Lee Grantham's Marathon Speed Session

Workout - Lee Grantham's Marathon Speed Session

• 15min @ 6'30''/km
• 12 lots of:
  • 1min @ 5'30''/km
  • 1min rest
• 12min @ 6'30''/km

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Intro

“Marathon Mastery: Secret Tricks to Slash Your Running Time!” by Lee Grantham packs a lot of useful advice. The key takeaways are below so you can start using them. Watch the original for the full breakdown.

Key points

• Race-line awareness: studying the course (particularly on city marathons with marked race lines) helps you take the best route through turns. Stick to the optimal line, especially on left-hand bends, to cut out the extra 150-200 m per km from drifting wide. Visualize the route before race day.

• Speed work: short, quick efforts (1-10 minute intervals) and hill repeats sharpen running economy. Our Mastering Interval Training: Science-Backed Workouts and How a Smart App Can Personalize Them guide goes deeper. Running faster than goal marathon pace makes that pace feel more manageable on race day.

• Visualization: imagine yourself running the quieter sections of the course where you’ll be on your own. Plan your focus strategy and remember the fitness you’ve built.

• Nutrition and carbs: aim for 75-80 g of carbs per hour from the gun (roughly 3 gels at 25 g each per hour). For a sub-3-hour marathon that’s about 9 gels for the race. Pack a 500 ml bottle with sports drink for sodium and magnesium. The 3-second-per-km pace boost from better fueling is worth the weight.

• Planning: scout the water stations and the fluid they’ll offer. Bring extra gels and your own bottle.

Workout example

• 12 x 1-minute intervals at 10-20% faster than goal marathon pace. For most runners, that’s around 10K effort. For 10K-specific training, see Mastering the 10K: Proven Training Plans, Pace Strategies, and How a Smart App Can Elevate Your Performance.
• Recovery: 1 minute easy running or walking between reps.
• Goal: build speed and make goal marathon pace feel more sustainable, especially over the first 30 km. The same principles in Mastering 5K Speed: Proven Interval Strategies to Cut Minutes off Your Time translate to marathon efficiency.

Closing note

Try these in your next training phase. Adjust the speeds to your own targets in the Pacing app and track how your marathon time changes.

References

• Marathon Mastery: Secret Tricks to Slash Your Running Time! - YouTube (YouTube Video)