[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"public-library:en-GB:workout:running-marathon-pace-blocks":3},{"slug":4,"sport":5,"category":6,"level":7,"intensity_unit":8,"modified_at":9,"author":10,"head":11,"equipment":14,"sources":16,"content":22,"facts":198,"blocks":352,"related":361},"running-marathon-pace-blocks","running","tempo","intermediate","pace","2026-10-25","Pierre Halloo",{"title":12,"description":13},"Marathon pace session: 3 × 15 min blocks","Marathon pace session: 3 blocks of 15 minutes at 80–86% of vVO2max, with 3 minutes' jogging between. Paces for 14 to 18 km\u002Fh. 76 minutes in all.",[15],"gps_watch",[17,20],{"citation":18,"url":19},"Daniels J., Daniels' Running Formula, Human Kinetics",null,{"citation":21,"url":19},"Pfitzinger P., Douglas S., Advanced Marathoning, Human Kinetics",{"h1":23,"summary":24,"purpose":35,"execution":62,"feel":84,"mistakes":91,"not_for":128,"faq":135,"evidence":189},"Marathon-pace blocks (3 × 15 min)",{"type":25,"children":26},"root",[27],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":30,"children":31},"element","p",{},[32],{"type":33,"value":34},"text","A marathon pace session: three 15-minute blocks at 80–86% of vVO₂max, with 3 minutes of easy jogging between. 45 minutes at race pace in 76 minutes. For locking in your rhythm and learning to recognise marathon pace by feel.",{"adaptation":36,"for_whom":48,"when":55},{"type":25,"children":37},[38,43],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":39,"children":40},{},[41],{"type":33,"value":42},"Marathon pace is slower than your threshold, but you have to hold it for three or four hours. This session gets you used to it without the fatigue of a long continuous block: your stride stays good for longer, and you learn to recognise the pace without looking at your watch.",{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":44,"children":45},{},[46],{"type":33,"value":47},"It's a race-specific session. It won't raise your vVO₂max or your threshold; it teaches you to run your marathon. The 3 minutes' jogging break up the effort without breaking its rhythm.",{"type":25,"children":49},[50],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":51,"children":52},{},[53],{"type":33,"value":54},"Runners preparing for a marathon or a long half, after a few weeks of consistent training. You need a recently measured vVO₂max, or a realistic marathon pace from a recent race. Not suited to complete beginners.",{"type":25,"children":56},[57],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":58,"children":59},{},[60],{"type":33,"value":61},"One session of this kind a week is enough during a marathon build, well away from an interval session. Put it after an easy day or a rest day, never the day before a long run or another hard session. To progress, lengthen the blocks over the build, keeping the same pace.",[63,70,77],{"type":25,"children":64},[65],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":66,"children":67},{},[68],{"type":33,"value":69},"10 minutes of easy running at 60–65% of vVO₂max, then 5 minutes at 66–72%. No need for strides: marathon pace comes without a jolt.",{"type":25,"children":71},[72],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":73,"children":74},{},[75],{"type":33,"value":76},"Three 15-minute blocks at 80–86% of vVO₂max, with 3 minutes' jogging at 58–65% between blocks. At 16 km\u002Fh, that's 4:41 to 4:22\u002Fkm, or 3.2 to 3.4 km per block, and a jog between 6:28 and 5:46\u002Fkm. Settle into the pace within the first few minutes of each block, then hold it. If your target marathon pace is slower than the range, follow your target: that's what matters.",{"type":25,"children":78},[79],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":80,"children":81},{},[82],{"type":33,"value":83},"10 minutes of very easy running at 55–65% of vVO₂max. Compare your three blocks: if they're even, the pace is right; if the third slowed, your target pace is probably too quick.",{"type":25,"children":85},[86],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":87,"children":88},{},[89],{"type":33,"value":90},"Steady, breathing regular: you can still say a few words. The first block feels almost easy, and that's the trap. The third should stay controlled: if it's clearly slower than the first, you started too fast. Guide: 5 to 6 out of 10.",[92,101,110,119],{"title":93,"body":94},"Running faster because you feel good",{"type":25,"children":95},[96],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":97,"children":98},{},[99],{"type":33,"value":100},"The first block always feels easy. Speeding it