Best Marathon Workouts for Runners
Over the last few decades, running has grown more and more in popularity and in diversity of choices for people to do. It’s literally normal for the average person to run a marathon now. Just like a new year's resolution. Now I don’t suggest that for the average person right out the gate, but I do believe the average person can do it at some point. They just need the right guidance and time on their feet to get it done.
When people search for Top Workouts For Marathoners, they usually want simple answers they can actually use, not a wall of theory.
I wrote this roundup for beginner marathon runners (not beginner runners as I just alluded to above), experienced runners, and especially runners rebuilding fitness after injury, stress, or time away. The quick answer is this: the long run is still the top pick because it builds endurance, race-day practice, and durability better than any single marathon workout.
Remember, that the best workout comes down to where you’re at in your training. Not some Instagram bullshit where you just pick whatever someone said on their influencer channel.
I also wanted to keep this article practical. The list favors sessions that improve pace control, running economy, recovery, and injury prevention without requiring a lot of knowledge or a perfect schedule like you’re some professional runner who has nothing better to do than run 100 miles per week! Not trying to judge, but most people need to manage their running around life and not the other way around.
Quick Picks: Best Marathon Workouts at a Glance
Long run: Best for endurance and more endurance. Builds marathon durability by having more time on your feet.
Tempo run: Marathon pace control. Improves overall anaerobic threshold to increase your overall potential.
Interval workouts: Speed and running economy. Sharpens turnover efficiently. They don’t need to be done too often in marathon training, but are still very important.
Hill repeats: Strength, power and confidence. Builds resilience to terrain changes during a race, while making flat running more efficient.
Marathon pace run: Race-day specific practice. Teaches goal pace control and understanding different efforts without overextending.
Recovery run: Actual recovery, while still building fitness. Supports adaptation between hard days. Essentially allowing the hard work to take place.
Strength training: Strength, power, mobility & flexibility, potential injury prevention and overall feelings of confidence. Improves mental and physical resilience. Makes you feel like an athlete, not a stiff runner from the 80’s.
1. Long Run - Best for Building Marathon Endurance
The long run is the anchor of almost every marathon training plan because nothing else builds endurance in the same race-specific way. You’ll get a lot of modern arguments to that, but it’s always going to be the top choice by the most coaches, as the most important for marathon training. Especially for non-elite runners.
Most runners place it once a week, usually on the weekend, and progress it gradually during base training and bigger weekly mileage blocks. With that said, it DOESN’T HAVE TO BE EVERY WEEK. Please read that again. That’s usually too much for most people.
A typical long run lasts 90 minutes to 3 hours depending on experience, fitness, and race goals. Most should stay at an easy run effort, though some plans add marathon pace run segments for race simulation, fueling, hydration, and pacing practice. For now, don’t overthink it and just get good and run long distances, and understand your fueling needs for your body. DO NOT skip that last part.
Key features:
Typical range is 90 minutes to 3 hours.
Usually done at conversation pace with a steady effort.
Can include goal pace blocks for race-day practice.
Rehearse fueling every 30 to 45 minutes.
Helps test hydration, shoes, and pacing.
Ideal for: Anyone training for a marathon or trying to improve durability and overall endurance.
Bottom line: If you only protect one session every week or two, protect the long run.
2. Tempo Run - Best for Building the Running System Your Body Needs for Success
A tempo run is a comfortably hard, steady run that teaches you to stay controlled while working hard. It improves your anaerobic threshold and helps with fatigue resistance, builds confidence for sustained efforts, and helps marathoners learn what honest pace control feels like.
Common formats include 20 to 40 minutes continuous, or broken blocks such as 2 x 15 minutes with short recovery. Add a warm-up and cool-down, and you get one of the cleanest quality sessions in marathon training.
As I said in my most previous article, you can even go down to around 400 meter style intervals, but at threshold paces, to improve your overall performance.
Key features:
Run at threshold pace or slightly slower for marathon-specific work.
Builds rhythm, focus, and pace awareness.
Works well as 20 to 40 minutes continuous or split blocks, when speaking about the marathon.
