Training for the marathon distance | Avoid slowing down 2nd half - Stephen Scullion - Olympic marathoner

Intro: This is a quick summary of Training for the marathon distance | Avoid slowing down 2nd half from Stephen Scullion – Olympic marathoner. 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:

• Marathon training isn’t a sprint; you need to stay in the “just‑before‑the‑bride” zone – focused but not all‑out.
• Combine marathon‑pace (MP) work with enough volume to make race‑day feel manageable.
• Warm‑up with activation drills and a short 2‑mile easy run to prime the hamstrings and glutes.
• Use 3 × 5 km repeats (≈3 × 3.1 mi) with a 2‑minute jog or easy‑run recovery; start the first repeat a bit slower to guarantee you hit the total volume.
• Monitor lactate (or perceived effort) after each repeat to gauge fuel use; higher lactate = more carbohydrate stress.
• Practice in‑run fueling and aim for a steady MP that feels sustainable for the whole session.

Workout Example:

1. Warm‑up – 10 min easy + dynamic drills + 2‑mile easy run.
2. 3 × 5 km repeats:
   • Rep 1: Run 5 km at a comfortable MP (≈6:15 min / mile, a touch slower than goal race pace).
   • Rep 2: 5 km at ~5:50 min / mile.
   • Rep 3: 5 km at ~5:45 min / mile.
   • Recovery: 2 min jog or easy run between reps.
3. Cool‑down – 5‑10 min easy, finish with a brief stretch. Adjust the paces to match your own marathon‑pace (e.g., if your MP is 5:30 min / mile, keep the first rep ~5:45 and the last two around 5:30.)

Practical Tips:

• Activate hamstrings and glutes before the session to avoid niggles.
• Keep the first 5 km a little slower; this protects you from blowing up early and still hits the volume.
• Use the 2‑minute jog to stay loose and collect a quick lactate check (or simply note how you feel).
• Practice drinking a gel or taking a quick bite every 5 km so your gut is trained for race‑day fuel.
• Gradually extend the repeat distance week‑by‑week (e.g., 3 × 6 km → 3 × 7 km → 3 × 8 km) to build “extension” fitness.

Closing Note: Try this 3 × 5 km marathon‑pace repeat today, then tweak the paces in your Pacing app to fit your own speed. As you get comfortable, lengthen the repeats and keep the fueling practice alive – your marathon legs will thank you! Happy running!

References

• Training for the marathon distance | Avoid slowing down 2nd half - YouTube (YouTube Video)

Workout - Scullion's Marathon Pace Master

• 10min @ 10'00''/mi
• 5.0km @ 8'15''/mi
• 2min @ 10'00''/mi
• 5.0km @ 8'00''/mi
• 2min @ 10'00''/mi
• 5.0km @ 7'55''/mi
• 10min @ 10'00''/mi

Ready to start training?

If you already having the Pacing app, click try to import this workout:

Try in App Now

workout/scullions-marathon-pace-master-dce5e670

Don’t have the app? Copy the reference above,
to import the workout after you install it.