up means training at a pace you won't hold on marathon day. The session targets a precise pace, not a feeling of strength.",{"title":102,"body":103},"Using vVO₂max as your only guide",{"type":25,"children":104},[105],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":106,"children":107},{},[108],{"type":33,"value":109},"Marathon pace depends as much on your endurance as on your vVO₂max. If your endurance is weaker, it sits at the bottom of the range, or below. A recent half marathon is often a better guide.",{"title":111,"body":112},"Walking the recoveries",{"type":25,"children":113},[114],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":115,"children":116},{},[117],{"type":33,"value":118},"The 3 minutes are jogged. Walking breaks the rhythm, and getting going on the next block becomes harder. Keep a light jog, slow enough to catch your breath.",{"title":120,"body":121},"Putting it next to an interval session",{"type":25,"children":122},[123],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":124,"children":125},{},[126],{"type":33,"value":127},"45 minutes at race pace is tiring. If there's an interval session in the same week, leave at least two days between them.",{"prerequisites":129,"avoid_if":132},[130,131],"A recently measured vVO₂max, or a realistic marathon pace.","A few weeks of consistent training.",[133,134],"You have pain or a recent injury.","A long run or another hard session is planned for the next day.",[136,145,163,172],{"question":137,"answer":138},"How do I work out my marathon pace?",{"type":25,"children":139},[140],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":141,"children":142},{},[143],{"type":33,"value":144},"Here, from your vVO₂max: 80–86% of it, or 5:21 to 4:59\u002Fkm at 14 km\u002Fh, 4:41 to 4:22\u002Fkm at 16 km\u002Fh, 4:10 to 3:53\u002Fkm at 18 km\u002Fh. If your endurance is weaker, aim for the bottom of the range. A recent half-marathon time often gives a more accurate estimate.",{"question":146,"answer":147},"Marathon-pace blocks or a long run with a marathon-pace finish?",{"type":25,"children":148},[149],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":150,"children":151},{},[152,154,161],{"type":33,"value":153},"The blocks teach you the pace on fresh legs, broken up. The ",{"type":28,"tag":155,"props":156,"children":158},"a",{"href":157},"\u002Fen-GB\u002Flibrary\u002Frunning\u002Ftempo\u002Frunning-long-run-marathon-pace-finish",[159],{"type":33,"value":160},"long run with a marathon-pace finish",{"type":33,"value":162}," makes you hold it on legs that are already tired. They complement each other: blocks early in the build, the long run in the specific phase.",{"question":164,"answer":165},"How much marathon-pace running in training?",{"type":25,"children":166},[167],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":168,"children":169},{},[170],{"type":33,"value":171},"It depends on the phase. Early in the build, 30 to 40 minutes in blocks is enough; closer to the marathon, some plans go up to an hour or more in a single session. Lengthen the blocks gradually, keeping the same pace.",{"question":173,"answer":174},"Can I use this session for a half marathon?",{"type":25,"children":175},[176],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":177,"children":178},{},[179,181,187],{"type":33,"value":180},"Yes, but half-marathon pace is faster, close to threshold. For a half, a common version is 3 blocks of 8 to 10 minutes with 2 minutes' jogging. ",{"type":28,"tag":155,"props":182,"children":184},{"href":183},"\u002Fen-GB\u002Flibrary\u002Frunning\u002Fthreshold\u002Frunning-cruise-intervals",[185],{"type":33,"value":186},"Cruise intervals",{"type":33,"value":188}," are a close cousin.",{"level":190,"text":191},"practice",{"type":25,"children":192},[193],{"type":28,"tag":29,"props":194,"children":195},{},[196],{"type":33,"value":197},"Marathon pace (M) is defined by Jack Daniels (Daniels' Running Formula); in his tables, for a VDOT of 50, it works out at about 86–87% of I pace, treated here as vVO₂max. Pfitzinger and Douglas (Advanced Marathoning) describe marathon-pace sections within long runs, according to secondary summaries. Training plans offer, for example, 4 × 10 minutes at marathon pace with 2 minutes' recovery. For the half-marathon variation, the pace used is 86–91% of vVO₂max. No published protocol in the 3 × 15-minute format was found: that format, the 80–86% range, the jogged recovery, the warm-up and the cool-down are Wattson choices. Bottom line: coaching practice; the sources define the pace, not the 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