Terry O'Neill's Training Programme
Structuring a Marathon Programme
Indoor rowing marathons are very demanding and require careful preparation to ensure the best result. Rather than structuring your training programme on the Training Bands model we recommend you base it around your predicted marathon pace. If you have already completed a marathon, then you know what your pace will be. If you are going for a personal best then base your training around the pace of your new target. If you have never done a marathon you will need to set a pace. This can be estimated from your 5,000m time, using table 3.11. The programme outlined in this guide is based on a series of training blocks illustrated below in table 3.10, with each block designed to develop the various physiological responses to the demands of a marathon.
| Marathon Training Programme Structure | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks: | 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-12 | 13-16 | 17-20 | 21-24 |
| General Endurance | ||||||
| VO2 Max | ||||||
| Strength | ||||||
| Power | ||||||
| Lactate Threshold | ||||||
| Taper | ||||||
Tables 3.12 - 3.16 set out a six month marathon training programme based on the structure illustrated above for someone wishing to train five times a week.
| Estimated Marathon Pace Based on 5,000m Pace | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000m | Predicted 10,000m | Predicted Half Marathon | Predicted Marathon | ||||
| Pace | Time | Pace | Time | Pace | Time | Pace | Time |
| 1:30 | 15:00 | 1:37 | 32:24 | 1:45 | 1.14 | 1:53 | 2.39 |
| 1:35 | 15:50 | 1:43 | 34:12 | 1:51 | 1.18 | 2:00 | 2.48 |
| 1:40 | 16:40 | 1:48 | 36:00 | 1:57 | 1.22 | 2:06 | 2.57 |
| 1:45 | 17:30 | 1:53 | 37:48 | 2:02 | 1.26 | 2:12 | 3.06 |
| 1:50 | 18:20 | 1:59 | 39:36 | 2:08 | 1.30 | 2:19 | 3.15 |
| 1:55 | 19:10 | 2:04 | 41:24 | 2:14 | 1.34 | 2:25 | 3.24 |
| 2:00 | 20:00 | 2:10 | 43:12 | 2:20 | 1.38 | 2:31 | 3.33 |
| 2:05 | 20:50 | 2:15 | 45:00 | 2:26 | 1.43 | 2:37 | 3.41 |
| 2:10 | 21:40 | 2:20 | 46:48 | 2:32 | 1.47 | 2:44 | 3.50 |
| 2:15 | 22:30 | 2:26 | 48:36 | 2:37 | 1.51 | 2:50 | 3.59 |
| 2:20 | 23:20 | 2:31 | 50:24 | 2:43 | 1.55 | 2:56 | 4.08 |
| 2:25 | 24:10 | 2:37 | 52:12 | 2:49 | 1.59 | 3:03 | 4.17 |
| 2:30 | 25:00 | 2:42 | 54:00 | 2:55 | 2.03 | 3:09 | 4.26 |
| 2:35 | 25:50 | 2:47 | 55:48 | 3:01 | 2.07 | 3:15 | 4.35 |
| 2:40 | 26:40 | 2:53 | 57:36 | 3:07 | 2.11 | 3:22 | 4.43 |
| 2:45 | 27:30 | 2:58 | 59:24 | 3:12 | 2.15 | 3:28 | 4.52 |
| 2:50 | 28:20 | 3:04 | 1.01:12 | 3:19 | 2.19 | 3:34 | 5.01 |
| 2:55 | 29:10 | 3:09 | 1.03:00 | 3:24 | 2.24 | 3:40 | 5.10 |
| 3:00 | 30:00 | 3:14 | 1.04:48 | 3:30 | 2.28 | 3:47 | 5.19 |
Notes The predicted 10,000m, half marathon and marathon times are guides and purposely err on the side of caution.
General Endurance (Weeks 1-4)
For the first four weeks of the programme the main emphasis should be on general endurance. This is best achieved by steady state rowing at your predicted marathon pace, gradually increasing the time spent on the machine from 20 minutes to one hour. It follows the Wave Principle of Training (see Section 2.1 Training Intensity), building the training load over the first three weeks, with the fourth week light to ensure full adaptation takes place in the body before you move on to the next phase.
VO2 Max (Weeks 1-8 and 13-20)
A persons VO2 Max is a measure of their ability to use oxygen. Therefore developing this is fundamental to improving performance, particularly in endurance events. 5,000m pace is the best intensity for improving VO2 Max. Work time can be up to two to three times your 5,000m time broken down to intervals of between five and ten minutes. A typical example would be 4 x Alternate (6 @ 5kP / 8 @ MP) which means six minutes at 5,000m pace followed by eight minutes at marathon pace, repeated four times (Total work = 56 minutes).
