Marathon Diaries: Last Interval Session Before Osaka Marathon! - The Running Channel
Here’s a breakdown of the Marathon Diaries: Last Interval Session Before Osaka Marathon! from The Running Channel. It’s a fantastic watch, and we’re summarizing the workout so you can give it a try. For all the expert tips and visuals, be sure to check out their full video.
Key Concepts
This session is a brilliant example of advanced interval training, combining a steady-state 2 km run with high-intensity 400 m track intervals. If you want to dive deeper into the science and structure behind these kinds of workouts, be sure to check out our guide on Mastering Interval Training: Science-Backed Workouts and How a Smart App Can Personalize Them. This specific combination is perfect for sharpening speed and mental toughness just weeks before a marathon.
The high-intensity 400m repeats are designed to build raw speed. While the marathon is an endurance event, this kind of sharp, fast work is crucial for improving running economy. These powerful, short bursts are also foundational for shorter races; you can find similar strategies in our guide to Mastering 5K Speed: Proven Interval Strategies to Cut Minutes off Your Time.
Meanwhile, the 2 km steady-state portion builds your aerobic base and teaches you to hold a strong, consistent pace even when fatigued. This skill is invaluable not just for the marathon, but for a variety of distances. For more on developing this kind of sustained effort, our article on Mastering the 10K: Proven Training Plans, Pace Strategies, and How a Smart App Can Elevate Your Performance offers excellent insights.
The core principles are to run each repetition hard, keep recoveries consistent, and use the track’s corners as visual cues to stay focused.
The “Evil Trap” Workout
- Warm‑up: Start with an easy jog and a few optional strides.
- 2 km Run: Aim for a 10-minute total (≈5:00 min/km).
- Recovery: Take a 3-minute easy jog or walk.
- Track Set: Complete 5 × 400 m at a fast pace (~1:45 each), with a 100 m easy jog between each repeat.
- Set Recovery: Take another 3-minute easy jog.
- Repeat: Go back to step 2 and complete the entire block 3 times (for a total of 3 x [2 km + 5 × 400 m]).
Remember to adjust these paces to match your current fitness. For example, if you run 5:30 min/km for the 2 km portion, your 400 m effort should be closer to 2:00 per lap.
Final Thoughts
Give this challenging interval session a go and feel free to tailor the paces in your Pacing app to suit your training level. It’s a solid way to boost speed, resilience, and confidence before race day. Lace up and crush it! 🚀
References
Workout - Sarah's Pre-Marathon Sharpener
- 12min @ 6'30''/km
- 5 lots of:
- 100m @ 4'30''/km
- 30s rest
- 3 lots of:
- 2.0km @ 5'00''/km
- 3min rest
- 400m @ 4'22''/km
- 42s rest
- 400m @ 4'22''/km
- 42s rest
- 400m @ 4'22''/km
- 42s rest
- 400m @ 4'22''/km
- 42s rest
- 400m @ 4'22''/km
- 42s rest
to import the workout after you install it.
