Adelaide Marathon Festival Training Plan
Instructions & Notes
Updated by Kent Dredge – SARRC Club Coach. Copyright SARRC.
General Information
We have created the attached program(s) to help you develop your endurance to progress from your current running level to complete either the 2022 Adelaide Marathon Festival 10km, Half, or Full Marathon.
Please choose the most appropriate program and feel free to adjust it to suit your lifestyle. If you are a SARRC member there are also more detailed online plans available via https://finalsurge.com/, please contact Kent Dredge, SARRC Club
Coach
Half Marathon Level 1: Able to run 5km & committed to undertaking minimum 3 runs per week
Half Marathon Level 2: Current longest run of at least 10km & committed to undertake minimum of 4 runs per week
Half Marathon Level 3: Current longest run of at least 10km & committed to undertake minimum of 5 runs per week
Marathon Level 1: Current longest run of approx 10-12km & committed to undertake minimum of 3 runs per week
Marathon Level 2: Current longest run of approx 10-12km & committed to undertake minimum of 4 runs per week
Marathon Level 3: Current longest run of approx 15km & committed to undertake minimum of 5 runs per week
The plan should be used as a guide only, so feel free to switch days around to suit your own lifestyle, or substitute additional runs (e.g. Fartlek/Speed Intervals) on the cross-training days or less experienced/busy runners may decide to undertake a level 2 or 3 program & reduce the weekly running commitment. Also feel free to substitute the type of run allocated in the program, e.g. a hill repeat session for a Fartlek/Speed Intervals session.
However, it is important to maintain at least 1 rest day or nonrunning day per week, refer to workout descriptions below for further information on the running sessions.
We also encourage you to join one of the many SARRC running groups (as detailed on the website), where you will find a supporting and social environment to keep you motivated toward your end goal. In particular the Sunday morning Marathon Mentor Group (7.30 am start at our clubrooms on MacKinnon Parade, North Adelaide) will organise varied distance runs in line with these programs or the Tuesday evening speed group leaving from the start of the Uni loop in North Adelaide.
Philosophy
Before you start any plan you should always have your own GOAL in mind, so don’t be concerned if others are running longer runs or more weekly kilometers than you, just remain focussed to the process.
My philosophy as a coach is that every training session should have a purpose, so it is important to focus on QUALITY, rather than the quantity. It’s nice to turn to your friends and say you did “x” kilometers for the week, but you need to also ask yourself how many of those kilometers were a waste of time and didn’t really contribute towards your overall GOAL. If occasionally you run an extra kilometer or 2 because you felt good (except maybe during the taper period) or run one less because you didn’t it will not affect your overall achievement of the GOAL, always be mindful of injury RISK versus the REWARD.
