7 Key Workouts to Run a Faster Marathon - Train SMARTER not Harder

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Here are 7 Key marathon workouts that you need to be putting in your marathon training block to make sure you are prepared for your marathon race. I've also made sure that there is an easier variation of each workout for those who might be a little newer to marathon training workouts.
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[@camilarosa6351]

I love that you give the quilometers version for the workouts, Phily! Thanks for that! It's all written down here!

[@PhilyBowden]

You're welcome!

[@adamleckius2253]

Was going to say that haha, so appreciated! Love listening to your smooth British English but saves a lot of time not having to go into the converters every 30 sec:D

[@daveb1177]

I'm digging the new do.

[@thereeder5rs]

Great insight! I will be watching this on again and again.

[@alanshrimpton6787]

Pure gold. Thanks

[@muhamadhazlan383]

Feels like listening to my professor during my online virtual class! Thanks Phily for this insightful notes and and all. You da best!

[@gokiwi2642]

Excellent video, Will give some of those workouts ago, getting over injury at the moment, thanks 🙏🏃🏽‍♂️👊🏼🌴✌️🥳✅

[@WoodDuck14]

This is pure gold

[@jameschaves5723]

Absolutely brilliant. Killer sessions

[@AndriesOutdoor]

good tips but i am not there yet 😂 i am running my first half marathon only in November and i am truly dreading and hopeful about it

[@brokenwarrior895]

So basically the sane feelings just for a different distance. 😂

[@crosscountry7587]

you got it!

[@AndriesOutdoor]

@@brokenwarrior895 exactly 😂😂

[@PhilyBowden]

Good job I have a similar video with 7 half marathon workouts!

[@AndriesOutdoor]

@PhilyBowden thanks will have a look all the best to you

[@rjsouthworth5246]

Thanks a lot for this! I just finished Week 3 of my plan so I have plenty of room to incorporate these. Currently looking at a marathon pace of around 8:45/mile - judging by other distances (thanks for that calculator as well), that’s slower than I could potentially manage, but as it’s only my second marathon, I want to both be careful and to enjoy myself instead of running myself ragged.

[@christianschobinger1131]

Great advice, thanks 😊

[@TheRunsPod]

Love the grind

[@lisaratz5574]

Thanks for this 😊

[@maxdillon2278]

This just took out so much thinking for me - and also gave me that nervous pre session feeling too. ❤

[@annacleland-leighton513]

Loved the background color progression. I don't know if you got more backgrounds for your setup or edited the colors after, but it was a nice touch.

[@PhilyBowden]

It's a fun new light we've been using, thanks!

[@user-ox5go1gi2b]

This honestly could not have come at a better time, thanks Phily! I’m 10 weeks away from my A race and in a bit of a motivation slump. I’ll work these into my current training plan! (btw I also just ordered the green Nessy sunnies, I fully expect them to make me MUCH faster 😂)

[@PhilyBowden]

Ah amazing, I really hope these are helpful, you'll have to let me know how it goes!

[@leynajeana]

Thank you for this! Running a hilly half this weekend and then my next marathon isn’t until December so I’ll have a lot of time to try these out after I figure out my HM pace! I’m both scared and looking forward to trying some!

[@marcelomar9728]

Adoro suas dicas de treinos, são os vídeos que mais gosto!

[@lucatebrake2540]

Cant wait for the new merch! 🎉

[@trinichinee6426]

First time viewing your channel.. love the info .. will definitely stick around to get more info ... What should my last long run be 3 weeks before my marathon be ?

[@iberiksoderblom]

Gonna try the OTE.

[@tearunnerslab]

I understand the value of these numbers and way of training towards a goal time. I just want to strike a blow for running on feelings and how body respond. But I am a trail runner! So maybe I shouldn't comment :D

[@spou20]

Brilliant, thanks so much for sharing. Looking forward to the "monster" / "revised monster" 😂

[@PhilyBowden]

You've got dis

[@urena03]

I love this! Thanks for the info and the pacing tip is gold!! What do you recommend for the last workout/ session of a taper?

