Atomic Training Programs
Follow the training & workouts of the Atomic Race Team
Complete training programs across 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon, each in four tiers. Built by coaches and physical therapists who race, lead and treat runners every week.
Most training plans are a grid of numbers with nothing behind them. Ours run to nearly a hundred pages: every session written out in full, the reasoning underneath it, and the work around the running that decides whether the block holds together. You finish knowing more about your own training than when you started.
What’s in the program
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The full block, week by week
Every session, day by day, with paces and rest intervals written out. Deloads land on schedule, the taper is planned, and mileage is given as a range so the plan bends around your week instead of breaking when life does.
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The theory behind every decision
Why easy runs stay easy, what threshold work buys you, and how the phases stack. Effort zones, heart-rate zones built around you rather than a generic percentage of max, and full pace charts in both miles and kilometers.
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Strength on a nine-pillar framework
Mobility, isometrics, squats, hinges, lunges, core, plyometrics and more, written by the physical therapists who treat runners all week. Programmed alongside your running so it supports the block rather than competing with it.
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Signature workouts from our race team
Speed, hills, race pace and the Sunday long run, drawn from blocks our own athletes have actually run. Every session states its intent and scales to your level, so you know what a workout is for before you start it.
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Fueling, taper and race day
Daily nutrition, long-run gut training, race-week logistics and a pacing plan for the day itself. These are the parts of a build that quietly decide the result, and they get the same care here as the running does.
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A tracker that's already filled in
Every run pre-loaded, so you log splits and mileage as you go and see the plan against what you actually did. Printable logs at the back of the guide too, two weeks to a page, for the fridge or the training folder.
Pick your distance.
Pick your tier.
Four tiers at every distance. What separates them is the volume they ask of you, not how long you have been running. Pick honestly: the plan that fits your current week beats the plan that flatters your goals.
Marathon

Foundation
Building the habit and finishing strong
- Longest run
- 18–20 mi (avg 13 mi)
- Runs
- 3–4 days
- Length
- 18 weeks
- Speed
- Strides and short faster efforts

Intermediate
A confident finish, or a new PR
- Longest run
- 20–22 mi (avg 16 mi)
- Runs
- 4–5 days
- Length
- 18 weeks
- Speed
- Weekly track session, then race pace
Advanced
A sharp PR, or placing in your age group
- Longest run
- 20–23 mi (avg 18 mi)
- Runs
- 6 days
- Length
- 18 weeks
- Speed
- More time at race pace, longer reps

Elite
Racing to place or chasing a qualifying time
- Longest run
- 23–25 mi (avg 20 mi)
- Runs
- 6–7 days, to 9 sessions
- Length
- 18 weeks
- Speed
- Race-specific volume at speed
Half Marathon

Foundation
Finishing strong and healthy on three or four runs
- Longest run
- 11–13 mi (avg 9 mi)
- Runs
- 3–4 days
- Length
- 14 weeks
- Speed
- Strides and short faster efforts

Intermediate
Structured workouts, for a confident 13.1 or a PR
- Longest run
- 13–17 mi (avg 11 mi)
- Runs
- 4–5 days
- Length
- 14 weeks
- Speed
- Weekly track session, then race pace
Advanced
A sharp PR, or placing in your age group
- Longest run
- 18–20 mi (avg 15 mi)
- Runs
- 6 days
- Length
- 18 weeks
- Speed
- More time at race pace, longer reps

Elite
Racing to place or chasing a qualifying time
- Longest run
- 20–22 mi (avg 17 mi)
- Runs
- 6–7 days incl. doubles
- Length
- 18 weeks
- Speed
- Race-specific volume at speed
10K
10K is in production
Four tiers, same depth. Eight weeks for Foundation and Intermediate, twelve for Advanced and Elite. Leave your email in the Program Finder and we will tell you the moment it lands.
Tell me when it lands5K
5K is in production
Four tiers built around session precision and repeatable splits rather than volume. Leave your email in the Program Finder and we will tell you the moment it lands.
Tell me when it landsUltra
Ultra is in production
A 26-week build with the same four tiers. Leave your email in the Program Finder and we will tell you the moment it lands.
Tell me when it lands$39 each. One-off purchase, yours to keep. Around 100 pages, plus a tracker pre-filled with every run. Download link emailed straight after checkout.
Not sure? Take the finderPeak volume is the biggest week of the block. Average long run is the mean across the whole build, which is usually the more honest measure of what the training will ask of you.
Eight sections
and an appendix
The training program comes first. Everything after it exists to support it. Around a hundred pages per program, so read it in order or jump to the part you need.
The training
program
- Program overview
- The Atomic 3C’s
- Full week-by-week block
- Setting your goal pace
- How to read the program
- Coach tips
Signature
workouts
- Speed sessions
- Hill sessions
- Race-pace sessions
- Long-run sessions
Training
principles
- The 3:1 philosophy
- Deloading weeks
- Deloading target
- Modifying training
- Prioritizing your week
Types of
training
- Easy runs
- Speed & threshold
- Hill running
- Long runs
- Race-pace running
Fueling &
nutrition
- Daily & training fuel
- Long-run & gut training
- Race-day fueling
- Supplements
Race day
& taper
- Race-day execution
- Pacing strategy
- The taper
- Race-week logistics
- Building your race goals
Recovery
& strength
- Running form & cadence
- Effective warm-up
- Cross training
- Strength & the Nine Pillars
- Plyometrics & power
- Heat acclimatization
- Recovery days & injuries
Atomic
support
- Run coaching
- Strength for Runners
- Atomic Physical Therapy
- Injury prevention
- 3D gait analysis
- Track Club & Race Team
Reference
material
- A1 · Intensity, effort & HR zones
- A1 · Double days and strides
- A2 · Pace charts, miles and km
- A2 · Track splits & race predictor
- A3 · The printable workout log
Every program follows this structure, scaled to your distance and tier.
Find my programEverything you
might ask
Nothing matches that yet.
Ask us directlyStill stuck? We answer every message ourselves.
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