The Week Before Your Marathon - A Day By Day Guide - The Running Channel

Aug 13, 2025

Intro

This is a quick summary of The Week Before Your Marathon - A Day By Day Guide from The Running Channel. 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

Taper week means cutting total volume (e.g., from ~90 km down to ~15 km) while keeping the legs moving with low‑intensity cross‑training.
Listen to your body: rest if you feel fatigued, but stay active with easy cycling, swimming or walking.
Nutrition focus: stick to familiar, balanced foods, increase carbs slightly, stay well‑hydrated (pale‑yellow urine), and avoid high‑fiber foods the day before the race.
Use the week to plan logistics, pack race‑day kit, and keep nerves in check with a short “shake‑out” run.

Workout Example

Monday: Easy jog 3‑4 mi (≈5‑6 km) at at least 1 min slower than your target marathon pace – just to keep the legs warm.

Wednesday (mid‑week session):

2 km easy warm‑up
3 × 1.5 km at race pace (≈4:15 min/km for a 3:00 hr marathon) – wear the exact race kit you’ll use.
500 m easy jog (float) recovery between each 1.5 km repeat.

Thursday & Friday: Full rest days; focus on carb‑loading (add extra rice, pasta, potatoes, oats) and avoid high‑fiber foods.

Saturday (race day eve): Optional 2‑3 km very easy shake‑out run to activate muscles.

Closing Note

Give yourself permission to rest, trust the taper, and customise the paces to match your own training using the Pacing app. You’ve put in the work – now go enjoy the marathon!