TheMarathon Clinic
Guides

Straight answers to the questions marathoners actually ask.

Drawn from how we actually coach, and added to over time. Plain, specific, and honest about the trade-offs, with the same thinking that goes into every plan we write.

Getting started

Starting marathon training

How many days a week to run, how long before race day to start, and how to know you are ready. The honest basics for your first marathon build.

5 answers
Training and workouts

Marathon training and workouts

What actually makes you faster over 42 km: endurance, marathon-pace volume and the right intensity. Easy runs, threshold work, heart rate, and how much is too much.

7 answers
The long run

The marathon long run

How long your longest run should be, how fast to run it, and why marathon-pace work in the back half is the most specific training you can do.

5 answers
Fuelling and nutrition

Marathon fuelling and nutrition

How many carbs per hour to take, how to train your gut, what to eat before a race, and how to carb-load. Fuelling trained as seriously as the running.

6 answers
Injuries and recovery

Injuries, niggles and recovery

When to train through a niggle and when to rest, the pain-monitoring rule, why sleep comes first, and how to come back from a layoff.

7 answers
Strength and cross-training

Strength and cross-training for runners

Why runners lift, what kind, when to fit it in, and how cycling and swimming add endurance without the pounding.

4 answers
Taper and race week

The marathon taper and race week

How long to taper and how much to cut, why you feel sluggish, what to do in race week, and how to reach the start line fresh.

4 answers
Heat and conditions

Running in heat and tough conditions

How much heat slows you down, how to adjust your pace, whether you need heat training, and how to race well when it is hot and humid.

4 answers
Gear, tech and trends

Gear, tech and training trends

Super shoes, watches and wearables, the Norwegian method, Zone 2 and lactate testing. What is worth it, and what is chasing marginal gains.

5 answers
Consistency and the long game

Consistency and the long game

What to do when you stop improving, how to stay consistent when life gets busy, recovering after a marathon, and keeping running something you enjoy for years.

5 answers
Female runners

Marathon training for female runners

Energy availability and RED-S, the iron and carbohydrate link, bone health, the menstrual cycle and menopause. The female-specific things a generic plan misses.

7 answers
Life stages and situations

Training through different life stages

How training shifts with age, around shift work and disrupted sleep, and through pregnancy and postpartum. Coaching judgment with clear referral lanes.

3 answers

See the method applied to your running.

A specialist marathon plan, built on the same thinking, in under a minute. Free.