Running Coach in Soho
Run faster and more comfortably through a race block, with 1-2-1 running coaching and strength training at UNTIL Soho, a 13-minute walk from the London Marathon finish.
Overview
How a marathon training plan is built
A marathon training plan builds your weekly distance gradually over about 16 weeks, with one long run a week, easier runs around it and a taper in the last two to three weeks. Strength training sits alongside the running, because stronger legs, hips and trunk help you hold your form when you are tired.
A running coach from our team writes the plan around your race date and your week, then uses the coached sessions at UNTIL Soho for strength, running drills on the marked sprint lane and checks on how the training is landing. The race readiness calculator projects your finish time from a recent 5k. The TCS London Marathon runs over two days, 24 and 25 April 2027, and finishes on The Mall, a 13-minute walk from the club. The Royal Parks Half is on 11 October 2026.
Sessions cost from £80 an hour with no UNTIL membership. Strength training explains the gym side of the plan.
The benefits of coached running
A plan built around your race
Your coach counts back from race day and sets the long runs, the harder sessions and the taper in the right weeks.
Strength that holds your form
Two strength sessions a week for the legs, hips and trunk help you keep your running form late in a long run.
Easy runs that stay easy
Most of your running is done at an easy effort, which leaves you fresh enough to run the hard sessions properly.
Pacing you can trust
Your recent race times set your target paces, so you start the race at a speed you can hold to the finish.
Drills and technique
Running drills on the marked sprint lane at UNTIL Soho work on the parts of your stride that tire first.
A week that fits a working life
The club opens at 06:00 on weekdays, and the plan bends around the weeks when work takes over.
What gets in the way
Why running progress stalls
- Every run at the same medium effort, so the easy days are too hard and the hard days too easy
- Adding distance faster than the body can adapt to it
- No strength training, so form falls apart late in a long run
- Racing the training runs and leaving the best effort in training
- Skipping the taper and arriving at the start line tired
- Runs fitted around work with no plan for the weeks that go wrong
How it works
How personal training in Soho supports your running
FAQ
Running coaching
FAQs
Do I need a running coach?
Not everyone does, but a coach helps most when you have a target race, keep picking up niggles or have stopped getting faster. A coach sets the right mix of easy and hard running, adds the strength work most runners skip and adjusts the plan when a busy week at work gets in the way.
How long does it take to train for a marathon?
Most plans run for 16 to 20 weeks if you can already run comfortably for about an hour. A newer runner needs longer, building up to that point first. For the London Marathon on 24 and 25 April 2027, a 16-week plan starts in the first week of January.
Should runners do strength training?
Yes. Strength training for the legs, hips and trunk helps you hold your running form when you are tired and prepares your body for the extra distance. Two sessions a week alongside your running is a common starting point, and it is what most coached sessions at UNTIL Soho are used for.
Can you coach running in the Royal Parks?
Coaching in the Royal Parks needs a Royal Parks fitness training licence, and licences are not available for St James's Park. Ask on the free matching call whether your coach holds one. Soho Square is a 4-minute walk from the club, and most drills and strength work happen on the gym floor.
Is there a parkrun near Soho?
There is no parkrun in the central Royal Parks. The nearest is Highbury Fields, about 4 kilometres north, with Battersea Park, Burgess Park and Hampstead Heath all under 6 kilometres away. Many runners use a Saturday parkrun as a time trial, and your coach can build it into the plan.
Related Goals
Get Started
Ready to start?
Book a free matching call.
Personal Training Soho • UNTIL, 111 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0DT
EnquireThe matching call is free, and you do not need an UNTIL membership.