Izzi Batt-Doyle's Marathon Training - Inside her Peak Training Week

It’s often said that training for the marathon is harder than the race itself, and no one knows this better than top Australian marathoner Izzi Batt-Doyle. A force on the global road running scene, national record holder over the half-marathon distance and running shop owner, Izzi is not one to shy away from hard work.

Having stepped away from the track to focus fully on the marathon, Izzi's next challenge is to go fast on the roads.  We took a closer look at how she approaches marathon training, from peak week mileage to building strength and tapering for race day.

Learn how Izzi's approach, consistency, and resilience come together to deliver peak performance on race day.

Marathon Training

Training for the marathon is different for everyone. Most plans range from 12 to 24 weeks, depending on experience and fitness.

With a strong aerobic base already, Izzi started her marathon-specific training build around 10 weeks out from race day.

"Consistency builds confidence. When I finish a week feeling like I still have a bit more to give, I know I’m in a good spot. You don’t need to go to the well all the time. It’s about the feeling in your body, and the numbers supporting that. You can feel fitness as much as you see it in the data."

Over the following weeks, she gradually increased both volume and intensity, averaging over 180km a week as she approached her peak training phase.

Recovery Runs

The majority of marathon training comes from easy running, for Izzi, this accounts for around 50% of her weekly mileage, and it is a critical component of her success.

"I’m usually running 60 to 90 seconds slower than race pace on most of my runs. I see a lot of people go too fast on their easy days. Focusing on heart rate during easy runs is just as important as during hard sessions. I’ve made mistakes before where I’ve reached the end of a block completely cooked, so recovery is a big focus for me now."

Easy runs support her aerobic development and recovery between sessions, allowing Izzi to push harder during workouts. They build consistency that is essential for marathon training.

COROS Education: COROS makes it easy to stay in the right zone. You can set up Activity Alerts directly on your watch to ensure your effort stays aligned with your training goals.

Aerobic Intervals

• Description: 12 × 1km
• Recovery: 60 seconds
• Total volume: 22km

This workout sits above marathon pace but below maximal intensity, targeting aerobic power and lactate clearance. Izzi completed a workout like this averaging 3:05/km, in her build up to Boston. The short recoveries and amount of reps are what builds fatigue, resulting in a lot of time spent at threshold effort.

As part of a full training week this session develops, speed endurance and an athletes efficiency at higher intensities.

Marathon Long Run

• Description: 4 x 4km during a continuous long run
• Total volume: 40km

The long run is the cornerstone of marathon training—and during peak week, it becomes a race simulation. A typical marathon long run for Izzi involves structured intensity as well as high volume.

For this 4x4km session, each 4km block built in intensity, with paces progressing from 3:28/km down to 3:17/km. The recoveries, as well as warm up and cool down, resulted in 40km at an average pace of 3:47/km with an average HR of 145bpn.

Structuring the workout with increasing speeds, develops fatigue resistance and builds confidence for the latter stages of the marathon.

Taper workout

• Description: 6 × 1km
• Recovery: 60 seconds

A taper workout during the final days leading into the marathon should leave you feeling confident and ready to go. Fitness won't be built here, but if done correctly it can help to keep your legs fresh and in touch with your goal race pace.

Ahead of Chicago, Izzi, halved the volume of her regular intervals, taking on 6 x 1km. With Chicago being a flat and fast course, Izzi's focus for the final taper session was feeling speed in the legs.

Averaging 3:07/km for the reps, and a controlled effort with her HR firmly in the Aerobic Endurance zone, Izzi is primed for a fast race.

Strength Training

Like many elite marathoners, staying healthy is just as important as building fitness. Strength training plays a key role throughout Izzi's training week. Bringing her the benefits of injury prevention, improved running economy and the ability to maintain form under fatigue, all aid Izzi with her training volume and intensity.

"Strength training is usually the first thing to get dropped when things get busy. It’s always been part of my program, but with Boston being such a tough course, I’ve made it a real focus this build."

The Next Step

Like many marathoners, getting to the start line healthy, fit and ready to race is part of the journey. For Izzi, each build is another step in her progression as a marathoner, and Chicago offers the right conditions to attack a new record.

In her own words it's "now about becoming the best marathoner and being competitive, there are more national records ahead of me, including going under that 2:20 mark."

That magical barrier, of which less than a hundred women have ever broke, will be tough, but being fearless and having such lofty goals is the sign of a champion.