Health & WellnessBeginnerPreview
Marathon Training
A structured beginner-to-finisher marathon program covering periodized training blocks, long-run nutrition, taper protocol, and race-day pacing. Learn the physiology and practical skills to cross the finish line feeling strong.
Adult beginners who can run 30-45 minutes continuously and want to complete their first marathon in 18-24 weeks.
Course content
Workbook & downloads
Put the course into practice — a printable workbook plus editable templates you can fill in and reuse.
Preview the workbook
This workbook is your hands-on companion to the Marathon Training course. Each section mirrors one course module and contains exercises, worksheets, and checklists you complete before, during, and after your training runs. Fill in every field with real numbers from your own body and environment — vague entries produce vague results.
Building Your Aerobic Base
Audit your current fitness, calculate your VDOT and training paces, and write out your first 6-week base schedule before you run a single kilometre of the plan.
Exercise: Current Fitness Audit
Complete a 5K time trial on a flat course or track at full effort (not a parkrun estimate — actually race it). Record your result and answer the prompts below before looking up any paces.
- My 5K time trial result (mm:ss): __________ Date: __________
- My current average weekly mileage (km): __________ Based on last 4 weeks: __________
- My longest single run in the last 8 weeks (km): __________
- Based on the 20 km/week and 12+ km long-run minimums in Lesson 1-2: Am I ready to start Week 1 of the 18-week plan, or do I need a 4-6 week base block first? Why?
Worksheet: VDOT and Training Pace Calculator
Use your 5K time trial result from the exercise above. Look up your VDOT in the Daniels Running Formula table (Appendix A) or at McMillanrunning.com. Fill in all five pace zones. These paces govern every workout in your plan.
- 5K time trial result (mm:ss)
- VDOT number
- Easy (E) pace range (per km)
- Marathon (M) pace (per km)
- Threshold (T) pace (per km)
- Interval (I) pace (per km)
- Repetition (R) pace (per km)
- Date to reassess paces (6-8 weeks from now)
- GPS watch: have you loaded these zones as custom fields? (Y/N)
Checklist: Base Phase Launch Checklist
- Completed 5K time trial and recorded official result
- Looked up VDOT and filled in all five training paces
- Assessed current weekly mileage against 20 km minimum entry point
- Selected 4-5 training days per week and blocked them in my calendar
- Identified rest/cross-training days (non-impact: swim, cycle)
- Loaded training paces into GPS watch or pace-band
- Purchased or located a training log (notebook or app: Strava, Garmin Connect, TrainingPeaks)
- Confirmed I have running shoes with fewer than 600 km on them
- Registered for my target marathon and have the race date on the calendar
- Counted backwards 18 or 24 weeks from race date — confirmed my plan start date
The Long Run: Execution and Fueling
Design your long-run nutrition protocol, measure your personal sweat rate, and document gel and hydration test results from every long run over 18 km.
Exercise: Sweat Rate Field Test
Choose a run day with typical training conditions (not extreme heat or cold). Follow the weigh-in protocol from Lesson 2-3 exactly. Do not drink during the test run. Record your results and use them to set your hydration targets.
- Pre-run nude body weight (grams): __________ Time: __________
- Post-run nude body weight (grams): __________ Conditions (temp/humidity): __________
- Weight difference (= mL lost per hour at this effort/conditions): __________
- My target replacement volume per hour (75-80% of loss): __________ mL/hr
- How does this change in heat above 22°C vs cool conditions below 10°C — what will you adjust?
Worksheet: Long-Run Fueling Log
Fill in this log for every long run over 90 minutes. After 3-4 long runs you will identify your optimal gel brand, timing, and hydration volume. Bring this log to your last three long runs before the race.
- Date
- Long run distance (km)
- Gel brand and flavour used
- Gel timing (km markers taken)
- Total gels consumed
- Total water consumed (mL)
- Electrolyte product used (brand, dose)
- GI symptoms during run (none / mild / significant)
- Energy level at km 25+ (1-10 scale)
- Changes to try next week
Checklist: Long-Run Pre-Run Protocol
- Ate a carbohydrate-based meal 2-3 hours before start (oatmeal, rice, toast)
- Drank 400-600 mL water in the 2 hours before start
- Loaded gels in shorts pockets or vest (1 gel per 30-40 min from 45-min mark)
- Carried or mapped aid stations for water
- Identified course elevation — adjusted gel and hydration for hill effort
- Set GPS watch to show current pace and total distance
- Started at easy (E) pace — 90-120 sec per km slower than marathon goal pace
- Took first gel at exactly 45 minutes — did not wait until feeling tired
- Recorded every gel timing, brand, and gut response in the fueling log afterward
Exercise: Race Nutrition Plan Draft
Write out your specific race-day nutrition plan below before your final three long runs. Then test it exactly as written. If you change anything during those runs, update this plan.
- Pre-race breakfast (time, foods, quantities): __________
- Pre-race drink (volume, type): __________ Timing before gun: __________
- Gel brand and flavour selected for race day: __________ (confirmed available at race expo or aid stations?)
- Gel schedule by race km: Gel 1 at km __, Gel 2 at km __, Gel 3 at km __, Gel 4 at km __, Gel 5 at km __
- Sodium strategy (product, dose, timing): __________ Total sodium target per hour: __________ mg
Build and Peak Phases
Track your weekly fatigue markers, document each threshold and interval session with target vs actual splits, and apply the two-hour pain rule to every emerging injury.
Worksheet: Weekly Fatigue and Recovery Tracker
Fill in this tracker every Sunday morning before your weekly run review. A pattern of two or more fatigue flags together triggers an unplanned easy week — no debate.
