Start where you are
The first week begins with capacity and constraints.
RunPT uses current weekly volume, experience, race date, available days, long-run preference, and relevant recent training to shape the opening block. A first marathon and a return to the distance should not be treated as the same problem.
When the lead time is short, RunPT can shorten or skip phases instead of squeezing a full conventional build into too few weeks.
The full block
Build durability, then make it specific.
Base develops durable volume and repeatable habits. Build increases the training demand. Peak adds marathon-specific sharpening, which can include longer sustained work and race-relevant long-run structure. Taper reduces fatigue while preserving useful stimulus. Recovery gives the body room after the block.
Deloads and easier periods are part of progression, not interruptions to it. Their placement depends on the runner and the block rather than one universal kilometre formula.
Long-run development
Long runs should progress with the rest of the plan.
The marathon long run builds durability, confidence, pacing judgement, and practical rehearsal. RunPT places it inside the wider week so its duration and quality are considered alongside recent load and recovery, rather than as an isolated weekly challenge.
Race-specific work belongs later, when the runner has enough foundation to use it. Peak means sharpening for the marathon, not trying to prove fitness in every session.
Threshold, speed, and race specificity
Different quality sessions solve different marathon problems.
Threshold work develops the ability to sustain a strong controlled effort. Shorter speed-oriented running can support mechanics, economy, and range without pretending that every fast session is marathon-specific. Race-specific work connects established fitness with the demands of the goal pace and event.
RunPT places those ingredients according to the phase and runner. Peak is race-specific sharpening, not a licence to make every run hard. Quality sits alongside easy volume, long runs, and recovery.
Taper
Reduce fatigue without abandoning the work that built readiness.
Taper lowers training demand as race day approaches while keeping enough rhythm and appropriate intensity to avoid feeling flat. It is not a last-minute fitness block and it does not require proving the race in training.
The exact taper depends on the runner, recent load, and timing. If training has been interrupted, RunPT still considers the evidence rather than forcing the original peak volume into fewer days.
When training gets interrupted
Protect the block from the urge to catch up at once.
If a session is missed, RunPT can reconsider the next week during its planning pass. The response may be to skip it, preserve an important element elsewhere, or reduce what follows. A missed run is not automatically added to tomorrow.
Persistent pain, illness, or unusual symptoms are different from ordinary scheduling friction. RunPT is not a medical service; pause and seek qualified advice when health is in question.
Watches and race context
Bring completed runs in. Send planned work where supported.
RunPT imports completed activities from COROS, Polar, Suunto, and Apple Health. Planned-workout export is available for COROS; support differs elsewhere, and Apple Watch export is described as in development until a released build is confirmed.
Marathon predictions are estimates, not guarantees. They become more useful after RunPT has enough recent running evidence, and confidence context matters when interpreting them.
FAQ
Marathon-plan questions.
Straight answers about what RunPT does, what data helps, and where its guidance stops.
01Which phases can a RunPT marathon plan use?
RunPT uses Maintain, Base, Build, Peak, Taper, and Recovery. The exact sequence and length depend on your starting point and the time before race day; a short lead-in can shorten or skip phases.
02What if I miss a marathon long run?
RunPT reviews the missed work during its next planning pass. It may preserve a key element elsewhere, modify what follows, or leave the long run behind. It does not automatically stack the full missed session onto the next available day.
03Does the race prediction guarantee my marathon time?
No. Race predictions are estimates and become more useful after RunPT has enough recent running data. Confidence and race-day conditions matter, and no prediction guarantees an outcome.