r
Marathon Training Plans
Marathon Plan Key
The Beginner’s Marathon Plan
This plan is designed for the active person
who has been running for 6 months or more
and is looking to run their first marathon.
The Intermediate Marathon Plan
This plan is designed for the active person
who is looking to run their first or fastest
marathon. Each week includes a mix of easy runs,
cross-training, a long run, speedwork, and hills.
The Advanced Marathon Plan
This plan is designed for the competitive runner
who wants to run their fastest marathon.
Each week includes a mix of easy runs,
a long run, speedwork, and hills.
On Your Mark
Plan ahead for the weeks, days, and hours leading up to a race
Whether you want to finish your first race or run your fastest, there is plenty that you can
do in the final weeks before the starting gun fires to make or break your race. Here’s a plan
that will prepare your body—and ease your mind—as you prepare to toe the line.
One Month Before
Preview the course
Look at the course map and elevation chart;
check out the video course tour on the race
website, and, ideally, do some training runs
on the course. Pick out the spots where
you’re going to need to push yourself harder, and map out a strategy to get through
them.
Review your log
Look over your training log, add up all the
miles you’ve logged, and draw confidence
from all that you’ve already accomplished
before pinning on a race bib. Count up all
the times you ran when you would have
preferred to sleep in and the times you ventured out in conditions that others wouldn’t
drive in, and reflect on the good health and
fitness you gained during training.
Check the weather
Check the race website or a site like
weatherunderground.com to find out what
the average conditions are like for race day.
If you’re preparing for a late May race, but
all of your training has been in the cool
mornings, you’ll want to get some practice
running in hot conditions in case the temperature soars on race day.
Do some dress rehearsals
Do some long runs at about the same time
that the race will take place. While you
might train early in the morning, many
races don’t start until midmorning, and that
will affect how you time your prerace fuel,
hydration, and bathroom stops.
Choose a mantra
A mantra can help you stay calm and on
target and prevent doubts and distractions from derailing your race-day goals.
Repeating choice words whenever you need
to focus helps direct your mind away from
negative thoughts and toward a positive
experience. Mantras should be short, positive, and instructive and address what you
want to feel. If you’re feeling weak, say “I’m
strong.” Look for words that convey energy,
like “fast,” “strong,” or “power.” You might
try “Run relaxed,” “Finish strong,” “Go for
it,” or “Now is the time.”
Make postrace plans
Having another goal on the horizon will
keep you motivated after you cross the
finish line. Sign up for a 5K, volunteer at a
charity event, or go on a vacation. That way
you won’t worry about what’s next or face
the postrace blues.
One Week Before
Double-check logistics
Reconfirm your race registration and any
travel arrangements. Figure out how you’re
getting to the starting line and, if you’re
driving, where you’ll park. There are often
road closures on race morning.
Decide where you’re going to eat the night
before the race, and make a reservation.
Plan to pick up your race number as soon
as possible. If there’s an expo, give yourself a
time limit and stick to it. All the walking and
bucking the crowds can drain you and leave
your feet aching.
Don’t do anything new
Race week isn’t the time to try new shoes,
exotic foods, cool new gear, or anything else
that you haven’t used on several training
runs. Stick with what has worked for you
during training.
Get some sleep
The closer to the race you get, the tougher
it may be to get some shut-eye. But it’s best
to get as much sleep as possible—at least
8 hours a night—and nap if you can. Try to
Easy Runs: These runs will build up
your endurance and get your body used to
running for longer periods of time.
5K Race: This is optional for the seasoned runner. Don’t expect a particularly
fast time; the point is to go out and enjoy
racing.
Hills: Try running up the steepest loop
on your running route at a steady pace for
a speed workout.
Long Runs: Don’t push yourself on long
run days; just focus on hitting a steady,
easy stride for the entire run.
MPW (Marathon Pace Workout):
Warm up for 1 mile, run 6 miles at your
marathon pace, then cool down for 1 mile.
Mile Repeats: Run a mile at your 10K
pace, jog a lap for recovery, and repeat
three or four times.
Rest Days: If you are up to working out
on a rest day, make sure to do a low-impact
activity like stretching, yoga, or swimming
to give your body a chance to recover.
Speedwork: Do the Yasso 800s: Run
½ mile or 800 meters at your 10K pace,
then jog a lap for recovery. Repeat 6 times.
prioritize sleep early in the week, when
you’re not feeling nervous. Extra sleep impacts reaction time, mood, and energy levels.
end up staring at the ceiling and inviting
more stress when you don’t immediately
pass out. That stress can further delay sleep.
