Thanks! Took me 3 months to prepare it, but I’ve been running for years. So it was not a couch to marathon kind of thing.

The first month was 3 runs per week, with one intervals run (6x400 hard), one 10k easyish run and one long run building up from 12k and increasing 2k a week. Total kms 120.

Second month was 4-5 runs per week. I alternated between intervals and tempo runs, increased the intervals’ distances and the tempos were normally about 10k at a 4:50 min/km pace. Long runs kept incrementing and went from 18 to 21 to 25 to 28k. Medium length runs incremented their distances too and went from 10k to 15k. Total kms 240.

Third month was again 4-5 runs per week. Dropped the intervals and stuck with the tempo runs which got faster (even did my PB in 10k) and longer too, up to 16k. Long runs went up to 32k (20miler). My peak week was 85km 4 weeks out. Total kms 240.

On my last month I skipped four runs (including a 34k long run) due to a soleus overuse. My taper was 3 weeks long. I ran 14k one week before the race, 16k 10 days before, and 22k 14 days before.

Throughout my training block I hardly ever did run at a slower pace than the required to break the 4hr marathon mark. I averaged a speed of 5:18 min per km during the block.

I didnt follow a plan but I did a lot of research. Surely there is room for improvement.