- Week number (1-18 or 1-24)
- Total km this week
- Resting heart rate average (bpm) — 3-day average
- Resting HR baseline (your personal normal): __________ bpm
- HR elevated 5+ bpm above baseline? (Y/N)
- Perceived effort on easy runs this week (1-10)
- Sleep quality average (1-10)
- Muscle soreness persisting 48+ hours after easy runs? (Y/N)
- Mood / motivation score (1-10)
- Number of fatigue flags this week (count Y answers above)
- Decision: continue as planned / insert easy week / see physio
Exercise: Threshold Session Log and Pace Review
Record every threshold session as a numbered entry. After 4 sessions, compare your actual pace to your target T-pace. If your actual pace is consistently 15+ seconds per km faster than T-pace, your VDOT is outdated — retest your 5K.
- Session type (cruise intervals / broken tempo / continuous tempo): __________
- Target T-pace (per km): __________ Actual average pace achieved (per km): __________
- Splits for each interval or km segment: __________
- Perceived effort at the end of the session (1-10, should be 7-8, not 10): __________
- Did you complete the warm-up and cool-down? If not, why not, and how will you change next session?
Checklist: Injury Prevention Weekly Habits
- Completed 2 x 15-minute hip and glute strengthening sessions this week
- Ran on a soft surface (trail, grass, treadmill) for at least one session
- Slept 7+ hours per night on at least 5 of 7 nights
- Checked running shoe mileage — below 700 km on current pair
- Applied two-hour rule: no session pain persisted more than 2 hours after running
- No morning pain present before any run day
- Completed post-run static stretching (2 min per major group: calves, hip flexors, quads)
- Checked in on any pain site from the prior week — improving, static, or worsening?
- Physio appointment booked if any pain site has persisted 3+ consecutive days
Taper and Race-Day Execution
Write your three race paces before the taper begins, complete the carbohydrate loading worksheet, and debrief your race result to set up the next training cycle.
Worksheet: Race Pacing Strategy Planner
Set all three paces and your 5 km split targets before taper week begins (3 weeks out). Print or write this on a pace band for race day.
- A-goal finish time: __________ A-goal pace per km: __________
- B-goal finish time: __________ B-goal pace per km: __________
- Finish-no-matter-what pace per km: __________
- Trigger for switching from A to B goal (weather threshold, fatigue signal): __________
- Km 0-5 pace target (10 sec/km slower than A-goal): __________
- Km 5-25 pace target (A-goal pace): __________
- Km 25-35 pace target: __________
- Km 35-42.2 pace target: __________
- Aid station plan: drink / gel at km __, __, __, __, __ (transfer from Module 2 plan)
- Weather conditions I am prepared for and my adjustment per condition
Exercise: Carbohydrate Loading Meal Planner
Using 8-10 g of carbohydrate per kg of your body weight as the daily target, plan all three pre-race days of eating. Stick to familiar foods only — no new restaurants, no exotic cuisines.
- My body weight (kg): __________ Daily carb target (g): __________ (= body weight x 9)
- Thursday meals (list each meal with estimated carbs in grams): __________
- Friday meals (same format — are all foods familiar and low-fibre?): __________
- Saturday dinner (time: _______, foods: _______, total carbs: _______) — must be before 7 pm for early race
- Race morning meal (time: _______, foods: _______, carbs: _______ g) — 2-3 hours before gun
Exercise: Post-Race Debrief
Complete this debrief within 48 hours of finishing the race, while memory is fresh. Use these notes to set up your next training cycle or address anything that limited your performance.
- Official finish time: __________ A-goal / B-goal / Finished — which result? __________
- First-half split (km 0-21.1): __________ Second-half split (km 21.1-42.2): __________ Negative split? (Y/N)
- At what km did you first feel the effort significantly increase? __________ Likely cause (fuel, pace, heat): __________
- Nutrition execution: gels taken on plan / missed gels / GI issues — describe: __________
- Top three things to change in the next marathon training cycle: __________, __________, __________
Checklist: Race-Week Logistics Checklist
- Race bib picked up from expo — chip attached and tested by officials
- Race kit (shorts, shirt, socks, shoes) laid out the night before — nothing new
- Gels loaded: exact number and brands from training protocol, not race-expo freebies
- Alarm set for race morning — 3 hours before gun for meal timing
- Transportation to start line confirmed — arrive 60-75 minutes before gun
- Bag-check items packed: post-race clothes, food, phone, extra gel
- Pace band written or printed (A-goal and B-goal per 5 km split)
- GPS watch charged to 100% and race settings pre-configured (auto-lap per km)
- Post-race recovery foods purchased (protein bar, banana, chocolate milk) and left at bag check or with a spectator
- Rest days (Days 1-7) and return-to-run timeline written in training log
Your Action Plan
- Run a timed 5K time trial and look up your VDOT before writing a single week of training
- Count backwards from your race date and confirm your 18- or 24-week plan start date
- Write all five training pace zones in your log and load them into your GPS watch
- Book your long-run days for the entire plan in your calendar — treat them as fixed appointments
- Complete a sweat rate field test and set your personal ml/hour hydration target
- Test at least three gel brands on training runs over 18 km before selecting your race-day gel
- Insert a mandatory step-back week every third or fourth week — write these into the calendar now
- Add two 15-minute hip-and-glute strength sessions to your weekly schedule from Week 1
- Fill in the fatigue tracker every Sunday and act immediately when two or more flags appear
- Set your A, B, and finish-no-matter-what paces three weeks before race day and write your pace band
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