Training for a longer endurance event, like a marathon, is a big time commitment that extends beyond the miles you run. It requires a balance of running, strength training, and maintaining overall well-being through proper nutrition and stress management. It also involves balancing training with the rest of life's responsibilities, such as work, family, and social activities, which can feel very overwhelming.

With the right planning, you can find a balance that ensures success, well-being, and enjoyment throughout the process.

Planning Your Training Cycle

Training for a marathon is all about finding a routine that fits into your busy life. Many of us juggle work, social commitments, and family responsibilities, so it’s important to create a schedule that is realistic and sustainable to prevent burnout. Here are a few things to consider at the beginning of your training cycle:

Work Commitments: Identify your working hours and look for times before or after work or even during your lunch break. Early mornings and evenings are popular for workouts, especially in summer to take advantage of cooler times of day.

Family Responsibilities: Consider your family schedule and even involve family members in your training routine where possible. Plan a family run or use your house as an aid station during your long runs!

Social Life: Balance training with social activities. Plan runs with friends or join a running club to make it more enjoyable and to help hold you accountable for your goals.

If you are unsure which marathon training plan is best for you and your goals, check out this recent COROS Coaches blog article that looks at 12, 16, and 20 week plans.

Anticipated Training Load found in COROS Training Hub Calendar

Your COROS Training Hub allows you to add workouts and training plans to your calendar and keep track of your weekly Training Load over time. All future workouts will have a predicted Training Load score attached to it, so you can easily predict your weekly Training Load at the end of each week.

COROS Education: For most training plans, you may notice a progression in Weekly Training Load during 3-4 weeks followed by a recovery week, then back at it again. This is a proven way to make sure you are training efficiently towards your goals.

Training plans will be divided into different phases, helping you recognize your peak training periods meaning when you will have your highest weekly mileage and most challenging workouts. By checking your training calendar in the Training Hub or the COROS app in advance, you will be able to optimize your training and balance it with your personal life.

• Base Phase: This phase focuses on building a strong foundation. The intensity and training load are moderate, aiming to establish a solid fitness base without overwhelming your body.
• Build Phase: During this phase, the running mileage gradually increases. The intensity starts to rise, preparing your body for the demands of higher mileage and more intense training.
• Peak Phase: In this phase, the priority is on running with significantly higher mileage and intensity. This is the most demanding phase, with the highest training load and intensity.
• Taper/Race Phase: The focus shifts to rest and recovery. Training intensity and load decrease significantly to allow your body to recover and perform at its best on race day.

Creating Your Weekly Schedule

Weekly schedule from a training plan.

There isn't a perfect training schedule for everyone; some runners schedule long runs for the weekend, while others may do it during the week. The key is to plan workouts to gradually build endurance and strength while avoiding injury. Here are the key components for a week of training:

• Running: Aim for 4-6 sessions per week, prioritizing different run types depending on the training phase this should include long runs, easy runs, and speed workouts
• Strength Training: Incorporate 2-3 sessions per week, focusing on exercises that strengthen muscles used in running. These can be bodyweight exercises or, for those more experienced, include resistance bands and weights.
• Rest Day: Include one full rest day each week to help your body recover from the higher training load and intensity. Rest is just as important as a workout!

COROS Coaches Tips

Training for a marathon is undoubtedly challenging, but it's also an amazing accomplishment that shows your dedication and hard work. If you are feeling overwhelmed about the process, here are a few tips to remember as you work toward your big goal.

Plan Ahead: Look at your week in advance and plan runs and strength sessions around your commitments. Flexibility is key—adjust your schedule if something comes up. Missing an occasional run or workout won’t derail your training.

Track Progress: Regularly monitor your Base Fitness using the COROS app to stay informed about your improvements and make necessary adjustments to your plan. If you have questions about your training, the COROS Coaches team will always be there to support you.

Listen to your body: Be familiar with signs of overtraining. Rest if you’re feeling unusually fatigued or if you’re experiencing persistent soreness. Use your COROS recovery metrics to track how your body is responding to the stress of training.

Set Realistic Goals: Training for a marathon is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical one. Break your marathon training into smaller, achievable goals to stay motivated.

How Can COROS Coaches Help?

COROS Coaches are a team of dedicated and certified coaches that can guide you in your training and understanding your metrics, for free. Email them at coach@coros.com today and get the discussion going on how to best structure your training for your upcoming training cycle!