Key Points
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This review bridges the gap between science and results-proven practice regarding how training principles and training methods should be applied for the Olympic long-distance events and identified clear distinctions in training organization between track runners and marathon specialists
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The weekly running distance is in the range 160–220 km for marathoners and 130–190 km for track runners, with both groups performing 11–14 sessions per week, and ≥ 80% of the total running volume at low intensity
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Training intensity distribution varies across mesocycles and differs between marathon and track runners, but common for both groups is that volume of race-pace running increases as the main competition approaches
Background
Methodological Considerations
Athletes [Ref.] | Personal bests (min) | International merits |
---|---|---|
Said Aouita ♂ [39] | 5000 m 12:58.39 (WR)—mile 3:46.76 | Olympic gold 1984, WC gold 1987 |
Stefano Baldini ♂ [69] | Marathon 2:07:22—Half marathon 1:00:50 | Olympic gold 2004, EC gold 1998 and 2006 |
Dieter Baumann ♂ [40] | 5000 m 12:54.70–3000 m 7:30.50 | Olympic gold 1992, EC gold 1994 |
Kenenisa Bekele ♂ [81] | 5000 m 12:37.35 (WR)—10,000 m 26:17.53 (WR) | 3× Olympic gold and 5× WC gold 2003–2009 |
Joan Benoit ♀ [97] | Marathon 2:21:21—Half marathon 1:08:34 | Olympic gold 1984 |
Gelindo Bordin ♂ [70] | Marathon 2:10:32—Half marathon 1:03:16 | Olympic gold 1988, EC gold 1986 and 1990 |
Robert de Castella ♂ [82] | Marathon 2:07:51 (WR) | WC gold 1983 |
Joshua Cheptegei ♂ [41] | 5000 m 12:35.36 (WR)—10,000 m 26:11.00 (WR) | Olympic gold and silver 2021, WC gold 2019 |
Stephen Cherono ♂ [60] | 5000 m 12:48.81—3000 m SC 7:53.63 (WR) | WC gold 2003 and 2005 |
Constantina Diță ♀ [83] | Marathon 2:21:30—Half marathon 1:08:10 | Olympic gold 2008, WC bronze 2005 |
Brendan Foster ♂ [62] | 5000 m 13:14.6—10,000 m 27:30.3 | Olympic bronze 1976, EC gold 1974 |
Haile Gebrselassie ♂ [42] | 5000 m 12:39.36 (WR)—10,000 m 26:22.75 (WR) | 2× Olympic gold and 4× WC gold 1995–2000 |
Sifan Hassan ♀ [49] | 1500 m 3:51.95—10,000 m 29:36.67 | 2× Olympic gold 2021, 2× WC gold 2019 |
Takayuki Inubushi ♂ [71] | Marathon 2:06:57 | Former Asian record holder in the marathon |
Joyciline Jepkosgei ♀ [85] | Marathon 2:18:40—Half marathon 1:04:51 (WR) | WC silver 2018 and winner of New York marathon 2019 |
Steve Jones ♂ [80] | Marathon 2:07:13 (WR) | Winner of London and New York marathon in the 1980s |
Deena Kastor ♀ [87] | Marathon 2:19:36—Half marathon 1:07:34 | Olympic bronze 2004 |
Meb Keflezighi ♂ [78] | Marathon 2:09:08—10,000 m 27:13.98 | Olympic silver 2004 |
Kip Keino ♂ [61] | 5000 m 13:24.2—3000 m 7:39.6 | 2× Olympic gold and 2× Olympic silver 1968–1972 |
Bob Kennedy ♂ [43] | 5000 m 12:58.21—3000 m 7:30.84 | 6th in the Olympics (1996) and WC (1997) |
Sylvia Kibet ♀ [45] | 5000 m 14:31.91—10,000 m 30:47.20 | Olympic bronze 2008, WC silver 2009 and 2011 |
Eliud Kipchoge ♂ [76] | Marathon 2:01:39 (WR)—5000 m 12:46.53 | Olympic gold 2016 and 2021, WC gold 2003 |
Florence Kiplagat ♀ [46] | Half marathon 1:05:09—10,000 m 30:11.53 | WC gold 2009 and 2010 (cross-country and half marathon) |
Wilson Kipsang ♂ [96] | Marathon 2:03:13—Half marathon 58:59 | Olympic bronze 2012, 5 World Marathon Major wins |
Abel Kirui ♂ [75] | Marathon 2:05:04—Half marathon 1:00:11 | WC gold 2009 and 2011, Olympic silver 2012 |
Daniel Komen ♂ [57] | 5000 m 12:39.74 (WR)—3000 m 7:20.67 (WR) | WC gold 1997 |
Brigid Kosgei ♀ [92] | Marathon 2:14:04 (WR)—Half marathon 1:04:49 | Olympic silver 2021, 1st in four Marathon majors 2018–2020 |
Paul M. Kosgei ♀ [93] | Half marathon 59:07—10,000 m 27:21.56 | WC gold (half marathon) 2002 |
Ingrid Kristiansen ♀ [63] | 10,000 m 30:13.74 (WR)—Marathon 2:21:06 (WR) | WC gold 1987, EC gold 1986 |
