Sub-4:00 Marathon Tempo
Workout - Sub-4:00 Marathon Tempo
- 0.0mi @ 10'30''/mi
- 0.0mi @ 8'47''/mi
- 0.0mi @ 10'30''/mi
- 4 lots of:
- 100m @ 5'00''/km
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Intro
Here’s a breakdown of Sub-4 Marathon? How to Break the 4 Hour Marathon Barrier from StrengthRunning — a video worth watching. The workout below pulls out the key training ideas so you can implement them right away. Watch the full video for the complete picture.
Key Points
- Target pace: 9:09 min/mile (≈5:38 min/km) — sustain this for all 26.2 miles and you’ll cross the finish line in under 4 hours.
- Mileage: Peak at 40‑45 mi (≈64‑72 km) per week to develop both aerobic capacity and muscular endurance.
- Long‑run strategy: Run 20 mi (≈32 km) twice per training cycle. Begin with 12‑13 mi, advance to 20 mi, then repeat.
- Weekly workouts: Incorporate fartlek, interval repetitions, tempo runs, and hill repeats—targeting lactate-threshold and tempo efforts rather than maximal speed.
- Strides: Add 100‑m accelerations at 95‑98% max effort, holding for 2 seconds, 2‑3 times weekly after easy runs to sharpen leg turnover and efficiency.
- Performance benchmarks: Target around 1:53 h half‑marathon, 50 min 10 k, and 24 min 5 k as markers of readiness.
Workout Example
Weekly Sample (40‑45 mi total)
- Monday: Easy 5 mi, then 4 × 100‑m strides (2 sec at 95‑98% max effort with full recovery)
- Tuesday: 8 mi with tempo — 2 mi easy, 4 mi at 9:30/mi (just faster than marathon pace), 2 mi cool‑down.
- Wednesday: Easy 6 mi with optional fartlek: 5 × 3 min at 5K-ish pace, 2 min easy jog recovery
- Thursday: 7 mi easy with hill repeats: 8 × 30 sec uphill (5‑10 sec hard effort), jog back down
- Friday: Rest or cross‑train.
- Saturday: Long run: Start at 12‑13 mi, progressing to 20 mi; first half easy, last 3 mi at marathon goal pace (9:09/mi)
- Sunday: 6 mi easy with 4 × 100‑m strides
Scale the distances and speeds to your current level, but preserve the overall framework: 40‑45 mi per week, two 20‑mile long runs, weekly speed and threshold sessions, and regular strides.
Closing Note
Test this plan out, adjust the paces in the Pacing app to match your fitness, and track the improvements. You have everything you need to run under 4 hours—now go make it happen!