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What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about training for a marathon?
Probably that the only thing that matters is piling up kilometers to develop your aerobic capacity. And I’m not going to contradict you; for many years we believed that would be enough, neglecting strength training and speed work for several reasons, such as not wanting to gain muscle mass, fear of injury if we did explosive efforts…
However, scientific evidence clearly points to neuro-muscular training (max strength and explosive work) improving performance in endurance tests, improving running economy without, of course, worsening our maximal oxygen uptake (Beattie et al., 2014; Blagrove et al., 2018; Llanos-Lagos 2024)
Of course, when we talk about speed in marathoners we are not thinking about blasting sessions every day. What we want is to improve mechanical efficiency, expand the neuromuscular reserve, and reduce the energy cost when we run at submaximal paces. This, then, completely changes the paradigm.
What does endurance performance depend on?
Let’s start with the A B C, performance in tests like the marathon, depends primarily on these 3 factors:
Speed
So why train speed? Let’s begin by uncovering what the speed reserve is, a concept that may help you understand why it is necessary to train it.
The speed reserve is defined as the difference between an athlete’s maximum sprint speed and their maximum aerobic speed (Sandford et al., 2021).
And what does this mean? It means that the larger the gap between these two parameters, the smaller the percentage of maximum speed we can use during the race.
Imagine you’re going to run a marathon at 5:00/km, and your maximum speed is 4:00/km and your training partner’s is 3:40/km; even if you both run at the same pace, your partner will use a smaller percentage of their maximum speed and this physiologically translates to:
Have I convinced you? Then let’s see how to introduce it into training
How do I introduce speed into my marathon training?
Introducing speed into training does not mean simply doing a few intervals and that’s it; in reality what we’re after is to include sessions that stimulate speed but do not create additional fatigue. Look for a neuromuscular system stimulus, not lactate accumulation, since in the marathon we aren’t going to use that metabolic pathway; and finally, don’t lose sight of technique, so I prioritize a well-executed movement pattern.
We’ll have to introduce these high-intensity sessions progressively, provided we already have a solid aerobic and strength base and with at least 48 hours between them. If we do it this way, we will most likely improve these aspects:
Types of training, how to do them and what they improve
There’s variety to please everyone, so here are different options for speed-focused sessions for you as a long-distance runner to work on speed.
1/ Strides
Example: Try 6–10 strides of 80 to 100 m at 90–95% with recovery by walking or a light jog. You should aim for a sense of fluency, not maximum tension.
2/ Short Uphill Climbs
Example: Moderate incline (4–6%), accelerate to near-maximum speed for about 10–12 seconds (roughly 50 m) and jog down. Repeat 8–10 times and you can do a couple of blocks of recovery with 4 progressive 50 m efforts on flat and 2–3 minutes of rest.
3/ Short Downhills
Example: A slope of 40–60 m with a 1–3% gradient, performing 6–8 repetitions at a pace that allows you to control the technique.
4/ Fartlek
Examples:
5/ Intervals or Repeats
Examples:
6/ Basic Plyometrics
Examples:
What risks can marathon training have?
Scientifically we know that applying speed and strength training does not negatively interfere with our training as long as it is well planned. But, as with any training, there are risks.
The most common risks are muscular injuries, especially in the hamstrings, and these are often related to not warming up properly or not working the eccentric phase of this muscle group in your strength sessions
Having excessive neuromuscular fatigue, which is due to overloading or not leaving enough recovery time between sessions
Or overloading the Achilles tendon, which is often related to a lack of eccentric work in strength sessions and overuse of plate-soled footwear.
So yes, there can be a risk, just as there is in a 90-minute long run session; for this reason I recommend gradually incorporating it, with a solid warm-up that includes joint mobility, resistance bands, running, and a bit of technique, and don’t forget to train strength.
How do I fit all of this into a week of training?
Here’s an idea if you’re training for a marathon:
Changes are not immediate, as always we’ll need a training period of 6–8 weeks, but if you apply it you’ll see how much easier it becomes to run at submaximal paces, how you gain more ability to change paces, and how your neuromuscular fatigue feels less pronounced.
Conclusion
In short, speed training is a very useful tool for distance runners because it clearly contributes to improving running economy and the ability to apply force with every stride. You won’t become a sprinter, but you will become a more efficient runner.
Coach’s tips:
Train with Jéssica Bonet:
*Agradecimientos a Jordi López por las fotografías.
