Here’s the Plan
Bart Yasso’s race-tested intermediate marathon-training program
Rest
Rest
Rest
Rest
Rest
Rest
Easy 4 miles
Easy 4 miles
Easy 3 miles
Easy 4 miles
Easy 4 miles
Easy 7 miles
6 miles hills
6 miles hills
6 miles hills
6 miles hills
7 miles hills
8 miles hills
Rest
Rest
Rest
Rest
Rest
Rest
Easy 4 miles
Easy 5 miles
Easy 5 miles
Easy 4 miles
Easy 4 miles
Easy 6 miles
Easy 4 miles
Easy 5 miles
Easy 5 miles
Easy 4 miles
Easy 4 miles
Easy 6 miles
25
28
30
28
32
34
STYLIST: ANNIE CHERVIN EDWARDS; HAIR+MAKEUP: SHENNON KAYAL; SHIRTS AND SHORTS: COURTESY SAUCONY; LOCATION: COURTESY ALLENTOWN PARKS & RECREATION
Rest Easy 4 miles
Rest Easy 5 miles
Rest Easy 3 miles
Rest Easy 4 miles
Rest Easy 4 miles
Rest Easy 7 miles
Rest Easy 6 miles Easy 6 miles
Rest Easy 8 miles Easy 7 miles
Rest Easy 5 miles Rest Easy 6 miles
Rest Easy 5 miles Easy 5 miles Rest
KEY REST DAYS Ideally, on rest days you should not exercise at all. But it’s okay to cross-train
with a no-impact activity like stretching, yoga, or swimming. EASY DAYS Run at a comfortable pace or
cross-train with a sustained aerobic effort on a bicycle or an elliptical trainer. HILLS Run the mileage for
the day on the hilliest course you can find. These build a base of strength in the first seven weeks. HILL
REPEATS On week eight, find a hill that will take you at least two minutes to climb, and mark off a “short”
repeat, halfway from the bottom, and a “long” repeat to the top. After a two-mile warmup, run up to the
short mark three or four times, jogging back down to recover in between. Then run up to the top three or
four times, jogging back down to the short mark, then sprinting to the bottom. Finish with three or four
sprints up to the short mark. Cool down with two miles of easy running. SPEEDWORK (MILE REPEATS
AND YASSO 800s) Warm up and cool down with two easy miles. For the mile repeats, run a mile at your
10-K pace, jog a lap for recovery, and repeat that cycle three times. For the Yasso 800s, run 800 meters at
a time that’s “equal” to your marathon time. That is, if you’re shooting for a 4: 10 marathon, try to run each
800-meter repeat in four minutes and 10 seconds. Jog 400 meters in between the 800s. LSD Long, slow
distance runs build endurance. These should be done at an easy pace, one to two minutes slower than your
marathon goal pace. MP Marathon goal pace. Practice the speed you hope to hit in the race.
7 miles hills Rest
HILL REPEATS: 8 miles (total) Rest
MILE REPEATS Rest
2-mile warmup, 3 x 1 mile 10-K
pace, w/ 400-meter recovery, 2-mile
cooldown TOTAL: 8 miles
YASSO 800s Rest
2-mile warmup, 6 x 800 meters
w/ 400-meter recovery, 2-mile
cooldown TOTAL: 9 miles
Easy 7 miles Rest
Easy 5 miles
Easy 4 miles
1-mile warmup,
7 miles MP,
1-mile cooldown
TOTAL: 9 miles
1-mile warmup, Rest
8 miles MP,
1-mile cooldown
TOTAL: 10 miles
1-mile warmup,
8 miles MP,
1-mile cooldown
TOTAL: 10 miles
Easy 7 miles
Easy 5 miles
Easy 4 miles
Easy 3 miles
7 miles LSD
9 miles LSD
12 miles LSD
10 miles LSD
13 miles LSD
2-mile warmup,
5-K race, 1-mile
cooldown
TOTAL: 6 Miles
16 miles LSD
14 miles LSD
18 miles LSD
37
35
41
20 miles LSD
42
Easy 4 miles
20 miles LSD
45
MILE REPEATS Rest
2-mile warmup, 4 x 1 mile 10-K
pace, w/ 800-meter recovery, 2-mile
cooldown TOTAL: 10 miles
YASSO 800s Rest
2-mile warmup, 8 x 800 w/ 400-
meter recovery, 2-mile cooldown
TOTAL: 10 miles
MILE REPEATS Rest
2-mile warmup, 3 x 1 mile 10-K
pace w/ 400-meter recovery, 2-mile
cooldown TOTAL: 8 miles
Easy 4 miles
Rest
Easy 8 miles
15 miles LSD
47
Easy 6 miles
22 miles LSD
48
Easy 7 miles
15 miles LSD
45
Easy 5 miles
Very easy 3 miles
12 miles LSD
Race day
32
13
Your First Day
Here’s when to start your 16-week
program for other fall marathons.
MARATHON RACE DAY START
Twin Cities
Chicago
Marine Corps
New York City
Richmond
Philadelphia
10/4
10/11
10/25
11/1
11/14
11/22
6/15
6/22
7/6
7/13
7/27