[@PhilyBowden]

My last workout 10 days out has been 2 x 2 miles at slightly faster than marathon pace off 90 seconds jog and its worked well for me!

[@IainThacker]

I can vouch for the OTE stuff - getting me through the bigger sessions in my HM training! I'd been pondering marathoning next year or the year after but, looking at these sessions... second and third thoughts are being had! 😁

[@meritback5861]

This is so helpful! Thank you so much phily! I would love to see a half marathon version ❤️

[@PhilyBowden]

We've already made a Half Marathon version, you should be able to find it on my channel :D

[@meritback5861]

thank you so much!:) @@PhilyBowden

[@dannewton3735]

A really useful video (and perfectly timed as i'm about to get stuck into marathon training for a race 9 weeks away) Most of my 'speedwork' is done separately to the long run (intervals on Wednesday, LR on Saturday) so will need to look into adding some marathon pace sections into my long run. Looking forward to trying some of these ideas out... (er, except the revised/monster, sod that!)

[@francescabuscicchio3704]

Love all these workouts 🤩…maybe not all (maybe not the monster 😂). Thank you 🚀

[@joshuaroque6514]

Very helpful! I’m actually doing your first workout today. 18 miles instead of 17 though. Trying out the new Cielo x1s to see if they will be my marathon day shoe to get me that 2:58:59 this upcoming April

[@thecaptainchas2820]

Missed a golden opportunity by not calling the revised workout the Mini-Monster. Thanks for all the great ideas, Phily! I’m a coach too, and my athletes and I will be benefiting from some of these workouts this year! #LoveTheGrind

[@clemenslesch]

I am running a half marathon in April and aim for a 3:30 in October so this feels made for me, thanks Phily :)

[@PhilyBowden]

Go get 'em!!

[@gilgaviria1]

Just did the original monster 😮‍💨 it really was a hard one but I did enjoy it :) thanks for the great tipps, Phily 😊

[@hinezee76]

Checked out your merch site. Looks great. Love the poses and bet you couldn’t keep a straight face all the time. Anyway, PB Run Club - are you starting one? Hope so!

[@nberkel]

Love the 10-10. Have done it before. I call it the Half n' Half!

[@robwhite6950]

Awesome workouts. Any chance you've done a video on a good warmup? I've heard a lot of folks talk about warm-ups as important, but never actually a solid breakdown of what's "good".

[@gcklo]

These are very challenging workouts

[@notall1196]

So many numbers and times and paces, makes my head swim.

[@jonedwards8115]

Excited to try a few of these. You suggested both the 10-10 and Revised Monster as 4-5 weeks out, which one would you recommend doing to find out if your goal pace is too ambitious? I also really appreciate the pacing strategy, thanks.

[@rosiepattison8946]

Do you have any tips for how to estimate paces if your fitness is improving throughout the block? My HM pace has gone from 5:33/km to 5:15/km during this block and now I feel like I have no idea what any of my paces are or what to reasonably aim for in the actual race (50k), I don’t really want to do an all out marathon to determine my new marathon pace because I feel like it will take a lot out of me but struggling to work out a pacing strategy without it!

[@HollyDunnDesign]

I did the 10 x 10 long run the other day after seeing Sarah’s video and it was FANTASTIC! So good for practicing nutrition and mental training. Thanks, Phily!

[@PhilyBowden]

Aww this makes me so happy, its a great workout when it goes well!

[@davidboyce5320]

Ouch. That monster session looks killer.

[@lindenellefson8558]

“Running race pace at the end of the marathon” This in itself is the primary difference to how I’m training for my marathon in 12 weeks as opposed to my last two. MP work is going to be bread and butter this time around!

[@bendigeidfranemmanueljones5694]

That's what it takes is it. Well that explains a lot.

[@amdp2121]

Watched this morning and decided I’m gonna attempt that 8x1 mile and I actually did it I shocked myself thanks so much for the ideas!!

[@marcusgrainger3329]

Thank you again for allowing TRC to try out one of your workouts! I actually tried the 10-10 this morning... although I did shorten it to kms 😁. Since this will be my first marathon, I decided to swap to 10k easy followed by 10k mp.... as my steady pace is actually faster than my target mp (I desperately need to get fitter). 24k done, my longest run to date! Thank you so much for these suggestions!

