Marathon Pace Workout

We caught up with Pro Triathlete and Triathlon coach, Scott DeFilippis  while he is training out in Switzerland.  Scott shares one of his intense running workouts for the seasoned athlete with a solid running background

Marathon Pace Workout

This set comes on the last day of a 7 day block of training. The goal here it to spend some time running :10/:15 per mile or :5/:10 per km faster than intended Marathon Pace for the Ironman. During this particular block I am training out of Leysin, Switzerland which is at 4500ft of elevation.

4km or 2.5 miles easy jog

8km or 5 miles at 3:45km/6:00 mile pace

1km very easy jog

8km or 5 miles at 3:45/6:00 mile pace

1km very easy jog

5km or 3 miles at 3:35-3:40 or 5:50 mile pace

1km very easy jog

Total: 28kms

Nutrition: 2 bottles of XRCEL + 1 20oz bottle of Isostar Electrolyte

Of note this set is done 48 hours after a 10 x  mile track set at 5:30 per mile or 30-45 seconds quicker then Marathon Goal Pace. I used a hard swim and long easy 5 hour ride in the mountains to bridge the 2 quality runs.

My goal is do to 3 x 8kms or 5 miles at this pace inside a 20 mile run before Embrunman on Aug 15th

I’ll finish the day off with an easy 10km jog this evening.  Tomorrow will be a rest day which means 5-6km mixed set swim of some speed and strength but no heart rate. Followed by an afternoon at the Montreux Jazz Festival (being normal):)…

I would only give out this run to a very seasoned athlete or someone that comes from a running background.  If you did want to tackle this set I would start with   miles, 3 miles, 2 miles as your main set with 1 mile easy jog rest between. Warm up and cool down 15-20mins easy jog.  Then a few weeks later try, 5miles, 4miles, 3miles.

About Scott DeFilippis:

Scott is a professional triathlete and a Triathlon coach for KIS Performance Team.  You can learn more about his coaching services here.