Stick to your plan
Resist the urge to cram in extra miles or
bouts of faster running; a week before the
race, this can do more harm than good. Stick
to the training plan. And this is not the time
to start yoga or Pilates or any other new
activity. Pour the time you’d normally spend
running into cleaning, connecting with
family you haven’t seen during training, or
catching up on gardening and housework.
Get packed
Even if you’re racing locally, start setting
aside your race gear, clothes, and fuel.
Check the weather forecast, but pack
clothes for any conditions, in case a freak
storm or heat wave blows in. If it’s likely to
be cold at the start, you may want to pack
clothes that you can throw off once you
warm up.
The Night Before
Review your plan
Think about your race strategy and pacing,
review your mantra, and envision yourself
finishing strong. But after 6 p.m., give it a
rest. Rehashing scenarios late into the night
will make it difficult to get to sleep.
Do a systems check
Lay out your gear, pin the number on your
singlet if you have it, and if there’s a timing
chip, thread it through your shoelaces.
Fuel up
Eat a typical-size dinner complete with
complex carbohydrates. Although carboloading isn’t necessary for races under an
hour, carbohydrates digest easily and tend
to serve as comfort food. Eat slowly and
avoid gorging yourself.
Set multiple alarms
If you don’t have a backup alarm, you risk
waking up every few hours out of fear of
oversleeping. If you’re staying at a hotel,
don’t depend solely on a wake-up call.
Hit the hay
Go to bed at your regular time—ideally,
about 8 hours before your alarm is set to
sound. If you knock off too early, you may
On Race Day
Start slow
Too many runners make the mistake of running as fast as they can out of the gate, then
they fade out miles before the finish line.
Start a little slower than you’d like, and let
people around you pass you. As you get into
rhythm and gain speed, you’ll pass many of
them in the final miles of the race.
Go negative
Aim for a negative split. That is, run the second half of the race faster than the first half.
Head out 10 to 15 seconds per mile slower
than goal pace, and take walk breaks early on.
In a half marathon, you should be running so
easy that you feel like you could go the whole
26.2. In a full marathon, you should be running easy enough that you feel like you could
run 150 miles at that same pace.
Stay in your own zone
At a race it’s easy to get amped up in the
excitement of the day. The music is blaring,
adrenaline is flowing; you feel like you
want to charge out of the start like they just
released you from prison. And it’s unnerving when it feels like everyone is passing
you. Ignore everyone else. Stick to your own
race plan. All those people who passed you?
You’ll pass them late in the race.
Listen to your body
Music players and training watches can
be great, but in a race, you really want to
tune in to how you’re feeling—how easy or
labored your breathing is, how tired your
muscles feel. With a training watch, it’s way
too easy to start stressing about your splits
at each mile. Remember that it’s the finishing time that counts. The individual splits
along the way don’t mean a thing.
Take the hills at an even effort
Your pace is going to slow uphill and accelerate downhill; try to maintain the same level
of effort both ways. If you kill yourself to stay
on pace on the way up and then let yourself
free-fall on the way down, you’ll zap the
strength you’ll need later in the race.
© 2016 by Rodale Inc. All rights reserved.
This material is for the personal use of Rodale customers only. For any other purpose, no part may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.
Before you undertake a new health program or fitness regimen, we encourage you to discuss your plans with your health care professional, especially if you have not exercised for several years, are
over 35, or are overweight.
Photography: Ryan Heffernan
[Pr/202843001/RW/01V3/AR/5-15]
12817/RW/AR/6-16
The Beginner’s Marathon Plan
Week
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Sat
Sun
1
Rest day
Easy Run: 3 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 3 miles
Rest day
Long Run: 5 miles
2
Rest day
Easy Run: 3 miles
Easy Run: 3 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Rest day
Long Run: 7 miles
3
Rest day
Easy Run: 3 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Rest day
Long Run: 9 miles
4
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Easy Run: 3 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Rest day
Long Run: 7 miles
5
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Easy Run: 3 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 5 miles
Rest day
Long Run: 10 miles
6
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Easy Run: 3 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 5 miles
Rest day
Long Run: 12 miles
7
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Rest day
Long Run: 15 miles
8
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Rest day
Long Run: 12 miles
9
Rest day
Easy Run: 6 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Rest day
Long Run: 16 miles
10
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Easy Run: 6 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Rest day
Long Run: 18 miles
11
Rest day
Easy Run: 6 miles
Easy Run: 5 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 5 miles
Rest day
Long Run: 20 miles
12
Rest day
Easy Run: 7 miles
Easy Run: 7 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 7 miles
Rest day
Long Run: 14 miles
13
Rest day
Easy Run: 6 miles
Easy Run: 7 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 7 miles
Rest day
Long Run: 20 miles
14
Rest day
Easy Run: 7 miles
Easy Run: 7 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 7 miles
Rest day
Long Run: 13 miles
15
Rest day
Easy Run: 5 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 5 miles
Rest day
Long Run: 10 miles
16
Rest day
Easy Run: 3 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 3 miles
Rest day
Race Day!
