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Running · 8 weeks8-week marathon training plan
An 8-week marathon training plan takes a club runner on 45 km a week with a 1:55 half marathon from where they are to race day in 9 weeks, building to 60 km in the biggest week. It spends 4 weeks in build, 2 weeks in peak, 2 weeks in taper, with 1 lighter week to absorb the work, on 6 days a week. That is 8 weeks shorter than we would choose — see below for what that changes.
Build my marathon plan — freeBuilt from your own numbers and your own week. The first week is free.
8 weeks is not enough to add meaningful aerobic fitness for a marathon. What it can do is keep you healthy, sharpen what you already have and get the pacing right. If you are starting from a solid base of long runs, you can finish well; if you are not, the kindest thing this plan can tell you is to pick a later race or a shorter distance.
What the weeks are for
| Build | 4 weeks — the harder sessions arrive and volume keeps climbing |
|---|---|
| Peak | 2 weeks — the biggest, most race-specific weeks |
| Taper | 2 weeks — volume drops, intensity stays, you arrive fresh |
| Lighter weeks | 1, roughly every fourth week |
| Total | 439 km, 57 hours |
The 9 weeks
Generated for a club runner on 45 km a week with a 1:55 half marathon.
| Week | Phase | Volume | Load | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Build | 45 km | 266 | |
| 2 | Build | 49 km | 291 | |
| 3 | Build | 53 km | 311 | |
| 4 | Build · down | 37 km | 218 | |
| 5 | Peak | 55 km | 334 | |
| 6 | Peak | 60 km | 362 | |
| 7 | Taper | 52 km | 291 | |
| 8 | Taper | 40 km | 231 | |
| 9 | Race · race | 47 km | 407 |
The biggest week, session by session
Week 6, peak phase — the heaviest week of the block.
| Monday | Easy run — 0h40, 5.3 km |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Threshold — 2 × 10 min — 0h54, 8.1 km |
| Tuesday | Strength — lower body — 0h27 |
| Wednesday | Easy run — 0h45, 6.2 km |
| Friday | Race pace — 9 km — 1h12, 11.4 km |
| Saturday | Easy run — 0h45, 6.2 km |
| Sunday | Long run with a fast finish — 2h28, 23.1 km |
The paces
| Pace band | Per kilometre |
|---|---|
| Easy — the ceiling, not the target | 6:19 |
| Marathon pace | 5:41 |
| Threshold | 5:22 |
| Interval (VO₂max) | 4:51 |
Computed from VDOT 38.3, derived from that time trial using Jack Daniels' model. Your own numbers will differ — the plan builds these from a time trial you enter.
What this plan says out loud
Some sessions have been cut to fit the time you said you have — 75 minutes on a weekday and 180 at the weekend. That is a real constraint and the plan respects it, but be aware the long session is the one that matters most: if you can find more time anywhere, find it on the weekend.
On 6 days a week there is nowhere to put 26 km without prescribing runs nobody should be doing. The plan caps individual easy runs at 14 km and carries less volume than your target as a result. More days would do more for you than longer runs.
Race day looks like about 3:57:48 on today's fitness — Run 3h 58. Assumes a flat course, reasonable conditions and a sensible first half.
Common questions
Is 8 weeks enough for a marathon?
Only if you already train regularly. What it can do is keep you healthy, sharpen what you already have and get the pacing right.
How many days a week does it train?
6, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday in this example. You tell the plan which days you actually have, and it never puts two hard days back to back.
What is the longest session?
Long run with a fast finish, about 2h28 and 23 km. It is capped by share of the week, by absolute length, and by the time you say you have.
Can I use this if I train at altitude?
Yes, and you should say so when you build it. Paces and power are corrected for the difference between where you tested and where you train — in Johannesburg that is roughly 8%, or about 26 seconds a kilometre on an easy run for a 20-minute 5 km runner.
Other marathon plans
Goal times
- Sub-5 hour marathon training plan
- Sub-4:30 marathon training plan
- Sub-4 hour marathon training plan
- Sub-3:30 marathon training plan
- Sub-3:15 marathon training plan
- Sub-3 hour marathon training plan