Sub 5 Hour 30 Minute Marathon Training Plan

A 16-week plan for a sub-5-hour-30 marathon at 7:49/km race pace, with 4 runs a week, building to a 55.4 km peak week and a 32 km long run.

Distance

Marathon

Target pace

7:49 /km

Length

16 weeks

Available on

Premium

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Your paces.

To run a Sub 5 Hour 30 Minute Marathon, you need to maintain a race pace of approximately 7:49 min/km. Your training sessions will use the following paces:

Tempo

6:57-7:27

min/km

Long / Slow

8:50-9:35

min/km

Intervals

6:06-6:28

min/km

About this plan.

This sub 5:30 marathon training plan runs over 16 weeks. It is the 5:30 plan, the same goal people search as 5.30 or sub 5 hour 30. You can start at any point: do all 16 weeks or jump in wherever feels right.

Try our Sub 5 Hour 30 Minute Marathon plan.Congratulations on choosing your marathon plan. Whether this is your first attempt at the "full" or you're looking to achieve that new target, this schedule is designed to help you accomplish that. The key to success here is mileage. The aim is to be standing on the startline, 42.2km ahead of you and not feel any stress about that at all. On that basis the priority for the next 16 weeks is to get those long runs in. As great as it would be to run religiously 4 times a week for 16 weeks, we all lead busy lives and it can't always be possible. Prioritise a few hours over the weekend to get out there and clock up the easy miles, along with a shorter easy run during the week. Supplement the long runs with the interval and tempo sessions. These will work on improving your VO2 max, and build strength in the legs, all with the aim of making race-day as comfortable as possible.

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Download Dangelo and follow this plan today. Free on iOS & Android.

What the 16 weeks look like.

Weekly outline of this 16-week plan. Distances are in kilometres. The key session column is the session type only.
Week Total km Runs Long run Key session
1 29 4 13 km Long run
2 31 4 — Race pace
3 38.1 4 16 km Long run
4 31 4 — Race
5 39.8 4 19 km Long run
6 45.1 4 21 km Long run
7 39 4 16 km Long run
8 46.8 4 22 km Long run
9 46.8 4 — Race pace
10 52 4 29 km Long run
11 45.2 4 — Race
12 51 4 32 km Long run
13 46 4 — Race pace
14 52.1 4 27 km Long run
15 29 4 10 km Long run
16 55.4 4 — Race
Get the full sessions in the app

FAQs.

Is this a 5:30 marathon training plan?

Yes. This is a sub 5:30 marathon training plan, the same goal people search as sub 5.30 or sub 5 hour 30. Race pace is 7:49 per km. The 16-week plan and example weeks on this page are built for that time.

How many weeks is the Sub 5 Hour 30 Minute Marathon training plan?

16 weeks. Start at week 1 or join later. The example weeks on this page are from this plan.

What if I miss a run?

Skip it in the app and do the next session. If you need a few days off, pause the plan and come back when you are ready. Missed runs are dropped, not stacked onto the rest of the week.

Do these workouts sync to Garmin or Coros?

Yes. Workouts on this plan sync to Garmin and Coros so the session is on your watch.

How many weeks do I need to train for a 5-hour-30 marathon?

16 weeks, with 4 runs a week, building to a 55.4 km peak week and a 32 km long run.

Example weeks.

Week 4 31.0 km 4 runs
Monday

Rest

Tuesday

Race Pace

7:07 / km

Wednesday

Rest

Thursday

Progression

2 km at 7:27/km, 2 km at 7:07/km, 2 km at 6:47/km

7:07 / km

Friday

Rest

Saturday

Recovery 5km

7:37 - 8:07 / km

Sunday

10km Race

6:00 / km

Week 9 46.8 km 4 runs
Monday

Rest

Tuesday

Intervals

6 × 600 m at 5:33–5:59/km, 200 m jog

5:33 - 5:59 / km

Wednesday

Rest

Thursday

Easy 10km

7:37 - 8:07 / km

Friday

Rest

Saturday

Recovery 5km

7:37 - 8:07 / km

Sunday

Mixed-Pace Long Run

8 km at 7:37–8:07/km, 8 km at 7:07/km, 8 km at 7:37–8:07/km

7:07 / km

Week 12 51.0 km 4 runs
Monday

Rest

Tuesday

Easy 6km

7:37 - 8:07 / km

Wednesday

Rest

Thursday

Race Pace 8km

7:07 / km

Friday

Rest

Saturday

Recovery 5km

7:37 - 8:07 / km

Sunday

Long Run 32km

7:52 - 8:48 / km

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Pace calculator

Km and mile splits for this target only