If you've ever downloaded a generic marathon training plan off the internet and felt like it was written for someone else's body, you're not wrong — it was. A real marathon training plan has to account for your history, your current mileage tolerance, your work schedule, and your goals for this specific race. That's the entire premise behind this episode of the C3 Method podcast, where Rob Polenik sits down with Katie Jones — an 18-year running veteran, certified run coach, triathlete, and powerlifter currently training for her 12th marathon.
Rob built the C3 Method on the same philosophy Katie uses with her own athletes: personalization beats pre-formatted programming every single time. With a Master's in Human Nutrition, an ACSM personal training certification, a NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist credential, and 3,000+ clients coached, Rob has spent his career proving that individualized coaching — not AI-generated templates — is what actually gets people across finish lines injury-free and stronger than when they started.
In this post, you'll learn exactly how a certified running coach structures a training week — what separates an easy run from a recovery run, why your speed work should be shorter and faster than you think, how to build long runs that don't wreck your mental game, what strength training actually belongs in a runner's week, and how to dial in your carb and sodium intake so you don't hit the wall at mile 20.
Katie is explicit about this: if she could hand-pick her ideal client, it would be someone training for their second or third marathon — not their first. That's not a knock on first-timers. It's a training philosophy.
Your first marathon has one job: get you to the start line healthy and get you to the finish line without breaking down. That means the focus stays on mileage tolerance, testing your fueling strategy, and building confidence with distance — not chasing a specific pace. Once you've completed two or three marathons and know what the full 26.2-mile experience actually feels like in your body, that's when pacing strategy and PR-focused training become possible.
This matters because it reframes what "success" looks like at each stage of your running journey:
If you skip straight to advanced programming before you've built that base, you're not being efficient — you're setting yourself up for injury or burnout. Katie's rule of thumb: if you're not consistently running 20-25+ miles a week for a solid three months, you don't need structured speed work yet. Everything already feels intense at that volume.
One of the most valuable parts of this episode is Katie's breakdown of what each type of run day is actually for. Too many runners treat every run the same — which means they never fully recover and never fully push.
An easy run should feel conversational — think Zone 2, a pace that might feel almost embarrassingly slow if you're used to running everything hard. Katie admits it took her roughly 13 years of running before she realized she'd been running too fast on nearly every run, which was capping her progress.
Easy runs build your aerobic capacity, which is what allows you to run faster on your speed days and hold pace deeper into your long runs. They also reduce cumulative stress on your body, letting you rack up mileage without the wear and tear of running everything at a 7:30 pace when it's not required.
A recovery run isn't about hitting a pace — it's about moving blood and feeling better than when you started. Katie describes running recovery efforts at an 10:30–11:00 minute pace, sometimes not even logging them on her watch. The goal is simply to work out the kinks so the next day's long run or workout feels fresh.
Speed work during marathon training isn't about volume — it's about intensity. Katie structures her speed days as half-mile to mile repeats, run faster than half-marathon pace, with recovery intervals in between (for example, four half-mile repeats with a quarter-to-half-mile recovery jog).
Why run faster than your half-marathon pace when training for a full marathon? Because pushing your lactate threshold gives your body a broader range of adaptation. If you can consistently hold a 7:40 pace on mile repeats when your marathon goal pace is 8:20, that data point tells your coach it might be time to adjust your goal pace downward — you're carrying more speed in reserve than your current training plan reflects.
The biggest mistake Katie sees in long run programming: athletes treating every long run as "just get the miles in." Instead, she builds interval and tempo segments directly into long runs — for example, a 14-mile run that includes a 3-mile warm-up followed by a 4-mile tempo segment.
This does two things. Physiologically, it teaches your body to run efficiently while fatigued, which mirrors what happens in the back half of a marathon. Mentally, it breaks an intimidating number into digestible chunks — Katie calls this "runner's math," where a 14-mile run mentally becomes a 6-mile run because the rest is "easy, it doesn't count." She uses an app called Final Surge that pushes these segmented intervals directly to an athlete's smartwatch, so runners only see the current segment's distance — not the intimidating full total.
Here's a principle that applies far beyond running: never increase intensity and mileage in the same week. If you add a new speed workout, your total mileage stays flat that week. Once your body has adapted to the new intensity, then — and only then — do you increase volume, while holding intensity steady.
