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article 2024 17 pages

Quantitative Analysis of 92 12-Week Sub-elite Marathon Training Plans

Melanie Knopp, Daniel Appelhans, Martin Schönfelder, Stephen Seiler, Henning Wackerhage

Journal
Sports Medicine - Open
DOI
10.1186/s40798-024-00717-5
Publication type
Original Research
Population
sub-elite marathon runners
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Abstract

Background

A typical training plan is a mix of many training sessions with different intensities and durations to achieve a specific goal, like running a marathon in a certain time. Scientific publications provide little specific information to aid in writing a comprehensive training plan. This review aims to systematically and quantitatively analyse the last 12 weeks before a marathon as recommended in 92 sub-elite training plans.

Methods

We retrieved 92 marathon training plans and linked their running training sessions to five intensity zones. Subsequently, each training plan was grouped based on the total running volume in peak week into high (> 90 km/week), middle (65–90 km/week), and low (

Description

The study analyzes training plans for sub-elite marathon runners.