Impossible is nothing. Marathon, Half Marathon, Quarter Marathon, 5 km walk, KIDS MARATHON

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Get Prepared for the Event

Training (Beginners)

Tailored Training Programmes (available for purchase)

Starting on 10th of August and running for 12 weeks these plans draw on Brendon Downey's extensive experience with coaching endurance athletes including last year's adidas Auckland Marathon women's champion, Ady Ngawati. Programmes are available for all our event distances.

Brendon has specifically designed a huge library of training programmes, which form the basis of your programme. Your programme is customised depending on your abilities, they are designed to fit into YOUR week and assist YOU reach your goal in our event.

Unlike most basic plans, your training programme will be customised based on your fitness, your desired race speed and the amount of time you can cope with per week, greatly increasing your enjoyment and level of success.

Your programme is organised based on your preferred long run day and taking into account you preferred rest day (you may have more than one but you can nominate a particular day!), and the programmes will also work around any day which you CAN'T train. You also choose the number of runs per week (from 2-7, with a minimum of 3 runs per week for the Marathon).

So you get to choose how much time you spend, how often you train and when. The team at EnduranceCoach.com organise this in the best possible way to maximise your effort.

Programs are e-mailed complete in PDF format with a week to a page.

Our training programmes are compatible with using a Heart Rate Monitor you can follow our intensity guide to ensure you get the correct effort throughout the programme.

At any stage, should you feel the need, you can contact EnduranceCoach.com for more personalised support, they offer qualified experienced advice at reasonable prices.

You can purchase your Tailored Training Programme from our Official Merchandise page

After payment is made you will receive a confirmation email of your purchase. Endurance Coach will make contact with you by email with a short questionnaire to be completed by you, and once this is completed, Endurance Coach will email you your programme and you can get training knowing that you will be ready on the day.

A few pointers

If you're new to the running game, welcome. You're in for quite an adventure. We hope it won't be long before you're enthusiastic about running as we are. It may well become a significant part of your life. Which we think is great news but which won't happen unless you get off on the right foot so to speak. A few pointers to get you started.

Ease yourself in

Even if you have some level of physical conditioning, it is unlikely you will be conditioned for the peculiar stresses running places on the body. Don't be afraid to mix walking into your schedule in the first few weeks. Aim to run 5km comfortably within 4-6 weeks (you should be able to talk while running). Then build from there.

Stretch

A few minutes before and after each run will significantly reduce the risk of injury. But don't over do it, use your stretching time to focus your mind on the run ahead.

Be aware

Three quarters of vehicle runner accidents are caused by runners so keep alert. Take responsibility for your running. If you run a night, make sure you can be seen.

Mix up your runs

Run on both the road and off road. Introduce variety in your weekly runs, not just the same street circuit.

Medical check

If you're over 35, get a medical check. Better to be safe than sorry.

Injury

If you get injured, respond immediately. Consult medical specialists such as a physio.

Eat more, eat better

Running increases your calorific needs so good nutrition is obviously vital to keep you in good shape. Boosting carbohydrates, reducing fats and processed foods intake is a good way to start. Consult the hydration and nutrition part of the training section on this website for more information.

Training log

Record your training in a diary to monitor your progress and to pre plan your training schedule.

Get a running buddy

Find someone to run with or a group of people. Even if this is just once a week, running solo is difficult, while in pairs can mean faster progress.

Stick at it

The first few weeks will be tough, getting out the door may be hard at times, but think of the overall goal. It will get better.

Basic training schedules available for free download.

Quarter Marathon Beginners Training Schedule (Adobe PDF, 12kb)

Half Marathon Beginners Training Schedule (Adobe PDF, 16kb)

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