Bernard Lagat ♂ [52] | 5000 m 12:53.60—1500 m 3:26.34 | 2× WC gold 2007, Olympic silver 2004 and bronze 2000 |
Thomas Longosiwa ♂ [58] | 5000 m 12:49.04—3000 m 7:30.09 | Olympic bronze 2012 |
Tegla Loroupe ♀ [86] | Marathon 2:20:43—10 000 m 30:32.03 | 3× WC gold (half marathon) and 2× WC silver 1995–1999 |
Lisa Martin ♀ [88] | Marathon 2:23:51—10,000 m 31:11.72 | Olympic silver 1988 |
Greg Meyer ♂ [79] | Marathon 2:09:01—10,000 m 27:53.1 | Winner of Boston marathon 1981 and 1983 |
Geoffrey Mutai ♂ [73] | Marathon 2:04:15—Half marathon 58:58 | Winner of New York, Boston and Berlin marathon 2011–2013 |
Imane Merga ♂ [59] | 10 000 m 26:48.35—5000 m 12:53.58 | WC bronze 2011, WC gold cross-country 2011 |
Lorraine Moller ♀ [97] | Marathon 2:28:17 | Olympic bronze 1992 |
David Moorcroft ♂ [51] | 5000 m 13:00.41 (WR)—3000 m 7:32.79 | EC bronce 1978 and 1982 |
Moses Mosop ♂ [72] | Marathon 2:05:03—10,000 m 26:49.55 | WC bronze 2005 |
Craig Mottram ♂ [53] | 5000 m 12:55.76—3000 m 7:32.19 | WC bronze 2005 |
Caleb Ndiku ♂ [55] | 5000 m 12:59.17—3000 m 7:30.99 | WC silver 2015 |
Yobes Ondieki ♂ [56] | 10,000 m 26:58.38 (WR)—5000 m 13:01.82 | WC gold 1991 |
Sonia O'Sullivan ♀ [48] | 5000 m 14:41.02—3000 m 8:21.64 | WC gold 1995, 3 × EC gold 1994–1998, Olympic silver 2000 |
Jim Peters ♂ [64] | Marathon 2:17:40 | Four marathon WRs in the 1950s |
Gordon Pirie ♂ [65] | 5000 m 13:36.8—3000 m 7:52.8 | Olympic silver 1956, EC bronze 1958 |
Paula Radcliffe ♀ [89] | Marathon 2:15:25 (WR)—10,000 m 30:01.09 | WC gold, 3× WC half marathon gold, EC gold 2000–2005 |
Bill Rodgers ♂ [90] | Marathon 2:09:27 (WR)—10,000 m 28:04.42 | Multiple winner of Boston and New York marathon 1976–1980 |
Rodgers Rop ♂ [94] | Marathon 2:07:32—Half marathon 1:00:56 | Winner of New York and Boston marathon 2002 |
Molly Seidel [84] | Marathon 2:25:13—Half marathon 1:08:29 | Olympic bronze 2021 |
Toshihiko Seko ♂ [91] | Marathon 2:08:27—10,000 m 27:42.17 | Winner of Boston, London and Chicago marathon in the 1980s |
Mubarak H. Shami ♂ [77] | Marathon 2:07:19—Half marathon 1:00:47 | WC silver 2007, WC half marathon silver 2005 |
Charlie Spedding ♂ [74] | Marathon 2:08:33—10,000 m 28:08.12 | Olympic bronze 1984 |
Ian Stewart ♂ [66] | 10,000 m 27:43.03—5000 m 13:22.8 | EC gold 1969, Olympic bronze 1972 |
Paul Tergat ♂ [54] | 10,000 m 26:27.85—Marathon 2:04:55 (WR) | 5× WC gold cross-country and 2× Olympic silver 1995–1900 |
Andy Vernon [50] | 5000 m 13:11.50—10,000 m 27:42.62 | EC silver and bronze 2014 |
Lasse Viren ♂ [67] | 5000 m 13:16.4 (WR)—10,000 m 27:38.35 (WR) | 4× Olympic gold 1972–1976, WC bronze 1974 |
Grethe Waitz ♀ [68] | Marathon 2:24:54 (WR)—Half marathon 1:07:50 | WC gold 1983 and 5× WC cross-country gold 1978–1983 |
Susanne Wigene ♀ [47] | 10,000 m 30:32.36—5000 m 14:48.53 | EC silver 2006 |
Emil Zatopek [97] | 5000 m 13:57.0—10,000 m 28:54.2 | 4× Olympic golds and 4× EC golds 1948–1954 |
Coaches [ref.] | Successful long-distance athletes | Athlete merits |
---|---|---|
Nic Bideau [20] | Craig Mottram | WC bronze 2005 |
Bill Bowerman [21] | Steve Prefontaine, Bill Dellinger, Matt Centrowitz | Bowerman trained 31 Olympic athletes |
Antonio Cabral [22] | Alberto Chaica, Fernando Couto | Olympic and WC finals |
Abel Kirui, Sylvia Kibet, Imane Merga | 45 Olympic/WC medals, 15 World Marathon Major wins | |
Jack Daniels [25] | Coached seven athletes to the U.S. Olympic team | Olympic finals |
John Davis [26] | Dick Quax, Lorraine Moller | Olympic medals |
Brad Hudson [27] | Dathan Ritzenhein | Olympic finals |
Mihaly Igloi [28] | Multiple long-distance athletes in the 1950s and 1960s | A total of 49 world records |
Murray Halberg, Barry Magee | Olympic medals in the 1960s | |
Mihaly Iglói [28] | Sándor Iharos, Jim Beatty, Bob Schul | His athletes achieved 49 WRs in the 1950s and 1960s |
Steve Magness [32] | Assistant coach and advisor for elite runners | Seven top-15 finishes at WC |
Kim McDonald [33] | Daniel Komen, Stephen Cherono | Olympic and WC medals |
