Training for a Marathon? Watch Out for These 5 Big Mistakes! - The Run Experience

Aug 13, 2025

Intro

This is a quick summary of “Training for a Marathon? Watch Out for These 5 Big Mistakes!” from The Run Experience. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the tips today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points

Long runs should be easy: Run them 1‑2 minutes per mile slower than your goal marathon pace to stay in the aerobic zone and reduce injury risk.
Prioritise aerobic quality over speed: Focus on tempo, threshold, steady‑state, and progression runs. Pure speed work is limited to technique (strides, short pickups).
Give mid‑week runs purpose: Use weekday sessions for technique drills, tempo progressions, or terrain‑specific work to build fatigue resistance.
Add medium‑long runs every 2 weeks: Mix a 5‑9 mile run into the week to vary stimulus while keeping total mileage similar.
Schedule adaptation weeks: Every 3‑4 weeks cut your load by 20‑40 % to aid recovery, prevent burnout, and let the body absorb training.

Workout Example

Sample week (Marathon‑pace ≈ 8:00 min/mi):

Mon: Easy 5 mi @ 9:30‑9:45 min/mi (recovery)
Tue: Tempo progression – 2 mi easy, 3 mi @ 7:45‑8:00 min/mi, 1 mi cool‑down (run on race‑type terrain)
Wed: Technique + drills – 4 mi easy with 6 × 20‑sec strides at the end
Thu: Medium‑long run 7 mi @ 8:30‑8:45 min/mi (steady aerobic work)
Fri: Rest or cross‑train
Sat: Long run 14 mi @ 9:00‑9:15 min/mi (1‑2 min slower than marathon pace)
Sun: Easy 4 mi @ 9:30 min/mi or rest

Every 3‑4 weeks replace the long run with an adaptation run of 8‑10 mi at 20‑40 % reduced volume.

Closing Note

Give these adjustments a try in your next training block and feel free to customise the paces in the Pacing app to match your own marathon goal. You’ll train smarter, stay healthier, and cross the finish line stronger. Happy miles!