OLYMPIC Marathoner Stephen Scullion + Pro Elite Under Armour Team coach Stephen Haas share all! Q&A - The Welsh Runner

Aug 13, 2025

Intro: This is a quick summary of OLYMPIC Marathoner Stephen Scullion + Pro Elite Under Armour Team coach Stephen Haas share all! Q&A from The Welsh Runner. 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:

Volume & intensity balance: Scullion ran ~78 mi/week for 12 weeks before Tokyo, with 35‑40% of that mileage at “hard” intensity (threshold/VO₂‑max work). Quality sessions matter more than sheer mileage.
Training log clarity: Color‑code your weeks (e.g., VO₂‑max, threshold, easy) so you can see exactly how much of each you’re doing and when you last hit a specific effort.
Marathon‑specific sessions: Alternate long steady runs with “marathon‑effort” repeats (e.g., 2 km at just above marathon pace with a 1 km easy float). This builds race‑pace stamina while keeping fatigue manageable.
Pace distribution: Only ~20% or less of total training is run at true marathon pace; the bulk is threshold work and slower aerobic miles.
Nutrition practice: Test water‑based gels in training to avoid stomach issues on race day; treat your gel plan like a prescription.
Data use: Glucose, lactate, and heart‑rate data are helpful, but don’t let them dictate every workout. Know your personal thresholds and use the data to fine‑tune, not over‑control.
Mindset: Choose a sports‑psychology approach that feels natural to you; the goal is to keep motivation high, not to follow a rigid textbook.
Stride & cadence: Verify foot‑pod or GPS stride data against a second device; use yoga or strength work to gently lengthen stride if needed.

Workout Example (Marathon Build‑Up):

Warm‑up: 2 mi easy jog.
Main set: 5 × 2 km @ just above marathon pace (≈5‑10 s faster per mile than goal) with 1 km easy float between reps.
Cool‑down: 2 mi easy.
Weekly structure: 1 long run (18‑22 mi at steady marathon effort), 2‑3 threshold or VO₂‑max sessions (total hard mileage ≈30‑35% of weekly total), the rest easy aerobic miles. All distances are in miles.

Closing Note: Give this balanced marathon workout a try, tweak the paces to match your own recent race‑pace data, and log everything in the Pacing app so you can see how the hard versus easy miles stack up. Keep it simple, stay consistent, and enjoy the progress – you’ve got this! 🚀