Think of your training like a Christmas tree: build the base, intensify the base, build the base again, intensify again. Skipping this progression is one of the fastest ways to end up injured, and it's a mistake most pre-made training plans don't account for because they can't see your individual adaptation timeline.
Katie is blunt about this: most runners don't lift, and it shows up as recurring injuries. Running is a single-leg, weight-bearing sport — every stride means absorbing your full body weight on one leg and pushing off again. The stronger and more resilient your muscles and connective tissue are, the less "heavy" your own body weight feels with every footstrike.
Her baseline recommendation for every runner:
She also pushes back on a popular myth: you don't need an elaborate pre-run mobility routine with monster walks and endless activation drills unless a physical therapist has specifically prescribed it for an existing issue. Her own pre-run warm-up is a simple lunge circuit that takes under three minutes. Consistency of the basics beats "sizzle" every time.
Nutrition support doesn't start on race day — it starts in training, and it has to be trialed and built up gradually, just like mileage and intensity.
Before your run: Always eat something with a carb source, regardless of run time. A banana might cover a short run, but it won't cut it before an 18-miler.
During your run: Aim for 60-100 grams of carbohydrate per hour, depending on effort and gut tolerance. Start with a gel every 45 minutes and progressively work toward one every 20-25 minutes as your gut adapts. If gels don't sit well, candy or Honey Stinger waffles are viable alternatives (though candy requires higher volume to hit the same carb target).
Sodium: Target roughly 1,000 milligrams per hour, more if you're a heavy sweater, especially in summer heat. Salt tabs or salt pills are an easy way to hit this without needing to chew anything mid-run.
Water: This is highly individual and needs to be trained just like everything else. Katie notes she once completed 2-3 gels across an entire 20-mile run in her early marathon years — her gut simply wasn't trained to handle more. Don't try to jump from that baseline to elite-level fueling protocols overnight; build it up over weeks and months, the same way you build mileage.
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Q: How many miles per week do I need before starting speed work for a marathon?
Katie's rule of thumb is a consistent 20-25+ miles per week for at least three months before introducing structured speed work. Below that volume, everything already feels intense, so dedicated speed sessions aren't necessary or safe yet.
Q: What's the difference between an easy run and a recovery run?
An easy run is done at a steady, conversational Zone 2 pace with the goal of building aerobic capacity over time. A recovery run has no pace target at all — the only goal is to move your body and feel better than when you started, often at an 10:30-11:00 minute pace or slower.
Q: How many carbs should I eat during a marathon or long run?
Aim for 60-100 grams of carbohydrate per hour, adjusted for your effort level and gut tolerance. Start conservatively (a gel every 45 minutes) and gradually build toward higher frequency as your training progresses — never attempt a new fueling strategy for the first time on race day.
Q: Do runners actually need to strength train?
Yes — running is a single-leg, weight-bearing sport, and strength training reduces the impact stress your body absorbs with every stride. Starting with three days per week of bodyweight circuits focused on single-leg and explosive movements is enough to significantly reduce injury risk.
Q: Should I do a long mobility routine before every run?
No. Unless a physical therapist has prescribed specific rehab work for an existing injury, a short activation warm-up — even one as simple as a three-minute lunge circuit — is sufficient before most runs.
Q: Why is a personalized coach better than a pre-made training plan?
A pre-made plan has no knowledge of your running history, current injuries, work schedule, or fueling tolerances, so it applies the same intensity and volume progressions to everyone. A coach adjusts your plan week to week based on your feedback, your goals, and your body's actual response to training.
The throughline of this entire conversation is that great coaching isn't about handing you a plan — it's about knowing you well enough to write the right plan, adjust it in real time, and understand why every mile, every gel, and every lift day exists in your week. Whether you're chasing your first marathon finish line or hunting a PR on your twelfth attempt, the principles are the same: build your base deliberately, respect the difference between easy and hard efforts, train your gut the way you train your legs, and don't skip the strength work that keeps you running injury-free for decades, not just this season.
If this breakdown of marathon training structure resonated with you, the next step is simple: stop guessing and start training with intention, guided by someone who knows your history and your goals.
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If today's episode resonated with you, imagine having this level of guidance personalized to your exact goals, schedule, and body. That's what working with Rob looks like.
Want to hear the full conversation, including Katie's own marathon fueling missteps, her mental strategies for grinding through the miles, and how she structures a full training week for her athletes? Listen to the complete episode here: 2346 - Expert Guest Discussion - Katie Jones - Running Coach & Multi-Sport Athlete