Lydiard Marathon – 24 Weeks

About the plan

The cycle Arthur Lydiard designed for the marathon, in twenty-four weeks and in the original order: twelve weeks of aerobic conditioning, four of hills, four of anaerobic development, three of coordination and one of taper to the start line. The base takes volume from 43 to 70 miles (70 to 112 km) per week, with long runs reaching 21 miles (34 km), almost all at aerobic pace — it is the longest phase because, for Lydiard, it is the only one that builds anything lasting. The hills turn that endurance into power. The anaerobic block is short on purpose: four weeks of intervals and threshold work, enough to sharpen without burning out. Coordination fine-tunes race pace, and the last week simply removes the fatigue. For advanced runners who already sustain 43 miles (70 km) a week and want a full marathon season, not a sixteen-week block. Lydiard's hill sessions don't have their own pace on the platform: the long, hard climb was mapped as @intervalo and the short bounding/hopping drills as @repetição. Terrain and effort are what matter — look for a steady 4% to 8% grade.