Marathon Training Plan
The marathon — 42.2 km of grit, pacing, and months of preparation. Whether you're tackling the distance for the first time or looking to knock minutes off your personal best, success comes down to consistent training, smart pacing, and respecting the distance. We've put together three free plans to match different experience levels and timelines. Pick the one that fits where you are right now.
Plan A: 16-Week Beginner
- Goal: Complete a marathon
- Fitness level: Beginner — can run 10 km comfortably
- Timeline: 16 weeks, 3-4 sessions per week
This plan takes you from a solid 10 km base to the finish line of your first marathon. The early weeks focus on building distance gradually with three sessions, then a fourth session is added from week five to support your growing long run. Keep easy runs genuinely easy — you should be able to hold a conversation throughout. The long run is the centrepiece of each week; treat it with respect and fuel properly.
Week 1-2: Building Base (3 sessions)
Tuesday
Easy run 5 km
Thursday
Easy run 5 km with 4 × 30 s pickups (faster strides with 1 min easy between)
Saturday
Long run 8 km easy pace
Rest Days
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday
Week 3-4: Increasing Distance (3 sessions)
Tuesday
Easy run 6 km
Thursday
Fartlek — 5 min easy, then alternate 1 min fast / 2 min easy for 30 min, 5 min easy cooldown
Saturday
Long run 11 km easy pace
Rest Days
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday
Week 5-6: Building Endurance (4 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 6 km
Wednesday
Tempo — 10 min easy warmup, 12 min at comfortably hard pace, 10 min easy cooldown
Thursday
Easy run 5 km
Saturday
Long run 14 km easy pace
Rest Days
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
Week 7-8: Distance Phase (4 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 7 km
Wednesday
Tempo — 10 min warmup, 15 min tempo, 10 min cooldown
Thursday
Easy run 5 km
Saturday
Long run 18 km easy pace
Rest Days
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
Week 9-10: Building Long Run (4 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 7 km
Wednesday
Tempo — 10 min warmup, 18 min tempo, 10 min cooldown
Thursday
Easy run 5 km
Saturday
Long run 22 km easy pace
Rest Days
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
Week 11-12: Peak Phase (4 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 7 km
Wednesday
Tempo — 10 min warmup, 20 min tempo, 10 min cooldown
Thursday
Easy run 5 km
Saturday
Long run 26 km easy pace
Rest Days
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
Week 13-14: Final Long Runs (4 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 6 km
Wednesday
Easy run 5 km with 4 × 30 s pickups
Thursday
Easy run 5 km
Saturday
Week 13: Long run 30 km easy pace — your longest run before race day. Week 14: Long run 22 km easy pace.
Rest Days
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
Week 15: Taper (4 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 5 km
Wednesday
Easy run 4 km with 4 × 30 s pickups
Thursday
Easy run 3 km
Saturday
Long run 14 km easy pace
Rest Days
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
Week 16: Race Week
Monday
Easy run 4 km
Wednesday
Easy run 3 km with 4 × 30 s pickups
Thursday
Rest
Sunday
Race day — Marathon! Start conservatively. Trust your training and fuel early.
Plan B: 16-Week Intermediate
- Goal: Improve marathon time
- Fitness level: Intermediate — has run a marathon, wants to improve
- Timeline: 16 weeks, 5 sessions per week
This plan is built for runners who've already finished a marathon and want to go faster. Five sessions per week allows for two quality workouts (tempo, intervals, or marathon-pace runs) alongside easy volume and a progressive long run. Heart-rate zones keep effort honest — MHR means maximum heart rate. If you don't have a monitor, use perceived effort: easy means conversational, tempo means "comfortably hard," and interval pace means you can only manage a few words at a time.
Week 1-2: Base Phase (5 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 8 km (65-70% MHR)
Tuesday
Recovery run 5 km (60-65% MHR)
Wednesday
Tempo — 15 min warmup, 20 min at 80-85% MHR, 10 min cooldown
Friday
Easy run 8 km (65-70% MHR)
Sunday
Long run 18 km (65-70% MHR)
Rest Days
Thursday, Saturday
Week 3-4: Building Volume (5 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 9 km (65-70% MHR)
Tuesday
Recovery run 5 km (60-65% MHR)
Wednesday
Intervals — 15 min warmup, 5 × 1 km at 85-90% MHR (2 min recovery jog), 10 min cooldown
Friday
Tempo — 15 min warmup, 25 min at 80-85% MHR, 10 min cooldown
Sunday
Long run 22 km (65-70% MHR)
Rest Days
Thursday, Saturday
Week 5-6: Threshold Development (5 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 10 km (65-70% MHR)
Tuesday
Recovery run 6 km (60-65% MHR)
Wednesday
Tempo — 15 min warmup, 30 min at 80-85% MHR, 10 min cooldown
Friday
Intervals — 15 min warmup, 4 × 1.5 km at 85-90% MHR (2 min recovery jog), 10 min cooldown
Sunday
Long run 25 km (65-70% MHR)
Rest Days
Thursday, Saturday
Week 7-8: Peak Volume (5 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 10 km (65-70% MHR)
Tuesday
Recovery run 6 km (60-65% MHR)
Wednesday
Intervals — 15 min warmup, 6 × 1 km at 85-90% MHR (2 min recovery jog), 10 min cooldown
Friday
Marathon pace — 15 min warmup, 10 km at goal marathon pace (75-80% MHR), 10 min cooldown
Sunday
Long run 28 km with last 8 km at marathon pace
Rest Days
Thursday, Saturday
Week 9-10: Race-Specific (5 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 10 km (65-70% MHR)
Tuesday
Recovery run 6 km (60-65% MHR)
Wednesday
Marathon pace — 15 min warmup, 12 km at goal pace, 10 min cooldown
Friday
Intervals — 15 min warmup, 8 × 800 m at 85-90% MHR (90 s recovery jog), 10 min cooldown
Sunday
Week 9: Long run 32 km (65-70% MHR). Week 10: Long run 26 km (65-70% MHR).
