4 | Rest | 6M of 1M jog, 5x800m at 10K pace (approx 4:15) with 200m jog recovery, 1M jog | Rest | 5M Steady (9:00 pace) | Rest | 3M Easy | 10M Easy (Recovery Week) |
| 5 | Rest | 6M of 1M jog, 4x1M at 10K pace (8:30) with 400m jog recovery, 1M jog | Rest | 7M with middle 4M at Marathon Pace (9:09) | Rest | 4M Easy | 14M Long Run |
| 6 | Rest | 6M of 1M jog, 10x400m at 5K pace (2:00) with 200m jog recovery, 1M jog | Rest | 6M Steady (9:00 pace) | Rest | 3M Easy | 15M Long Run |
| 7 | Rest | 7M of 1M jog, 5x1000m at 10K pace (5:15) with 200m jog recovery, 1M jog | Rest | 5M Steady | Rest | Parkrun or 4M Tempo | 10M Steady (or 10K Race) |
| 8 | Rest | 7M of 1M jog, 3x1.5M at 10K pace with 400m jog recovery, 1M jog | Rest | 8M with middle 5M at Marathon Pace (9:09) | Rest | 3M Easy | 16M Long Run |
| 9 | Rest | 7M of 1M jog, 6x800m at 5K pace (4:00) with 200m jog recovery, 1M jog | Rest | 7M Steady | Rest | 4M Easy | 18M Long Run |
| 10 | Rest | 7M Fartlek (mix of speeds) | Rest | 6M with 4M at Marathon Pace (9:09) | Rest | 3M Easy | 13M Easy (Recovery Week) |
| 11 | Rest | 8M of 1M jog, 4x1M at 10K pace (8:30) with 400m jog recovery, 1M jog | Rest | 8M Steady | Rest | 3M Easy | 20M Long Run (Peak Distance) |
| 12 | Rest | 6M Easy with Strides | Rest | 5M Steady | Rest | 3M Easy | Half Marathon Race (Target Sub 1:50) |
| 13 | Rest | 7M of 1M jog, 10x400m at 5K pace (2:00) with 200m jog recovery, 1M jog | Rest | 8M with middle 5M at Marathon Pace (9:09) | Rest | 4M Easy | 15M Steady |
| 14 | Rest | 6M of 1M jog, 3x1M at 10K pace (8:30), 1M jog | Rest | 6M Steady | Rest | Parkrun or 3M Easy | 10M Steady |
| 15 | Rest | 5M of 1M jog, 6x400m at 5K pace, 1M jog | Rest | 4M Marathon Pace | Rest | 3M Easy | 8M Easy |
| 16 | Rest | 4M Easy with Strides | Rest | 3M Easy | Rest | 2M Easy | The Race (Target 3:59:59) |
