Marathon coaching from first long run to finish line.
I love the marathon. Racing it, watching it, training for it. Five marathons in, I've gone from 3:09 to 2:45 and I still get the same knot in my stomach on the start line that I got the first time.
There's nothing else in running quite like it. Months of work come down to a single morning, over a distance that doesn't care how fit you are if the pacing or the fuelling goes wrong. It's humbling (sometimes brutally so). It's also the best investment in yourself I know of. Not for the time on the clock, though that's nice. For who the training turns you into along the way.
That's why this is my favourite kind of coaching. I like nothing better than joining you for the journey: building a block around your actual life, adjusting it when life gets in the way and then rooting for you on race day. Usually refreshing the tracker. Occasionally shouting from the side of the road.
From base to race day
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01
Foundations
Where you start matters more than any plan. Most marathon plans assume everyone arrives on day one in the same state. Nobody does. We begin with an honest look at your recent running, then build aerobic volume and controlled quality sessions you can repeat week after week without being flattened by them. Mileage that accumulates over months counts for far more than a heroic fortnight.
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02
Getting specific
The long run grows, marathon pace starts to appear and fuelling becomes part of training rather than an afterthought. Your body needs to get better at burning fat and your gut needs to get used to taking on carbohydrate at pace. We practise both. A tune-up race every few weeks tells us where your fitness really is, which beats guessing.
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03
Sharpening
I call it sharpening rather than tapering, because the aim is to keep the edge while the fatigue drains away. Volume comes down. Quality stays. The big session you do three weeks out is still landing in your legs on race day. There's nothing to gain from cramming. This is where runners panic and where good plans hold their nerve.
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04
Race week
Short, relaxed runs that leave you wanting more. Sleep banked earlier in the week, when it counts most. A carbohydrate plan that doesn't involve a mountain of pasta. One run at your race start time in full race kit, carrying the fuel you'll use. Nothing new and nothing heroic.
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05
Race day
Arriving fresh and with a body activated to feel good on the start line, a pacing plan built around a negative split and a fuelling plan you've already rehearsed. The first few miles should feel almost frustratingly easy. That's the point. The runners you pass at mile 20 went out the way I did at my first London: 6:40 miles early on, slower than 30s by the end.
"Undertaking my first marathon was a big step for me. Tom was always there to answer all the questions I had and keep me on track, everything from training, recovery, to dealing with blisters."Josie · Bristol
Three kinds of marathoner
First-timers
You want to get round in one piece and enjoy it. We'll build confidence as much as fitness and make sure nothing on race day is happening for the first time.
Time chasers
Sub-4, sub-3:30, sub-3, a Good For Age place. You've got a number in mind and you want a plan that respects both the number and the rest of your life.
Second attempts
Last time went wrong. You hit the wall, picked up an injury in the build or arrived flat. I've hit the wall and I've arrived flat. There's usually a fixable reason. It's rarely a lack of effort.
When to start
Most spring marathons fall in April. A good block runs 16 to 20 weeks, which means the useful conversations happen in the autumn, well before the plan itself begins.
Starting early doesn't mean training hard early. It means arriving at the first week of the block already consistent, rather than spending the first month getting there.
If your race is sooner, get in touch anyway. A shorter block built properly beats a long one built badly.
Two ways to do it
1-2-1 Marathon Coaching
Coaching for the whole block, with feedback on every run and the plan adjusted week by week around how you're responding. The option I'd recommend for a marathon, because blocks rarely go exactly to plan.
Enquire →Personalised Marathon Plan
A complete marathon plan written to your race, timeline, availability and current fitness, with every workout sent to your watch. For runners who want the structure and are happy to manage the adjustments themselves.
Enquire →Marathon questions
I've never run a marathon. Is a coach overkill?
No. First marathons are where a coach saves the most grief, because everything is new: the long runs, the fuelling, the taper, the nerves. The questions are the job.
How many days a week will I need to run?
Most of my marathon runners run four to six days a week. Fewer can work if the sessions are right. What matters more is that the week is repeatable, because consistency over months is what gets you to the start line fit.
Do you only coach London Marathon runners?
Not at all. I coach runners for London, Manchester and races overseas, online or in person. The principles don't change with the postcode.
What about fuelling?
We practise it in training rather than hoping on the day. Some runs build your ability to burn fat, others train your gut to handle carbohydrate at pace. By race day your fuelling plan should feel routine.
Will I need to do strength training?
Yes, a little. Two short sessions a week make a real difference to how your body holds up in the last 10k. They fit around your running rather than on top of it.
Further reading
- Racing Why a negative split is your best bet for running a PB My first London Marathon started at 6:40 miles and ended slower than 8s. The one where I held back gave me a PB. The maths of pacing, from both ends.
- Training What is overtraining (and why runners need to avoid it)? I chose two more months of marathon training over racing when I was fit. I ran 2:58:54 and hated every minute. What overtraining looks like, from the inside.
- Racing How (and why) to properly warm up for running If the first mile of a race feels like a struggle, your body is playing catch-up. Three warm-ups, scaled to the run, including the one I use before races.
Let's talk marathon.
Tell me which race, what you're aiming for and what your running looks like right now. I'll tell you honestly whether I think I can help.
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