Strength (Weeks 5-8)
The next phase is strength. This is important in the development of posture to remove inefficient movement of the body. During the Drive phase the trunk has to be held firm so that all the power developed through the legs is transmitted to the handle increasing the efficiency of the stroke. The more efficient the stroke the longer you can continue to exercise.
To develop strength put the damper lever up two to four levels from your standard setting and pull as hard as you can at a low stroke rate (18-20spm) for 30 strokes. Build up the number of sets from five (150 strokes) to 15 (three sets of five; 450 strokes). This type of training should be alternated with long intervals at your 10,000m pace. Muscles need a long recovery time to benefit fully from strength training so sessions should be restricted to a maximum of three a week. We have included three in the programme outlined, the other two being VO2 Max sessions.
Power (Weeks 9-12)
Power is the rate at which you can use your strength so, having improved your basic strength, you now have to develop some speed. This is achieved by slightly reducing the load and increasing the strokes per minute. We recommend increasing the stroke rate for periods up to three minutes. four to six sets of three minutes at stroke rate 30 will help develop power and can be alternated with medium length intervals at your 5,000m pace. The benefit of this type of training will be felt when you come on to marathon pace which will then seem relatively easy.
Lactate Threshold (Weeks 9-20)
The lactate threshold is the point where the energy demands of the tasks can no longer be met by the aerobic system so, it has to be supplemented by the anaerobic system. This results in the accumulation of lactic acid in the blood stream as the body cannot metabolise it at the rate at which it is being produced. In an unfit person the lactate threshold could be between 50-60% of MHR, whereas in a fit person it could be around 85%. The fit person can carry out far more work than the unfit person before experiencing the debilitating effects of lactate accumulation. The aim is to improve the lactate threshold as well as to increase the time spent on the machine. The best way to do this is to train for about an hour with your heart rate elevated to the threshold. You will see in this programme that the training loads vary so that you are just below the threshold and just above it. This form of alternating will allow you to train in the threshold region for a longer period of time. The time range of lactate threshold training should be from 45-90 minutes and a typical one hour session could be 20 minutes at 10,000m pace, 20 minutes at marathon pace finishing with a further 20 minutes at half marathon pace.
Taper (Weeks 21-24)
You will need four weeks to taper for a marathon. What you do in the last four weeks could have a bigger effect on your marathon performance than the previous twenty, largely because there is more scope to get it wrong. The long taper does present the opportunity to top up on some parts of the training that may not have gone so well, so if you missed any part of the 24 week programme you can fit it in here. However you must not do a practice marathon or any ultra-long pieces as the muscle recovery time is up to ten days.
The key to a good marathon performance is fitness and if you are fit you will be able to complete the distance. The best way to maintain fitness in the taper is with high intensity not high volume.
The outlined tapering programme is a general one and assumes the previous 20 weeks have gone well. It consists of a mix of all of the types of training bands and the damper settings should be the same as they were in the previous weeks for each type of training.
| Marathon Training Weeks 1-4: General Endurance/VO2 Max | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | ||||||
| Sess. | Type | D | Work | D | Work | D | Work | D | Work |
| 1 | GE | SS | 20' @ MP | SS | 30' @ MP | SS | 40' @ MP | SS | 20' @ MP |
| 2 | VO2 Max | SS | 40' @ MP | SS | 3 x Alternate (4' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
SS | 3 x Alternate (6' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