[@PhilyBowden]

Longest run let's go!!! Glad you enjoyed it... if that's a way to describe that session haha

[@yau-kwanyeung5890]

@Philly, when you calculate marathon pacing, how do you account for elevation gains and losses?

[@user-ri2bu8vw7y]

Saludos desde mexico 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️

[@edithgruber2125]

Thank you so much for sharing these workouts. I'm 8 weeks away from my next marathon and I think I can try several of them - probably not all of them this time. I'll come back to this video when I've given them a go. The first LR looks like a good option for next weekend's LR. I did 28k easy (17.5 mi) this weekend so next weekend, I could add some MP again.

[@edithgruber2125]

I did session 1 today but I shortened it a little because the course where I was going to run it, is 24k (15 mi) and not 28k or 17 mi. Also, I had raced a hilly 6k yesterday which made my legs pretty tired. So 4k easy, 4k MP, 4k easy, 8k MP with a gel to practice that, 4k recovery at the end. It went quite well but it was tough to keep up the intensity on the inclines. The race was still in the legs. Great mental training, I had to focus to keep going at the right effort level. Whenever my attention was taken up by something else, kids on the cycle path etc., I had to refocus. Great session, I'm looking forward to trying out some more in a fortnight when it's time for a spiced up LR again.

[@cookies9950]

Hi Phily, could you please do a video about 10k prep one day ? Us French love to race 10k so it would be great to see what you recommend. Thank you so much and I love your content 💪💪

[@PhilyBowden]

Absolutely!

[@MrAbehr]

Is OTE available in the USA? I’ve tried to find it before but no luck. Any idea if they’re planning to become available here?

[@waynemar11]

thanks Phily, when I trained for my first marathon my longest run was only 22km. I am a great believer in substituting distance for speed. There were a lot of 5 and 10km run at 5-5:15m/km including the 2 x 20km long runs. Then when I got to my marathon I had a target time of sub 4hrs and ran the marathon at 5:30 ish and got round in 3:55. Would this work for faster target times? It was a great time saver for me.

[@pianosign]

fyi the affiliate links in your description don't go to specific items for me, just to categories on the website

[@tkldr]

Love the 2/29 launch date for the merch. 😜😀

[@PhilyBowden]

I hadn't even realised that haha!

[@phoebeandkaylee7927]

I honestly feel most important run of a marathon block is a 20 miler you get to feel that fatigue feeling i honestly dont get from 18 or less if your doing your 1st marathon and havent experienced the fatigue it can stop even the best of runners in their tracks!

[@jamesshelley6478]

To test whether my stomach can handle particular gels should I stop taking Imodium before a long run? Iv been taking it as worried so then I don’t know if my stomach is fine with gels etc

[@feherpatricia6860]

Hi! I am really interested how you structure your runs after a marathon because after I complete mine I have no idea how much I should rest and when to start training how much etc. There is a lot of talk about marathon blocks but not a lot about what to do after one😅

[@elisesands8803]

For a marathon I don't run for 2 weeks after and then slowly reverse taper into training again before starting another block. I think Phily has previously said she doesn't run for 12 days post-marathon

[@JRJapaneserunnerinUK]

Everyone is bit nerves doing negative splits 😅but it will work💪🏼 Great video!!!! I will take your advice for my TOKYO 2024!!!!!❤

[@ob9400]

I do this for training if it’s a flare course but what if you’re running BigSir witch is about 1200 elevation gain ?

[@plumpuddings7333]

Are you doing the cambridge half marathon

[@JadeGoesRunning]

Not me sending this video straight to my coach with the caption 'if you ever wake up in a bad mood before you set my week' 😅 Awesome workouts Phily. Can't wait to try some of these out

[@PhilyBowden]

Haha I love that 😅

[@SavageDiarrhea2447]

This is really helpful Phily, however my biggest problem is to nail the times. I have huge problems being consistent with the pacing. If I go just a tad faster, I suddenly am half a minute per km faster than prescribed. I have no idea how you and all the other people do it. EDIT: Thank you for adding the superior measurement system. ;)

[@PhilyBowden]

It's an art that's for sure, it comes with time and practise!

