With under a month to go until the London Marathon, runners will be beginning their tapers and piling their trolleys high with carbs. After all, as is often said: much of the hard work is done now; this race is the victory lap. Someone who knows that all too well, and will be lacing her trainers (her current favs are the Brooks Hyperion Max 3) come Sunday, April 26 is the Queen of Broadway, Cynthia Erivo, MBE.
As well as starring in a one-woman production of Dracula, in which she plays all 23 characters, Cynthia is currently hustling for a marathon PB with the help of her running coach and Brooks pro marathoner, Erika Kemp. And while balancing training with her day job has been no mean feat, with two marathons already under her belt (the 2016 New York City Marathon in 3:57:07 and the 2022 London Marathon in 3:35:36), she’s learnt a thing or two about executing a great race.
Here, Cynthia, who’s running London in partnership with Brooks Running, tells WH all about the weekly training schedule behind her 3:15 goal.
Jeff Spicer//Getty Images
Cynthia achieved a huge PB at the 2022 London Marathon
Cynthia Erivo’s marathon training weekMonday Shakeout run or cycle
Because Cynthia’s long run tends to fall on a Sunday, she does a ‘shakeout’ on a Monday to refresh her legs – either a short, quick run or ‘60 minutes on the bike just to get my legs turned over.’
Tuesday Time on feet
Tuesday is usually a chance to increase her mileage and general ‘time on feet’. That will be a ‘long-ish’ run – but ‘nothing speedy, nothing fast.’
In other words, easy means easy and hard means hard – a training principle Cynthia says is key in her bid to shave another 20 minutes off her marathon PB.
Related StoryWednesday Tempo / fartlek session
Now it’s time for speed. Midweek, says Cynthia, ‘we’ll do some tempo pushes – between sevens, six 59s, and sixes.’ Translation: it’s a speed-focused run during which she alternates paces, in this case within the 7:00-6:00 min/mile (3:44 min/km-4:21 min/km) pace bracket. ‘It’s more like a fartlek, tempo-ish session,’ she explains.
Fartlek refers to a flexible training method where you combine steadier efforts (tempo effort in Cynthia’s case, meaning ‘comfortably hard’) with short bursts of higher intensity work. The idea behind this type of training is that you can adapt pace and duration depending on your goals and how you feel. It builds both your aerobic (where oxygen is your body’s main energy source) and anaerobic (where your body relies on stored energy – mainly glycogen) fitness.
Thursday More time on feet
Thursday is usually a chance to fit in another long-ish run before a two-show day, which falls on either a Friday or Saturday, says Cynthia. ‘It’ll probably be another 10-11 miles.’
Friday Shorter run
With Friday being a busy work day – often a two-show day – Cynthia schedules in a shorter run that’s around six miles (10k).
Saturday Long-ish run before the long run
‘I like a long-ish run on the day before a long run,’ says Cynthia. Again, it helps increase general ‘time on feet’, and as long as she schedules it at the right time, Cynthia says it helps energise her ahead of a show.
Sunday Long run
At the end of the week, it’s time for ‘the long run’, which Cynthia says can be ‘anything from [a] half marathon to 20-something miles.’
Extra strength work
‘[Reformer] Pilates is my strength training,’ Cynthia tells WH. ‘I do that three times a week – sometimes right after a run.’
Incorporating resistance training into any running programme is important for supporting strength and speed and reducing injury risk, and Reformer Pilates can be a great option.
‘I’ve been doing Pilates for about three or four years now, and it’s been very, very helpful,’ says Cynthia. ‘It strengthens the muscles, keeps the joints supple and [helps] mend imbalances – you’re working on your core, legs and arms, but in a restorative way.’
How she recovers
On her non-show day, Cynthia ensures she’s doing as little as possible outside of her session to allow both her brain and body to recover. ‘And in the spaces between on the days when the show is, I try to make sure there’s space for me to just stop, because I think it’s really important.’
‘But I also think it’s not just to do with what you do to your body, but what you put inside your body,’ she adds. When it comes to snacks and supplies, Cynthia says she’s ‘like a little squirrel’. What’s in her bag? Nuts, protein bars, gels, water, vitamins (including a multivitamin, vitamin D, B12 and magnesium) and electrolytes.
And one final staple? ‘I have a tea on the go all the time.’
After years living with endometriosis and undergoing seven rounds of IVF, Radio 4 presenter Emma Barnett turned to training with PT Frankie Holah to rebuild strength and a more positive relationship with her body. Download the Women’s Health UK app to access Frankie’s full training plan.
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Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women’s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner’s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She’s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.