Rest Days
Thursday, Saturday
Week 11-12: Sustained Effort (5 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 9 km (65-70% MHR)
Tuesday
Recovery run 5 km (60-65% MHR)
Wednesday
Tempo — 15 min warmup, 35 min at 80-85% MHR, 10 min cooldown
Friday
Marathon pace — 15 min warmup, 14 km at goal pace, 10 min cooldown
Sunday
Week 11: Long run 34 km (65-70% MHR). Week 12: Long run 28 km (65-70% MHR).
Rest Days
Thursday, Saturday
Week 13-14: Sharpening (4 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 8 km (65-70% MHR)
Tuesday
Recovery run 5 km (60-65% MHR)
Wednesday
Intervals — 15 min warmup, 5 × 1 km at 85-90% MHR (2 min recovery jog), 10 min cooldown
Friday
Easy run 7 km (65-70% MHR)
Sunday
Week 13: Long run 22 km (65-70% MHR). Week 14: Long run 16 km (65-70% MHR).
Rest Days
Thursday, Saturday
Week 15: Taper (4 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 6 km (65-70% MHR)
Wednesday
10 min warmup, 4 × 400 m at 90% MHR (90 s recovery jog), 10 min cooldown
Thursday
Recovery run 4 km (60-65% MHR)
Saturday
Long run 10 km (65-70% MHR)
Rest Days
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
Week 16: Race Week
Monday
Easy run 5 km (65-70% MHR)
Wednesday
Easy run 3 km with 4 × 30 s strides
Thursday
Rest
Sunday
Race day — Marathon! Execute your pacing strategy. Stay disciplined through halfway.
Plan C: 12-Week Intermediate
- Goal: Marathon for a runner with a strong base
- Fitness level: Intermediate — solid half marathon fitness, stepping up to the full distance
- Timeline: 12 weeks, 4-5 sessions per week
Already have strong half marathon fitness and want to step up to the marathon without a 16-week build? This condensed plan assumes you're coming in with a solid aerobic base and jumps straight into meaningful volume. The early weeks run four sessions, expanding to five from week five as marathon-specific work increases. Heart-rate zones guide intensity — MHR means maximum heart rate.
Week 1-2: Base and Transition (4 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 8 km (65-70% MHR)
Wednesday
Tempo — 15 min warmup, 25 min at 80-85% MHR, 10 min cooldown
Thursday
Recovery run 5 km (60-65% MHR)
Saturday
Long run 20 km (65-70% MHR)
Rest Days
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
Week 3-4: Building Volume (4 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 9 km (65-70% MHR)
Wednesday
Intervals — 15 min warmup, 5 × 1 km at 85-90% MHR (2 min recovery jog), 10 min cooldown
Thursday
Recovery run 6 km (60-65% MHR)
Saturday
Long run 24 km (65-70% MHR)
Rest Days
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
Week 5-6: Peak Volume (5 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 10 km (65-70% MHR)
Tuesday
Recovery run 6 km (60-65% MHR)
Wednesday
Marathon pace — 15 min warmup, 10 km at goal marathon pace (75-80% MHR), 10 min cooldown
Friday
Tempo — 15 min warmup, 30 min at 80-85% MHR, 10 min cooldown
Sunday
Long run 28 km with last 6 km at marathon pace
Rest Days
Thursday, Saturday
Week 7-8: Race-Specific (5 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 10 km (65-70% MHR)
Tuesday
Recovery run 6 km (60-65% MHR)
Wednesday
Marathon pace — 15 min warmup, 14 km at goal pace, 10 min cooldown
Friday
Intervals — 15 min warmup, 6 × 1 km at 85-90% MHR (2 min recovery jog), 10 min cooldown
Sunday
Week 7: Long run 32 km (65-70% MHR). Week 8: Long run 26 km (65-70% MHR).
Rest Days
Thursday, Saturday
Week 9-10: Sharpening (4 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 8 km (65-70% MHR)
Wednesday
Intervals — 15 min warmup, 5 × 1 km at 85-90% MHR (2 min recovery jog), 10 min cooldown
Thursday
Recovery run 5 km (60-65% MHR)
Saturday
Week 9: Long run 22 km (65-70% MHR). Week 10: Long run 16 km (65-70% MHR).
Rest Days
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
Week 11: Taper (4 sessions)
Monday
Easy run 6 km (65-70% MHR)
Wednesday
10 min warmup, 4 × 400 m at 90% MHR (90 s recovery jog), 10 min cooldown
Thursday
Recovery run 4 km (60-65% MHR)
Saturday
Long run 10 km (65-70% MHR)
Rest Days
Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
Week 12: Race Week
Monday
Easy run 4 km
Wednesday
Easy run 3 km with 4 × 30 s strides
Thursday
Rest
Sunday
Race day — Marathon! Trust the training. Run your own race and fuel consistently.