Lee Grantham's Marathon Tempo

Workout - Lee Grantham's Marathon Tempo

• 12min @ 6'15''/km
• 5 lots of:
  • 10min @ 5'30''/km
  • 2min 30s rest
• 12min @ 6'15''/km

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A breakdown of Inside My Weekly Training Program: Key Sessions, Cycling, and Strength Work from Lee Grantham. The video covers a lot. We’ve pulled the essentials so you can test the framework. Watch the full video for context on how the pieces fit.

Key points:

• Two pillars anchor the week: a Wednesday speed session and a Sunday long run. Recovery runs, easier paces, strength work, and bike sessions all support those two.
• Mid-week speed work: five 10-minute repeats (or ten 5-minute, up to seven 10-minute for ultrarunners) at marathon/ultra goal pace.
• Thursday is a rest day. Light core is optional.
• Friday: a genuinely easy recovery jog (nearly walking speed) for adaptation.
• Saturday: an easy 40-50 minute run at conversational pace. Stretch as needed.
• Sunday long run: 40-50 km easy, or a 25 km route with mixed efforts (e.g., 5 km @ 4:00/km, 15 km @ 3:20/km, 5 km @ 4:00/km). Adjust to your climate and race target.
• Monday and Tuesday: recovery-paced runs (40-50 min) with strides at the end (8-10 × 80 m).
• Strength: gym Monday night for lower-body (deadlifts, lunges, glute activation, hamstring training, calf work) and core. Drop leg sessions 4-6 weeks out from race day.
• Cycling: 90-100 rpm on recovery and easy days, 1-2 hours per outing. 6 hours per week in race season and 15-25 hours per week off-peak. Doubles as active recovery and aerobic work.

Workout example:

• Wednesday (speed work): five 10-minute efforts at marathon pace (say, 3:20/km) with 2-3 minute jog breaks. Ultra training: seven 10-minute repeats.
• Thursday: full rest day. Core optional.
• Friday: an unhurried recovery run at walking pace, 20-30 minutes. No focus on speed.
• Saturday: 40-50 minutes easy at a chatty pace, then 8-10 × 80 m strides.
• Sunday: a 40-50 km easy long run, or a 25 km outing split into 5 km @ 4:00/km, 15 km @ 3:20/km, 5 km @ 4:00/km.
• Monday: lower-body and core gym work (deadlifts, lunges, calf raises). Skip in the final weeks before your goal race.
• Cycling (recovery/easy days): 1-2 hours at 90-100 rpm per session. 6 hours/week in season, 15-25 hours/week off-season.

Closing note: try this week and adjust paces to your training zones in the Pacing app. Speed work, rest days, and cross-training pay off.

References

• Inside My Weekly Training Program: Key Sessions, Cycling, and Strength Work - YouTube (YouTube Video)