4 WEEKS TO GO marathon session! Full month training summary and our 2023 race plans! - Ben Parkes

Aug 13, 2025

Intro: This is a quick summary of 4 WEEKS TO GO marathon session! Full month training summary and our 2023 race plans! from Ben Parkes. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points:

The month is broken down by weekly mileage (100 km → 140 km) with a mix of easy runs, long runs, and quality interval sessions.
Main interval workout: 5 km warm‑up, then 6 × 1 km at about 3:15‑3:20 min/km with 2‑minute jog recovery, followed by 6 × 200 m fast repeats with 2:30 min recoveries, then a short cool‑down.
Long‑run examples: 20‑mile (≈32 km) run at ~4:28 min/km, 35 km run at ~4:26 min/km, hill‑sprint “Box Hill” threshold session (20 km total with 500 m repeats).
Goal for the London Marathon: BQ (under 3:30 h) with target paces around 3:15‑3:20 min/km for 10 km effort and 3:30 min/km for half‑marathon pace.
Practical tip: Use short recoveries (90‑120 s) between intervals to keep the heart rate up, and finish a session with a few easy minutes to flush out lactate.

Workout Example:

5 km easy warm‑up (easy‑pace, ~5:30‑6:00 min/km)

6 × 1 km @ 3:15‑3:20 min/km
   → 2 min jog recovery between each 1 km

6 × 200 m @ 2:30 min/km (or fast 200‑m effort)
   → 2:30 min jog recovery between each 200 m

5 km cool‑down (easy pace)

Feel free to adjust the paces to match your current fitness level using the Pacing app.

Closing Note: Give this session a go, tweak the intervals to suit your own pace, and keep building that mileage. You’ve got this—let’s get it done and crush those marathon goals! 🚀