[@brokenwarrior895]

What does 8k equate to it terms of a %? Just the pace chart is brill, and wondering how it would equate over a ½/10k?

[@iq_by_0303]

my steady pace is faster than my marathon pace 😂😂

[@user-me4vx2qv3c]

Please please do a video like this for 10k or 5k training!!!

[@bartb217]

Great workouts! Training for my first marathon (Rotterdam) and last weekend we also had a great one: 1km Warm Up 8km at AeT (around MP + 15s) 1km Easy 5km at MP into 1km AeT 4km at MP-5s into 1km AeT 3km at MP-10s into 1km AeT 2km at 1/2 MP into 1km AeT 1km at 10K pace 3km Cool Down Making it 32k and I averaged MP + 8s ... totally wasted

[@tamarafrom1746]

What, if I have no race experience and training for my first marathon in 17,5 weeks. Running experience I have but bit all over the place. So how do I know what pace? Also I can hold Tempo HR for a HM but as it turns out cannot stay very well in HR2 😳

[@user-vt9rp2bp6d]

Where do we get that shirt?

[@geoffh2560]

Watched intently and took copious notes. No idea why...after every HM I've ever run I've decided I'm NEVER doing a full! Interesting sessions though...

[@will_how]

Me watching this whose long run is currently 5km lol

[@mattstegall]

You gotta start somewhere…hang in there and have some patience, it’ll pay off. I started just running a mile around mile block each morning and, at that time, an eight mile run seemed like something I would never be able to do. I know routinely do 70+ mile weeks and 20+ mile long runs. Just keep progressing and it will come!

[@bubuliiii]

I really like your hair cut!

[@moruebarlou]

i thought we should not go above ≈20 miles runs in a marathon training block? what do you think about this

[@declan781]

I'm literally aiming for 3:30 in London Phily, are you a mindreader?

[@gjsnel8748]

Any(one) having an opinion on the speed to run on daily trainers while known PR's are achieved on carbon shoes? I tend to add ~10-15 seconds per km to get 'non-carbon PR" but that is just some wild guessing

[@mjcobb7981]

I would love it if you were my running coach

[@kubaremisz5465]

I wanna run it 😅

[@heinrichh.6369]

i find it quite easy to hold a pace for 10k but when it comes to marathon it's a whole different.

[@LP-xu5rr]

The haircut😍

[@user-zy9ki6hd8z]

Damn, OG Monster borderline sounds harder than just racing a marathon lol.

[@singingbadger1]

Me: I'll never use my A-level maths, everything at work is done in excel Also me: I never knew running would involve so much maths, thank god I have an A-level in it 🤯

[@jonatancruz5759]

I Love the new haircut

[@YankoMartic]

Nice new hair

[@TubbyBrewster1]

Turns out my name is Gary, who knew?!

[@ericerian1811]

How could it possibly, not possible? Love me as a runner, elite one. Forget about what the world says... Ok, frankly. It's about the other talented female singer in my country, across the distance a far from you, PB. A bit depressed, you got it so bad. 🌝🌝 and this 🌝, Only 7 teen us 2, that would be Her. Like her majesty, from day to day, exactly, that it's written as it is. A whole 30 and 3 seconds... If it suits not to me, Her. 3:03 Nice shot! :ehm Nice try! :ughh... Payme not, or she WOULDdouble it! Ok, Phily. Better run 2 hours or 2 1,1 ") 😊2

[@julie99nl]

I felt nauseated just reading the monster workout!

[@elisesands8803]

For the 5k video you offered us 5 workouts to improve your 5k performance. You missed a trick here by not offering us 42.3 workouts. Disappointing 😂

[@BenWasTakenSadly]

first

[@lodovicachiaravalli1143]

Hi Phily, the info in the video are preciuos as always 🫶 Have you ever thought about making a video about how to breathe while running ? For me that's the most difficult thing to get right when the pace goes up