Strong fit for more race-specific training.
Ideal for: Intermediate and advanced runners with a stable base training phase.
Our take: This is one of the best marathon workouts for runners chasing a time goal. Not the specific workout, but the workout type. Threshold is king to becoming a better runner. For the marathon it’s the main type of workout outside of the long run, that will enhance your performance.
3. Interval Workout - Best for Speed and Running Economy
An interval workout uses typically shorter, faster repeats with more recovery between efforts than that of threshold workouts. Marathoners still need this work because better speed and running economy make marathon pace feel smoother and less costly. It’s usually more fun too!
For newer runners, simple reps like 10 to 16 x 1 minute can work well. More experienced runners may use a track workout with 400m, 600m, 800m, 1200m, or even 3000m repeats, while others use time-based efforts if no track is available. When you think about the length of a marathon, longer intervals can make more sense as you progress in skill level and understanding of how your body responds to certain types of training as well.
Key features:
Short reps like 10 to 16 x 1 minute suit beginner runners.
Track workout options include 400m, 600m, 800m, 1200m, and 3000m.
Improves turnover, form, and running economy.
Time-based reps work well without track access.
Ideal for: Runners who want more speed without overloading marathon preparation.
Why it stands out: Intervals sharpen efficiency in a way easy miles alone cannot.
4. Hill Repeats - Best for Strength Without the Gym
Now, this does NOT mean leaving out the gym work. It just means that for running workout types, it can be a great way to strengthen your body while running. Hill repeats are one of the simplest ways to build strength, power, and better uphill running form. They also prepare you for a hilly course, rolling race course profiles, or just simply marathons, which demands more fatigue resistance late in the race.
You can use short hill sprints for mechanics, longer climbs for strength endurance, or a treadmill run with incline training when outdoor hills are not practical. These types of sessions are also useful for runners adjusting preparation around climbing demands or altitude-related stress.
Key features:
Short hill sprints build power and mechanics.
Longer repeats improve strength endurance.
Great for hilly course preparation.
Treadmill run options make incline training accessible.
Builds fatigue resistance without heavy gym work.
Ideal for: Runners who need stronger hill resilience and better late-race confidence.
Worth noting: Hills are one of the smartest ways to get stronger while staying specific to running. They should never fully replace weight training and plyometrics however.
5. Marathon Pace Run - Best for Race-Day Specific Practice
A marathon paced run workout teaches effort control at your planned goal pace. That matters because race-day success usually comes from restraint early and rhythm later, not raw fitness alone.
This can be a standalone session, such as 8 to 10 miles at marathon pace, or pace blocks inside a medium-long run or long run. It is also a great place to test fueling timing, hydration, shoe choice, and mental race simulation.
Key features:
Potential format could be 5 to 10 miles at marathon pace.
Can be inserted as 2 to 3 pace blocks in a longer run.
Fast-finish long runs build race-day confidence.
Reinforces pacing, fueling, and shoe selection by mimicking race day as best as possible.
Strong tool for race simulation.
Ideal for: Runners with a clear goal pace and enough weekly mileage to support quality work.
The verdict: If your pacing falls apart in races, this session deserves a regular spot. I don’t believe enough people train at a marathon pace even close to enough. Even when you’re training for a shorter race, it can have its place.
6. Recovery Run - Best for Staying Consistent Between Hard Days
A recovery run counts as real training because it supports adaptation from harder sessions. It also fits the 80% rule in running, which means most miles should stay easy enough to protect recovery and long-term consistency.
IMPORTANT: Easy runs and recovery runs are not the same. I’m sure I’ll be doing an article on this soon. Either way, it’s important to note that, depending on your weekly volume of running, you will typically need to differentiate between these two. Recovery is just that. Actual recovery from your training, which means who cares if you hit a certain pace. Just run slow. In order to recover, so that you can come back stronger.
Easy runs, are technically the same thing, but my differentiation here is based on the fact that sometimes an easy run can turn into some lighter sessions like a progression run. Or adding sprints after, or hill sprints. You’re still running “easy” in both types, but easy running can get a little more specific, especially if you run a lot of miles in a week. A recovery run is literally like a “turn off the watch” type of run. Who cares how fast you run or your average pace, let alone that Strava type runner in your friends group that cares about average paces and stuff. Don’t be that runner.