SS | 3 x Alternate (5' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
| 3 | GE | SS | 30' @ MP | SS | 40' @ MP | SS | 50' @ MP | SS | 20' @ MP |
| 4 | GE | SS | 50' @ MP | SS | 60' @ MP | SS | 60' @ MP | SS | 45' @ MP |
| 5 | VO2 Max | SS | 4 x Alternate (5' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
SS | 4 x Alternate (6' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
SS | 3 x Alternate (8' @ 5kP/ 12' @ MP) |
SS | 3 x Alternate (5' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
| Marathon Training Weeks 5-8: Strength/VO2 Max | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | ||||||
| Sess. | Type | D | Work | D | Work | D | Work | D | Work |
| 1 | Strength | +2 | 1 x (10 x 10) | +3 | 2 x (6 x 10) | +4 | 3 x (6 x 10) | +4 | 1 x (10 x 10) |
| 2 | VO2 Max | SS | 2 x Alternate (6 @ 5kP/ 8 @ MP) |
SS | 2 x Alternate (8' @ 5kP/ 12' @ MP) |
SS | 3 x Alternate (6' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
SS | 3 x Alternate (5' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
| 3 | Strength | +2 | 1 x (10 x 10) | +3 | 2 x (8 x 10) | +4 | 3 x (8 x 10) | +4 | 1 x (10 x 10) |
| 4 | Strength | +2 | 1 x (10 x 10) | +3 | 3 x (10 x 10) | +3 | 3 x (10 x 10) | +4 | 1 x (10 x 10) |
| 5 | VO2 Max | SS | 3 x Alternate (5' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
SS | 4 x Alternate (6' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
SS | 3 x Alternate (8' @ 5kP/ 12' @ MP) |
SS | 3 x Alternate (5' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
| Marathon Training Weeks 9-12: Power/Lactate Threshold | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | ||||||
| Sess. | Type | D | Work | D | Work | D | Work | D | Work |
| 1 | LT | SS | 15' @ MP/ 15' @ 10kP/ 15' @ HMP |
SS | 20' @ MP/ 20' @ 10kP/ 20' @ HMP |
SS | 30' @ MP/ 30' @ 10kP/ 30' @ HMP |
SS | 20' @ MP/ 20' @ 10kP/ 20' @ HMP |
| 2 | Power | +2 | 2 x (6 x 1'/2') @ 30 spm |
+2 | 3 x (6 x 1'/2') @ 32 spm |
+2 | 8 x 90 sec'/3') @ 34 spm |
+2 | 4 x 90 sec/3') @ 32 spm |
| 3 | LT | SS | Repeat Session 1 | SS | Repeat Session 1 | SS | Repeat Session 1 | SS | Repeat Session 1 |
| 4 | Power | +1 | 4 x 3'/5' @ 30 spm |
+1 | 4 x 3'/5' @ 32 spm |
+1 | 4 x 3'/5' @ 34 spm |
+1 | 4 x 3'/5' @ 30 spm |
| 5 | Power | +2 | 2 x (6 x 1'/2') @ 30 spm |
+2 | 3 x (6 x 1'/2') @ 32 spm |
+2 | 8 x 90 sec/3' @ 34 spm |
+2 | 4 x 90 sec/2' @ 36 spm |
| Marathon Training Weeks 5-8: Strength/VO2 Max | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | ||||||
| Sess. | Type | D | Work | D | Work | D | Work | D | Work |
| 1 | Strength | +2 | 1 x (10 x 10) | +3 | 2 x (6 x 10) | +4 | 3 x (6 x 10) | +4 | 1 x (10 x 10) |
| 2 | VO2 Max | SS | 2 x Alternate (6 @ 5kP/ 8 @ MP) |
SS | 2 x Alternate (8' @ 5kP/ 12' @ MP) |
SS | 3 x Alternate (6' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
SS | 3 x Alternate (5' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
| 3 | Strength | +2 | 1 x (10 x 10) | +3 | 2 x (8 x 10) | +4 | 3 x (8 x 10) | +4 | 1 x (10 x 10) |
| 4 | Strength | +2 | 1 x (10 x 10) | +3 | 3 x (10 x 10) | +3 | 3 x (10 x 10) | +4 | 1 x (10 x 10) |
| 5 | VO2 Max | SS | 3 x Alternate (5' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
SS | 4 x Alternate (6' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
SS | 3 x Alternate (8' @ 5kP/ 12' @ MP) |
SS | 3 x Alternate (5' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
| Marathon Training Weeks 13-20: Lactate Threshold/VO2 Max | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 13 & 17 | Week 14 & 18 | Week 15 & 19 | Week 16 & 20 | ||||||
| Sess. | Type | D | Work | D | Work | D | Work | D | Work |
| 1 | LT | SS | 60' Alternate (10' @ 10kP/ 10' @ MP) |
SS | 80' Alternate (10' @ 10kP/ 15' @ MP/ 15' @ HMP) |
SS | 90' Alternate (15' @ 10kP/ 15' @ MP/ 15' @ HMP) |
SS | 60' Alternate (10' @ 10kP/ 10' @ MP) |
| 2 | VO2 Max | SS | 4 x Alternate (5' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
SS | 4 x Alternate (6' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
SS | 4 x Alternate (8' @ 5kP/ 12' @ MP) |
SS | 4 x Alternate (5' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
| 3 | LT | SS | 15' @ MP/ 15' @ 10kP/ 15' @ HMP |
SS | 20' @ MP/ 20' @ 10kP/ 20' @ HMP |