The Intermediate Marathon Plan
Week
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Sat
Sun
1
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
Hills: 6 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Long Run: 7 miles
2
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
Hills: 6 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 5 miles
Long Run: 9 miles
3
Rest day
Easy Run: 3 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
Hills: 6 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 5 miles
Long Run: 12 miles
4
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
Hills: 6 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Long Run: 10 miles
5
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Hills: 7 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Long Run: 13 miles
6
Rest day
Easy Run: 7 miles
Easy Run: 7 miles
Hills: 8 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 6 miles
5K Race: 2-mile
warmup, 1-mile
cooldown
7
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Hills: 7 miles
Easy Run: 5 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 5 miles
Long Run: 16 miles
8
Rest day
Easy Run: 5 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
Hills: 8 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Long Run: 14 miles
9
Rest day
MPW: 9 miles
Easy Run: 3 miles
Speedwork: 8 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 3 miles
Long Run: 18 miles
10
Rest day
MPW: 10 miles
Rest day
Speedwork: 9 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Long Run: 20 miles
11
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Easy Run: 7 miles
MPW: 10 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Long Run: 20 miles
12
Rest day
Easy Run: 8 miles
Easy Run: 7 miles
Mile Repeats:
10 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 7 miles
Long Run: 15 miles
13
Rest day
Easy Run: 6 miles
Speedwork: 10 miles
Easy Run: 6 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 6 miles
Long Run: 22 miles
14
Rest day
Easy Run: 8 miles
Easy Run: 7 miles
Mile Repeats: 8 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 7 miles
Long Run: 15 miles
15
Rest day
Easy Run: 5 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
Hills: 6 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 5 miles
Long Run: 12 miles
16
Rest day
Easy Run: 5 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 5 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 3 miles
Race Day!
The Advanced Marathon Plan
Week
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Sat
Sun
1
Easy Run: 5 miles
Hills: 5 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
MPW: 6 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 5 miles
Long Run: 10 miles
2
Easy Run: 5 miles
Hills: 6 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
MPW: 6 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 5 miles
Long Run: 12 miles
3
Easy Run: 4 miles
Hills: 6 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
MPW: 8 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Long Run: 14 miles
4
Easy Run: 4 miles
Hills: 7 miles
Easy Run: 5 miles
MPW: 8 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Long Run: 10 miles
5
Easy Run: 3 miles
Hills: 8 miles
Easy Run: 5 miles
MPW: 8 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Long Run: 15 miles
6
Easy Run: 6 miles
Easy Run: 8 miles
MPW: 8 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 8 miles
Easy Run: 7 miles
5K Race: 2-mile
warmup, 2-mile
cooldown
7
Easy Run: 5 miles
Hills: 8 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
MPW: 8 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Long Run: 18 miles
8
Easy Run: 5 miles
Hills: 9 miles
Easy Run: 7 miles
MPW: 9 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 6 miles
Long Run: 16 miles
9
Rest day
Easy Run: 8 miles
Easy Run: 8 miles,
with 3 Mile Repeats
Easy Run: 4 miles
MPW: 9 miles
Easy Run: 5 miles
Long Run: 20 miles
10
Easy Run: 6 miles
Rest day
Speedwork: 9 miles
Rest day
MPW: 10 miles
Easy Run: 6 miles
Long Run: 22 miles
11
Easy Run: 6 miles
Rest day
Speedwork: 9 miles
Easy Run: 7 miles
MPW: 10 miles
Easy Run: 6 miles
Long Run: 20 miles
12
Easy Run: 6 miles
Rest day
Mile Repeats:
10 miles
Easy Run: 8 miles
MPW: 10 miles
Easy Run: 8 miles
Long Run: 16 miles
13
Easy Run: 6 miles
Easy Run: 7 miles
Speedwork: 10 miles
Rest day
Hills: 8 miles
Easy Run: 6 miles
Long Run: 23 miles
14
Easy Run: 6 miles
Rest day
Mile Repeats: 8 miles
Easy Run: 8 miles
MPW: 10 miles
Easy Run: 7 miles
Long Run: 16 miles
15
Easy Run: 4 miles
Hills: 7 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
MPW: 8 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 4 miles
Long Run: 13 miles
16
Rest day
Hills: 5 miles
Easy Run: 4 miles
MPW: 6 miles
Rest day
Easy Run: 3 miles
Race Day!