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Beginner marathon training plan

A beginner marathon training plan takes a newer runner managing about 28 km a week, who can run 5 km in around 35 minutes from where they are to race day in 21 weeks, building to 31 km in the biggest week. It spends 8 weeks in base, 8 weeks in build, 2 weeks in peak, 2 weeks in taper, with 4 lighter weeks to absorb the work, on 4 days a week.

Build my marathon plan — free

Built from your own numbers and your own week. The first week is free.

Is 20 weeks enough?

20 weeks is a comfortable length for a first marathon. There is room for a proper base before the harder work, lighter weeks to absorb it, and a taper that leaves you fresh rather than flat.

What the weeks are for

Base8 weeks — aerobic volume, mostly easy, the foundation everything else stands on
Build8 weeks — the harder sessions arrive and volume keeps climbing
Peak2 weeks — the biggest, most race-specific weeks
Taper2 weeks — volume drops, intensity stays, you arrive fresh
Lighter weeks4, roughly every fourth week
Total611 km, 118 hours

The 21 weeks

Generated for a newer runner managing about 28 km a week, who can run 5 km in around 35 minutes.

WeekPhaseVolumeLoad
1Base25 km197
2Base26 km208
3Base27 km212
4Base · down21 km170
5Base28 km218
6Base29 km224
7Base30 km229
8Base · down24 km193
9Build28 km227
10Build29 km235
11Build30 km242
12Build · down24 km200
13Build31 km246
14Build31 km244
15Build31 km243
16Build · down26 km211
17Peak31 km247
18Peak31 km247
19Taper30 km230
20Taper29 km226
21Race · race51 km588

The biggest week, session by session

Week 17, peak phase — the heaviest week of the block.

TuesdayThreshold — 2 × 10 min — 0h44, 4.7 km
TuesdayStrength — lower body — 0h27
ThursdayRace pace — 3 km — 0h44, 4.7 km
SaturdayEasy run — 1h37, 10.5 km
SundayLong run — 1h39, 10.8 km

The paces

Pace bandPer kilometre
Easy — the ceiling, not the target8:38
Marathon pace7:48
Threshold7:23
Interval (VO₂max)6:42

Computed from VDOT 25.6, 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

Worth knowing

Some sessions have been cut to fit the time you said you have — 45 minutes on a weekday and 100 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.

Worth knowing

On 4 days a week there is nowhere to put 46 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.

Worth knowing

Race day looks like about 5:28:30 on today's fitness — Run 5h 29. Assumes a flat course, reasonable conditions and a sensible first half.

Common questions

Is 20 weeks enough for a marathon?

Yes, for most people who already exercise. We would choose at least 20 weeks, and this is 20.

How many days a week does it train?

4, on Tuesday, Thursday, 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, about 1h40 and 11 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

South African races at this distance

Worth reading

Build my plan