Just Under

From a 9:00 10k

Pace bands

Goal marathon pace is 9:05 for 3:58:00. Easy running should feel almost too slow. If you cannot speak a sentence, you are not easy.

  1. Recovery

    10:45–11:15

    Shakeouts and the day after a long run. You should feel like you are holding back.

  2. Easy

    10:00–10:40

    Most of the plan lives here. Conversational. If you cannot speak a sentence, slow down.

  3. Marathon

    9:05

    Goal race pace for 3:58. It should feel controlled — not a tempo, not a cruise.

  4. Tempo

    8:30–8:40

    Comfortably hard. One-word answers only. Builds the engine that holds 9:05 late.

  5. Intervals

    8:00–8:15

    Short and honest. You are teaching your legs a faster gear, then shutting it off.

How to use them

  • Long runs live in easy until the last miles say otherwise. Those last miles are marathon pace, not a tempo.
  • Strides are 20 seconds of tall, quick running at the end of an easy day. Walk back. Do not time them like intervals.
  • If the watch and the body disagree, believe the body. Heat, hills, and bad sleep all move the numbers.
  • Never make up missed miles later in the week. The next session is the next session.