London, United Kingdom · April
London Marathon Training Plan
A free marathon plan for the TCS London Marathon, built around the course and your current fitness. Answer four questions and you will see every week of it. No account, no email, no card.
- Distances
- Marathon
- Course
- Flat
- Usually held
- Each April
The London Marathon course
One of the Abbott World Marathon Majors and, by most measures, the largest marathon in the world. The course runs from Blackheath through Greenwich, over Tower Bridge at halfway, out into Docklands, and back along the Embankment to a finish on The Mall. It is flat apart from a brief drop in the first miles, and the crowds are continuous for the entire distance.
Weather on race day
Late April in London is usually mild and grey: starts in the 40s or 50s, highs in the 50s or 60s. Warm years happen and are notorious, because the field is trained through a cool British winter.
What to train for
Crowd-proof pacing. The narrow early miles and the noise at Tower Bridge and Docklands pull people well ahead of plan, and the Docklands section around miles 14 to 21 is where that debt comes due. Practise goal pace off a deliberately slow first three miles.
Registration and official details: London Marathon official site
London Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the London Marathon?
Most runners give a marathon sixteen to twenty weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the London Marathon course hilly?
Flat. One of the Abbott World Marathon Majors and, by most measures, the largest marathon in the world. The course runs from Blackheath through Greenwich, over Tower Bridge at halfway, out into Docklands, and back along the Embankment to a finish on The Mall. It is flat apart from a brief drop in the first miles, and the crowds are continuous for the entire distance.
What is the weather usually like at the London Marathon?
Late April in London is usually mild and grey: starts in the 40s or 50s, highs in the 50s or 60s. Warm years happen and are notorious, because the field is trained through a cool British winter.
Do I need an account to get a London Marathon training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.
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