Terrence Mahon [34] | Deena Kastor, Jen Rhines, and Ryan Hall | Olympic medals and finals |
Gabriele Rosa [35] | Moses Tanui, Paul Tergat, Sammy Wanjiru | Olympic medals |
Coach for the US Olympic team in 1998 | Olympic finals | |
Chris Wardlaw [38] | Steve Moneghetti, Rob De Castella, Craig Mottram | WC medals |
Training Periodization and Competition Scheduling
Training Methods
Training method | Description |
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Continuous running | |
Warm-up/cooldown, easy run | Low-intensive running (typically 3–5 km h−1 slower than marathon pace, i.e., 3:45–4:30 and 4:15–5:00 min km−1 for men and women), however, the last part of the warm-up may approach marathon pace predominantly performed on soft surface (grass, woodland, forest paths, etc.). Typical duration for warm-up/cooldown is 10–30 min. Easy runs are typically applied prior to or after hard training sessions, typically lasting 40–70 min |
Long run | Low-intensive steady-state running (~ 1–2 km h−1 slower than marathon pace, i.e., 3:05–3:30 and 3:30–4:00 min km−1 for men and women, with marathoners in the faster ends of these ranges). Typical duration is 45–120 min for track runners and 75–165 min for marathon runners. The running pace is not necessarily constant throughout the session. This training method is more specific for marathoners than track runners |
Uphill run | Low-intensive steady-state running uphill (grades 3–6%). Typical duration 20–45 min (6–10 km) |
Threshold run (also called tempo run) | A sustained run at moderate intensity/half-marathon pace (i.e., 2:50–3:05 and 3:05–3:30 min·km−1 for men and women). Typical duration 20–50 min (7–15 km). The session should not be extremely fatiguing |
Fartlek | An unstructured run over varying terrain lasting 30–60 min, where periods of fast running are intermixed with periods of slower running. The pacing variations are determined by the athlete’s feelings and rhythms, and the terrain |
Progressive long runs | A commonly used training form used by African runners. The first part of the session resembles an easy run. After about half the distance, the pace gradually quickens. In the final portion, the pace increases to half-marathon pace or slightly past it. Typical duration is 45–90 min. Athletes are advised to slow down when the pace becomes too strenuous |
Interval training | |
Threshold intervals (also called tempo intervals) | Intervals of 3–15 min. duration at an intensity around half-marathon pace or slightly faster. Typical sessions: 10–12 × 1000 m with 1 min. recovery or easy jog between intervals, 6–8 × 1500–2000 m with 1–2 min. recovery or easy jog between intervals, or 4 × 5000 m with 1000 m easy jog in between. Recommended total time for elite runners is 30–75 min. Such intervals are advantageous because they allow the athlete to accumulate more total time than during a continuous threshold run |
VO2max intervals | Intervals of 2–4 min. duration at 3–10 K pace, with 2–3 min. recovery periods between intervals. Typical sessions: 4–7 × 800–1000 m or 2 × (6 × 400 m) with 30–60 s and 2–3 min. recovery between intervals and sets, respectively. Recommended total time for elite runners is ~ 15–20 min. This training method is more specific for track runners than marathoners |
Lactate tolerance training | 5000-m runners perform 1–2 weekly training sessions with high levels of lactate in the pre-competition and competition period. Such intervals typically range from 150 to 600 m at 800–1500 m race pace and 1–3 min. recoveries. Typical sessions: 10–16 × 200 m with 1 min. recovery between intervals, or 1–2 × (10 × 400 m) with 60–90 s and 3–5 min. recoveries between intervals and sets, respectively. Total accumulated distance ranges from 1500 to 8000 m in elite athletes |
