Marathon
Sub-4 Hours
Target pace: 5:41/km. The most famous psychological barrier in the popular marathon.
The 4-hour barrier.
Completing a marathon in less than 4 hours is the goal of thousands of amateur runners. It means maintaining an average pace of 5:41/km for 42.195km — a feat that requires months of specific preparation.
Required VDOT: approximately 43. If you run 5km around 24-25 minutes or 10km in 51-53 minutes, you have the aerobic base for the sub-4 marathon.
Verifique se você tem a base para o sub-4h
VDOT 43+ é necessário — descubra o seu em menos de 1 minuto.
Training paces for sub-4h.
Aerobic base. 70-80% of workouts.
Specific marathon workouts.
Threshold. 25-35 min continuous.
30-35km at peak preparation.
Sub-4h training pillars.
The long run
The most important workout. Reach 30-32km 3-4 weeks before the race. Easy to moderate pace — not at marathon pace.
Tempo runs
25-35 minutes at 5:15-5:25/km. Develops the anaerobic threshold needed to sustain marathon pace.
Weekly volume
Peak between 60-80km/week. 4-5 workouts. Gradual progression over 16-20 weeks.
Taper (reduction)
3 weeks of progressive volume reduction before the race. Fundamental to arrive rested.
Planos de Maratona.
seoPages.sub4Marathon.context.title seoPages.sub4Marathon.context.titleHighlight
seoPages.sub4Marathon.context.p1
seoPages.sub4Marathon.context.p2
seoPages.sub4Marathon.nutritionPlan.title seoPages.sub4Marathon.nutritionPlan.titleHighlight
seoPages.sub4Marathon.nutritionPlan.p1
seoPages.sub4Marathon.nutritionPlan.gel
seoPages.sub4Marathon.nutritionPlan.gelDesc
seoPages.sub4Marathon.nutritionPlan.hydration
seoPages.sub4Marathon.nutritionPlan.hydrationDesc
seoPages.sub4Marathon.nutritionPlan.carboLoading
seoPages.sub4Marathon.nutritionPlan.carboLoadingDesc
seoPages.sub4Marathon.myths.title seoPages.sub4Marathon.myths.titleHighlight
seoPages.sub4Marathon.myths.myth1
seoPages.sub4Marathon.myths.truth1
seoPages.sub4Marathon.myths.myth2
seoPages.sub4Marathon.myths.truth2
seoPages.sub4Marathon.myths.myth3
seoPages.sub4Marathon.myths.truth3
Frequently asked questions.
Planos mais escolhidos. Comece hoje.
Treinos personalizados. Para seu objetivo.
Junte-se a 7.285 corredores
Sem cartão de crédito. Cancele quando quiser.
Simple. No surprises.
One price. Full access. Cancel anytime.
Monthly
- Access to 144+ running plans
- VDOT pace calculator
- Guided workouts on smartwatch
- Garmin, Polar & Strava
- Performance analysis
- No ads
Annual
Save 44% — $1.67/mo
- Everything in monthly, plus:
- 2 months discount included
- Priority support
- Early access to new features
Join 1.000+ runners.
Train with the legends’ methods and watch your pace drop.
$2.99/mo · No commitment · Cancel anytime