London Marathon 2020 – so you got in on the ballot, what next? – Runner’s World (UK)

So you got into the London Marathon ballot – now what? Here’s everything you need to know about gearing up for your first, or fastest London Marathon:

When do I need to start training for the London Marathon 2019?

Most marathon training plans are 16 weeks long, so with the London Marathon falling on Sunday 26 April next year, your training plan will probably begin on the w/c Monday 6 January 2020.

Here’s a few of our most popular marathon training plans:

London Marathon 2020 – sub-4 marathon training plan

London Marathon 2020 – sub-3 marathon training plan

London Marathon 2020 – complete beginner’s training plan

I’m a complete beginner, what can I do between now and January?

If you’re completely new to running, now is a good time to start building up a solid base so you’re more used to running regularly by January. That said, don’t try and run everyday, as doing too much too soon is one of the most common ways to get injured.

We’ve got plans on how to build up to running your first mile, beginner’s 5K training plans and beginner’s 10K training plans to get you running and building up the distance over the next 12 weeks.

Of course, no matter what your goal, starting to build up the muscles you need to run strong is important. We’ve got a 16-week marathon strength training plan to follow alongside your training plan here, plus, we’ve spoken to Kate Maxey, Master Trainer at Third Space at building up strength before starting a marathon training plan:

First 3 weeks: Focus on getting strong

Before we begin running we need to ensure we have the foundational strength for our body to be able to handle the impact of running for longer period of time. A common mistake when training for a marathon is to just run and run to get yourself prepped, without doing any strength training. The fundamental movements patterns that beginners should focus on here are push, pull, hinge, squat and lunge.

Sample workout:

1. Kettlebell goblet squat – Holding a KB against your chest, feet hips width apart, sink your hips in between your legs and drive back up to standing. Choose a weight that, by the final rep, you are finding it hard to complete the movement. Reps: 12 repetitions x 3 sets
2. Dumbbell overhead press – Holding the dumbbells at your shoulders, with a slight bend at your knees, engage your core and drive the weights overhead. Aim to get your biceps to your ears. Chose a weight that, by the end of the 12th rep, you are finding it hard to complete. Reps: 12reps x 3 sets.
3. Renegade rows – In a plank position, put your hands on dumbbells keeping your shoulders on top of your hands. From there, one arm at a time, row each dumbbell up to your hip and return to the floor. Again, choose a weight that challenges you and makes the 12th rep hard to complete. Reps: 12reps x 3sets
4. Kettlebell deadlift – This will work on your hinge pattern. Keeping the kettlebell in-between your feet and your back flat, hinge at your hips (making sure your glutes go past your heels) drive the KB to standing – keep your arms straight and squeeze your glutes. Reps: 12 reps x 3 sets

3-6 weeks out: Developing your foundational strength

Developing your foundational strength movements focuses on replicating what you do when you run – when we run we are constantly moving from leg to leg working unilaterally. Therefore, it is time to incorporate some more single legwork, which is a lot harder then the foundational strength movements as they will also challenge your core for longer.

Sample workout:

Add these moves onto your foundational exercises from weeks 1-3.

1. Dumbbell step ups – Using a step/bench at knee height, put one foot on the step with dumbbells in each hand. Stand all the way up on the step and drop back down. Aim for the weights to be between 5-10kg. Reps: 10reps one leg, 10reps other side x 3sets
2. Walking lunges – Dumbbells in hand, create a right angle at each knee as you step forward. Try to keep your shoulders back, chest up with your abs engaged. Aim for the weights to be between 5-10kg. Reps: 20reps total, 10each side.
3. Reverse elevated lunges – Using the same box/step as before, face away from the box and put your back leg on the box so that it is elevated. You are trying to create a right angle. Slowly lower down, aiming to get your back knee as close to the ground as you can. Drive back up to standing and repeat. Add dumbbells to make the move harder. Reps: 20reps total: 10 each side.
4. Bear crawl – Beginning on all 4s, keeping your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips, engage your core and slowly lift one hand up off the ground and then switch hands. It is important to engage your core and begin to train these muscles to engage during every exercise. Reps: Work for 30-60seconds x 3 sets

6-9weeks out: Develop explosive power and speed

In this last phase, we start to develop more explosive power and speed. Unlike running on the treadmill, running a marathon is not one-dimensional, so it is important that we train to move laterally by doing rotational movements. This can include single leg plyometric work, two foot bounds and rotational speed movements.

Sample programme: add onto previous workouts

1. Broad jumps – Trying to jump as far as you can, jump from two feet and bound forward landing on two feet. Try to cushion your jump, use your whole body to launch forward and develop your explosive power. Reps x 10reps , 3 sets
2. Lateral single leg bound – Moving laterally side to side, bound from one leg to the other. Try to jump as far as you can from one side to the other, hold each landing for a few seconds. Engage your core to strengthen your lower body. Reps x 20reps, 10 reps each side, 3 sets
3. Dumbbell wood chop – Keeping your feet hip width apart, with a dumbbell in your hands, drop down into a low squat. From here drive the dumbbell over your shoulder, pivot on the opposite foot and engage your core as you rotate over your shoulder. Reps x 20reps, 10 reps each side 3 sets