Hill repeats | The main intention is overloading horizontal propulsive muscle groups while reducing ballistic loading. Typical incline is 5–10%, and repetition duration vary from ~ 30 s to ~ 4 min. depending on intensity, goal (aerobic intervals, lactate production or tolerance training) and time of season. Typical sessions: 8–10 × 200 m with easy jog back recoveries, or 6–8 × 800–1000 m with easy jog back recoveries |
Speed work | |
Sprints | 5–15 s runs with near-maximal to maximal effort and full recoveries. These can also be performed as strides, progressive runs, hill sprints or flying sprints, the latter where the rate of acceleration is reduced to allow more total distance at higher velocities. The main aim of the session is to develop or maintain maximal sprinting speed without producing high levels of lactate |
Training Volume
Intensity Zones
Scale | BLa | HR | VO2max | RPE | Pace reference | AWD | Int. time | Rec | Typical training methods | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6-zone | 3-zone | mmol·L−1 | % max | % | 6–20 | min·session−1 | min | min | ||
7 | HIT | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 60–400 m | 1–3 | < 0:20 | 1–3 | Maximal or progressive sprints, hill sprints |
6 | HIT | > 8.0 | n/a | n/a | 18–20 | 800–1500 m | 5–20 | 0:30–2:00 | 0:30–3 | Lactate tolerance training, hill repetitions |
5 | HIT | 5.0–8.0 | > 93 | 90–99 | 18–20 | 1500–5000 m | 15–30 | 0:30–3 | 0:30–5 | VO2max intervals, competitions, hill repetitions |
4 | HIT | 3.5–5.0 | 88–92 | 85–89 | 16–18 | 10,000 m | 20–35 | 3–6 | 1–5 | VO2max intervals, hill repetitions, competitions |
3 | MIT | 2.0–3.5 | 83–87 | 80–84 | 14–16 | (Half) marathonb | 30–60 | 6–20 | 1–3 | Threshold runs/intervals, fartlek, competitions |
2 | LIT | 1.0–2.0 | 73–82 | 70–79 | 12–14 | n/a | 20–150 | n/a | n/a | Long runs, uphill runs, progressive runsc |
1 | LIT | < 1.0 | 60–72 | 55–69 | 9–12 | n/a | 20–150 | n/a | n/a | Warm-up/cooldowna, easy long runs |
Intensity Distribution
Day | Eliud Kipchoge (gold medalist in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2021 Olympics) | |
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General preparation period | Specific preparation period | |
Mon | M: 16–21 km, average pace 3:50–4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: 21 km, average pace 3:20 min·km−1 (zone 2) |
E: 8–12 km, average pace 4:30–5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 10 km, average pace 4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
Tue | M: 10–15 min warm-up (~ 3 km) (zone 1). 12–15 km interval training on a dirt track (e.g., 15 × 1000 m at 2:50–2:55 min·km−1 (zone 4) with 90 s rest | M: 3 km warm-up in 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1). 1200 m in 3:25 min (zone 3), 5 × 1 km in 2:55 min (zone 3) with 90 s rest, 3 × 300 m in 42–40 s (zone 5) with 60 s rest, 2 × 200 m in 27 s (zone 5) with 60 s rest. 3 km cooldown in 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
E: 8–10 km, average pace 4:30–5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: Rest | |
Wed | M: 16–21 km, average pace 3:50–4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: 18 km, average pace 3:55–4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
E: 8–12 km, 4:30–5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 11 km, average pace 4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
Thu | M: 30 or 40 km long run, average pace 3:00–3:25 min·km−1 (zone 2–3), depending on terrain | M: 40 km tempo run (tough and muddy course), average pace ~ 3:40 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
E: 8–12 km, average pace 4:30–5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: Rest | |
Fri | M: 16–21 km, average pace 3:50–4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: 18 km, average pace 3:50–3:55 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
E: 8–12 km, 4:30–5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 10 km, average pace ~ 3:55 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