SS | 25' @ MP/ 25' @ 10kP/ 25' @ HMP |
SS | 15' @ MP/ 15' @ 10kP/ 15' @ HMP |
| 4 | LT | SS | Repeat Session 1 | SS | Repeat Session 1 | SS | Repeat Session 1 | SS | Repeat Session 1 |
| 5 | V02 Max | SS | 3 x Alternate (6' @ 10kP/ 8' @ MP) |
SS | 3 x Alternate (8' @ 5kP/ 12' @ MP) |
SS | 3 x Alternate (10' @ 5kP/ 15' @ MP) |
SS | 3 x Alternate (6' @ 5kP/ 8' @ MP) |
| Marathon Training Weeks 21-24: Taper | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 21 | Week 22 | Week 23 | Week 24 | |||||
| Sess. | D | Work | D | Work | D | Work | D | Work |
| 1 | SS | 60' @ HMP | SS | 60' @ MP) | SS | 60' @ MP | SS | 45' @ MP) |
| 2 | +2 | 20' @ MP & (2 x 3'/5') @ 32 spm |
+2 | 30' @ 10kP & (4 x 1'/2') @ 34 spm |
SS | 2 x Alternate (10' @ 5kP/ 20' @ MP) |
SS | 10' @ 5kP 20' @ HMP |
| 3 | SS | (5 x 5/5) @ 10kP |
SS | 20 @ 5kP/ 20 @ 10kP |
+2 | 30 @ HMP (2 x 90 sec/3 @ 36spm) |
+2 | 30 @ HMP & (2 x 90 sec/3 @ 36spm) |
| 4 | +2 | 30 @ MP & (3 x 3/5) @ 32 spm |
+2 | 30 @ HMP & (6 x 1/2) @ 36 spm |
+2 | 30 @ HMP & (6 x 1/2) @ 36 spm |
SS | 20 @ MP |
| 5 | +1 | 20 @ 10kP & (6 x 1/ 2) @ 34spm |
+1 | 30 @ HMP & (4 x 90 sec/3) @ 36spm |
+1 | 30 @ HMP & (6 x 1/2) @ 38spm |
SS | Race |
Notes for Tables 3.12 - 3.16
General Notes- D means damper setting.
- SS means your standard, or preferred, setting of the damper lever (1-10).
- +2 means set the damper at two levels higher than your standard setting. So, if you usually row at damper setting 3, increase it by two levels to damper setting 5.
- 5kP means your predicted 5,000m pace.
- 10kP means your predicted 10,000m pace.
- HMP means your predicted half marathon pace.
- MP means your predicted marathon pace.
- 30 @ MP means row for 30 minutes at your predicted marathon pace.
- 3 x Alternate (5 @ 5kP / 8 @ MP) means row for 5 minutes at 5,000m pace followed by 8 minutes at your predicted marathon pace and repeat 3 times.
- xx x
- 1 x (10 x 10) means row 10 strokes flat out, recover by rowing lightly until heart rate is below 75% of MHR, and repeat 10 times.
- 2 x (6 x 10) means row 10 strokes flat out, recover by rowing lightly until heart rate is below 75% of MHR and repeat 6 times. Then row lightly for 5-10 minutes and repeat the set.
- 2 x Alternate (6 @ 5kP / 8 @ MP) means row for six minutes at 5,000m pace followed by eight minutes at your predicted marathon pace, twice.
- 15 @ MP / 15 @ 10kP / 15 @ HMP means row continuously for 45 minutes. The first 15 minutes at your predicted marathon pace, the next 15 minutes at 10,000m pace and the last 15 minutes at half marathon pace.
- 2 x (6 x 1 / 2) @ 30spm means row hard for one minute at 30 strokes per minute, then row lightly for 2 minutes and repeat this six times. Take a break (5-10 minutes of light rowing) and repeat the set.
- 8 x 90 sec / 3 @ 34spm means row hard for 90 seconds at 34 strokes per minute, then row lightly for 3 minutes and repeat this eight times.
- 4 x 3 / 5 @ 30spm means row hard for 3 minutes @ 30 strokes per minute, then row lightly for 5 minutes and repeat this four times.
- 60 Alternate (10 @ 10kP / 10 @ MP) means row for 10 minutes at 10,000m pace, then row 10 minutes at your predicted marathon pace. Keep alternating until you have completed 60 minutes of continuous rowing.
- 4 x Alternate (5 @ 5kP / 8 @ MP) means row 5 minutes at 5,000m pace followed by 8 minutes at your predicted marathon pace. Keep alternating until you have completed four sets.
- 15 @ MP / 15 @ 10kP / 15 @ HMP means row continuously for 45 minutes. The first 15 minutes at your predicted marathon pace, the next 15 minutes at 10,000m pace and the last 15 minutes at half marathon pace.
- 20 @ MP & (2 x 3 / 5) @ 32spm means row 20 minutes at your predicted marathon pace. Then complete your session with two hard 3 minute rows at 32 strokes per minute with 5 minutes light rowing in between.
- (5 x 5 / 5) @ 10kP means row 5 minutes at 10,000m pace followed by 5 minutes light rowing. Keep alternating until you have completed 5 sets.
- 30 @ HMP @ (6 x 1 / 2) @ 36spm means row for 30 minutes at half marathon pace. Then complete your session with 6 hard one minute rows at 36 strokes per minute with 2 minutes light rowing between each one minute row.
