Tested, proven, and adaptable to real-life runners.
This plan keeps you in the right effort zone for optimal endurance building and recovery.
It's not only about smashing your goals, but also about becoming a stronger, more resilient runner for life.
If you recently ran a marathon, I knoooow you are secretly looking for the next race opportunity already 😂. The athlete mindset: always hungry for more, always looking to improve. Isn’t it wonderful?
Or maybe you ran a 10km or half marathon in the past and now you’re in doubt whether you should jump on the trend and attempt a first marathon?
➡️Whether you're lacing up for your first marathon or looking to level up your performance, the Marathon Masterplan has your back.
This structured plan gradually builds up your mileage, intensity, and confidence, while making sure you recover and adapt along the way.
Choose your plan by clicking one of the 4 different levels below 👇
Louise Hendrickx, Marathon Coach
In the past 2 years I have mainly done 1:1 coaching for athletes training for a marathon. This has allowed me to finetune their training schedules to a plan that really works and produces results. So the first thing I did when creating this plan, was reviewing all the previous training sessions of my marathon athletes and collecting the best ones for you!
achieve your marathon goals
This plan is built on progressive overload, aerobic development, and structured deloading. Every 3 weeks of training are followed by 1 deload week with lower mileage and lower intensities to recover and adapt. This methodical approach ensures that you can safely enhance your running capabilities while minimizing the likelihood of setbacks due to injury.
This training plan is based on training zones (heart rate + feeling) and not on pace. A sheet with explanation about the different training zones is included. Training by feeling and heart rate allows you to adapt this training plan to your individual fitness level.
Weekly strength training (1x for beginners, 2x for intermediate and experienced) builds resilience, reduces injury risk, and boosts performance.
You’ll move from base-building to tempo work, intervals, and long runs that mimic your race day effort.
Running a marathon is not only about the training. It is also about staying injury-free and about the right nutrition before and during your race.
That's why I created the Marathon Masterplan Full Package.
Besides the training plan, it also contains The Marathon Masterplan Nutrition Guide and The Resilient Runner Strength Plan.
Experiences
I ran a sub 4h marathon in April 2025, which was my goal after my first marathon back in October 2023. I ran 40 min faster in 1.5 years. For my next goal, I will train with Louise again to run a sub 3h45 marathon in Antwerp, end 2025.
Anniek V.
I increased endurance from 1/2 to a full marathon, while maintaining a heart rate below 160 for the full race. Basically, I can run long distance now ❤️ I ran my first marathon in 4h40 (in less than ideal physical circumstances), but, and I really want to mention this one as well, I also ran 35km in 3h30!!
Ann-Sophie V.
I was looking for a coach for a trail running race when a good friend recommended Louise. She seemed very knowledgeable about training and avoiding injury, and was very friendly. My fitness, strength and endurance increased significantly without injury (e.g. VO2max increased from 53 to 56). I finished the race with a good feeling and a good time, significantly ahead of my estimated finishing time.
Kristijn V.