Sat | M: 50–65 min fartlek (zone 1–3), either with long intervals (e.g., 4 × 10 min with 2 min rest) or short intervals (e.g., 25 × 1 min with 1 min rest) | M: 85 min fartlek including 10 min warm-up at 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1), 30 × 1 min at pace 2:45 min·km−1 (zone 4) with 1 min easy jog (zone 1) in between, 15 min cooldown (zone 1) |
E: 8–12 km, 4:30–5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: Rest | |
Sun | M: 18–22 km, average pace 3:50–4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: 20 km, average pace ~ 3:50 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
E: Rest | E: Rest | |
Weekly total of 200–220 km (82–84% LIT, 9–10% MIT, 7–8% HIT) | Weekly total of ~ 185 km (~ 91% LIT, ~ 3% MIT, ~ 6% HIT) |
Day | Thomas Longosiwa (5000-m bronze medalist in London 2012 Olympics) | |
---|---|---|
General preparation period | Competition period | |
Mon | M: 15 km, average pace 4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: 20 km, average pace 3:45–3:50 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
E: 11 km, average pace 4:30 min·km−1 (zone 1). 10 × 80 m sprint uphill (zone 6) | E: 4 km warm-up in 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1). 8 × 300 m steep uphill (zone 5) | |
Tue | M: 21 km, average pace 3:30 min·km−1 (zone 1–2) | M: 4 km warm-up in 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1). 19 km fartlek with 7 km average pace 2:52 min·km−1 (zone 3), 6 km with average pace 3:24 min·km−1 (zone 2), and 6 km with average pace 3:50 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
E: 11 km, average pace 4:30 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 10 km, average pace 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
Wed | M: 4 km warm-up in 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1). 5 × 1000 m in 2:52 min (zone 4), 6 × 600 m in 1:38 min (zone 5), 7 × 300 m in 46 s (zone 5), 3000 m in 9:00 min (zone 3) | M: 18 km, average pace 4:10 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
E: 8 km, average pace 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 10 km, average pace 4:40 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
Thu | M: 17 km, average pace 4:05–4:10 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: 4 km warm-up in 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1). 5 × 2000 m with alternating speed every 400 m, where a total of 6 km was performed with average pace 2:35–2:45 min·km−1 (zone 5). The remaining 4 km was performed with average pace 3:05–3:10 min·km−1 (zone 3) |
E: 11 km, average pace 4:30 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 10 km, average pace 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
Fri | M: 15 km, average pace 4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: 18 km, average pace 3:40–3:45 min·km−1 (zone 1) |
E: 15 km, average pace 4:00 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 10 km, average pace 4:40 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
Sat | M: 4 km warm-up, average pace 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1). 12 km, average pace 3:06 min·km−1 (zone 3) | M: 4 km warm-up in 5:00 min·km−1 (zone 1). 3 × (5 × 600 m) in 1:33–1:34 min (zone 5) |
E: 11 km, average pace 4:30 min·km−1 (zone 1) | E: 12 km, average pace 4:10 min·km−1 (zone 1) | |
Sun | M: 24 km, average pace 3:50 min·km−1 (zone 1) | M: Rest |
E: Rest | E: Rest | |
Weekly total of 193 km (86% LIT, 8% MIT, 6% HIT) | Weekly total of 163 km (85% LIT, 7% MIT, 8% HIT) |
Tapering
Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1a | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total volume | 191 ± 29 | 184 ± 24 | 188 ± 17 | 170 ± 30 | 116 ± 27 |
Zone 1 | 150 ± 29 | 138 ± 22 | 150 ± 22 | 134 ± 30 | 98 ± 22 |
Zone 2 | 18 ± 15 | 27 ± 15 | 11 ± 13 | 13 ± 13 | 5 ± 5 |
Zone 3 | 17 ± 8 | 12 ± 9 | 21 ± 11 | 16 ± 15 | 10 ± 12 |
Zone 4 | 3 ± 7 | 7 ± 7 | 5 ± 6 | 5 ± 4 | 2 ± 2 |
Zone 5 | 2 ± 4 | 1 ± 2 | 0 ± 1 | 2 ± 4 | 2 ± 2 |