Quantitative Analysis of 92 Sub-Elite Marathon Training Plans

Abstract

A typical training plan is a mix of many training sessions with different intensities and durations to achieve a specific goal, like running a marathon in a certain time. Scientific publications provide little specific information to aid in writing a comprehensive training plan. This review aims to systematically and quantitatively analyse published subjective sub-elite marathon training plans and to synthesize the resultant recommendations for comparison with relevant research and as a starting point for hypothesis testing. We retrieved 92 marathon training plans and linked their running training sessions to five intensity zones. Subsequently, each training plan was grouped based on the total running volume in peak week into high (> 90 km/week), middle (65–90 km/week), and low (< 65 km/week) training volume plan categories. In the final eight weeks before a race, recommended weekly running volume averaged 105 km, 58 km, and 44 km for high, middle, and low distance marathon training plans. The intensity distribution of these plans followed a pyramidal training structure with 15-67-10-5-3%, 14-63-18-2-3%, and 10-68-17-3-2% in zones 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, for high, middle, and low volume training plans, respectively. By quantitatively analysing 92 recommended marathon training plans, we can specify typical recommendations for marathon training plans and inform the discussion between sports scientists and coach practitioners. Whilst this approach has obvious limitations such as no evidence for the effectiveness of the training plans investigated, it is arguably a useful strategy to narrow the gap between science and practice.