The best cue is conversation pace. Keep the run short if needed, stay relaxed, and avoid turning a recovery day into a moderate grind that leaves you more tired than when you started.
Key features:
Should feel like a true easy run at conversation pace.
Supports recovery between workouts and the long run.
Short duration is fine during a high mileage block.
Helps maintain weekly mileage without extra strain.
Works well around a rest day or taper period.
Ideal for: Every level of runner, especially those balancing work, family, and training.
Best if you need: More consistency without burning out. These NEED to be in your training, even if you run 3 or 4 days per week at most. They are a necessity for success both short and long term.
7. Strength Training - Best for Performance and Durability & of Course…Injury Prevention
Strength training belongs in this roundup because it supports injury prevention, posture, and durability during marathon training. As well as performance. That’s honestly where it needs to be understood more and more in the running community. It’s insane how many people think it’s an add on. It’s far more than that. It’s the key for the average runner's success.
I keep it runner-friendly…but not necessarily in the way that looks if you YouTube this. A lot of run coaches try SOOOO hard to keep running exercises focused on “looking like” it’ll help runners. I love step ups, but they shouldn’t be in there because it looks like it mimics running form. That’s quite honestly, naive and very low IQ coaching methodology. You want to strengthen the muscles that help you with running, while looking at both the strengths and weaknesses of the runner, to figure out what a runner should do in the weight room. Most people need the basics (look at past articles and stay tuned for future ones to see more of what types of exercises to choose).
With that said, some basics to include are squats, lunges, deadlifts, step-ups (not a contradiction to the above lol), calf raises, farmers carries, overhead presses, push-ups, pull-ups (if you can do them right), and rotational movements. Oh and don’t forget plyometrics, including double legged, upper body focused and also single legged versions. This is really where you want your strength training to head towards ultimately.
Two short sessions each week usually work better than one long one, especially for runners managing overuse issues or coming back after setbacks.
Key features:
Focuses on overall full body strength, while hyper focusing on glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Never forget the calves!
Heavier resistance can help both beginner and experienced runners.
Supports single-leg stability and power and injury prevention.
Long-term goal is to get more so to plyometrics, throughout the year, but not exclusively all year.
Ideal for: Runner…period.
Bottom line: Stronger runners usually stay healthier and hold form longer. You need strength training for your life and your running.
Final Take: Where Marathoners Should Start
Start simple. One long run, one quality session, and the rest easy is enough for most runners to make steady progress. Your long run might need to start out at like 4 miles. Depends on where you’re at.
If your goal is endurance, center your week on the long run. If you want more specificity, add a tempo run or marathon pace run, then layer in interval workout sessions, hill repeats, and strength training as your recovery allows.
Always remember that you’ll need help somewhere along the way. Shoot me a call and we’ll consult about what you need to focus on next: https://calendly.com/coachwilson/intro-coaching-call
Simple Weekly Starting Framework
One long run minimum every 3 weeks.
One workout such as tempo, intervals, hills, or marathon pace per week.
One to four easy and/or recovery runs plus one to two strength sessions, of course very much depending on how much you can run.
Final Thoughts:
Beginners:
A marathon is no joke. Neither is running in general. Don’t be that person that goes from couch to marathon. There’s a reason that reference didn’t become a term, like the couch to 5k one did. You need to spend some time learning how to run and getting used to it before running a marathon.
More Experienced Runners:
A marathon is no joke…but you probably already know that. Don’t forget strength training. Don’t forget fueling and don’t forget that you don’t know what you don’t know. Stay patient and listen to your body. It changes every running season, no matter how seasoned you are.
I hope you enjoyed this article everyone! Want help with your running journey or your next marathon goal? Maybe even learning how to strength train for running or get past that nasty never-goes-away-injury? Shoot me a call and we’ll get you in the right spot.
https://calendly.com/coachwilson/intro-coaching-call
Cheers friends.