Dublin Marathon Training Plan
Train for the Dublin Marathon: a late-October race from Merrion Square through Phoenix Park and the south side, with a late drag to test your pacing.
The plan, week by week
Minutes per week. Tap a week.Training specifically for the Dublin Marathon: a plan that accounts for the course profile, typical weather conditions, and the race-specific fitness that separates prepared runners from generic marathon fitness. The marathon is fundamentally an aerobic event with a metabolic ceiling problem. Running out of glycogen — 'the wall' — is a fuelling and pacing failure, not a fitness failure. The training goal is to build a large enough aerobic base, develop fat oxidation efficiency, and practice race-pace running so the body knows what's coming on race day.
Merrion Square, Phoenix Park and the south side
The Dublin Marathon starts and finishes near Merrion Square in the city centre. The early kilometres take you through Phoenix Park, one of the largest walled parks in any European city, and the route then loops through the suburbs of the south side before returning to the centre. It is not flat: there are gentle climbs through the first half and a well-known drag in the last part of the race, near the university. Run the early climbs at an even effort and keep something for the last 8 km.
Late October in Dublin
Dublin is run in late October, so your peak training falls in late summer and September. Long runs in August may be warm, and race day is usually cool and can be wet and windy. Bring an old layer to the start, practise drinking on your long runs, and keep easy runs genuinely easy through the summer so you reach the peak weeks fresh. Dublin's crowds are famously generous, which helps late in the race, but don't let them pull you into a fast first half.
Questions
How many days per week does this marathon plan require?
Most sessions in this plan run four to five days per week, including one quality session, a long run, and easy aerobic running. The plan is designed to be adjustable — with Daash, Claude can restructure it around your available days each week.
Do I need a GPS watch to follow this marathon training plan?
A GPS watch or running app is helpful for tracking pace and distance, but not strictly required. Effort-based running (using a scale of 1–10 perceived exertion) works well for easy runs. For quality sessions where specific paces matter, a watch becomes more valuable.
What should I eat before a long run?
For runs under 60–75 minutes, eating beforehand is optional. For longer runs, a light carbohydrate-based meal two to three hours before the session — oats, toast with banana, or a rice-based option — provides fuel without gastrointestinal issues. Avoid high-fat, high-fibre, or unfamiliar foods on long run mornings.
How does Daash adapt the plan if I miss a session?
Daash sees missed sessions in your Garmin data. Tell Claude why — illness, fatigue, life — and it reworks the coming week: redistributing sessions, reducing volume if needed, or adjusting the next quality session, then updates the workouts on your watch.
Do I need to take gels or nutrition during training for a marathon?
For any long run over 90 minutes, practising race nutrition is valuable. Train with the gels, chews, or drinks available at your target race so your gut is adapted before race day. Do not try a new nutrition product for the first time on race morning.