Marathon training plan
Sixteen weeks and five days a week to prepare for a marathon: a long base, long runs up to three hours, marathon-pace blocks, three deload weeks and a three-week taper.
By My PR ·
- Level
- Intermediate-advanced
- Length
- 16 weeks
- Days a week
- 5
- Longest run
- 3 h
A marathon is won with volume and lost by rushing. This plan spends almost half its weeks on base, builds the long run without jumps and only at the end adds long marathon-pace blocks, which is where you learn to hold that pace on tired legs.
- Prerequisite
- 28-30 miles (45-50 km) a week for months
- With a recent long run of 1 h 45 min. If it is your first marathon and you are not there, extend your base before starting.
- Key session
- 2 h 50 min long run with 2 × 20′ at marathon pace
- Week 13, three weeks out from the race.
Before you start
This is a generic plan, not a prescription. If you have pain that gets worse when you run, a recent injury, heart disease or any medical concern, check with a health professional first. If a session leaves you sore for more than a day, cut the volume; do not repeat it to “make it up”.
Marathon plan, week by week
| Week | Phase | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Saturday | Sunday · long run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W1 | Base | vVO₂max test: 6′ at the fastest pace you can hold | Easy run 45′ Z2 | Easy run 45′ Z2 | Easy run 35′ Z2 + 4 strides | Long run 105′ Z2 |
| W2 | Base | Tempo 15′ Z4 (85-90 %) | Easy run 45′ Z2 | Easy run 50′ Z2 | Easy run 35′ Z2 + 4 strides | Long run 110′ Z2 |
| W3 | Base | Hills 8 × 1′ hard · jog down | Easy run 50′ Z2 | Easy run 50′ Z2 | Easy run 40′ Z2 + 4 strides | Long run 120′ Z2 |
| W4 | Base · deload | Tempo 15′ Z4 (85-90 %) | Easy run 30′ Z2 | Easy run 30′ Z2 | Easy run 30′ Z2 | Long run 85′ Z2 |
| W5 | Base | Hills 10 × 1′ hard · jog down | Easy run 50′ Z2 | Easy run 55′ Z2 | Easy run 40′ Z2 + 4 strides | Long run 130′ Z2 |
| W6 | Base | Tempo 20′ Z4 (85-90 %) | Easy run 55′ Z2 | Easy run 55′ Z2 | Easy run 40′ Z2 + 4 strides | Long run 140′ Z2 |
| W7 | Build | 4 × 3′30″ Z5 (95-100 %) · equal jog recovery | Easy run 50′ Z2 | Tempo 20′ Z4 (85-90 %) | Easy run 40′ Z2 | Long run 150′ Z2, last 20′ in Z3 |
| W8 | Build · deload | vVO₂max test: 6′ at the fastest pace you can hold | Easy run 35′ Z2 | Easy run 35′ Z2 | Easy run 25′ Z2 | Long run 105′ Z2 |
| W9 | Build | 5 × 4′ Z5 (95-100 %) · equal jog recovery | Easy run 55′ Z2 | Tempo 25′ Z4 (85-90 %) | Easy run 40′ Z2 | Long run 160′ Z2, last 25′ in Z3 |
| W10 | Build | 15 × 30/30 Z5 (100-105 %) | Easy run 55′ Z2 | Threshold 4 × 8′ Z4 (86-90 %) · 2′ recovery | Easy run 45′ Z2 | Long run 170′ Z2, last 25′ in Z3 |
| W11 | Build | 5 × 4′ Z5 (95-100 %) · equal jog recovery | Easy run 60′ Z2 | Tempo 30′ Z4 (85-90 %) | Easy run 45′ Z2 | Long run 180′ Z2, last 25′ in Z3 |
| W12 | Specific · deload | Tempo 20′ Z4 (85-90 %) | Easy run 45′ Z2 | Easy run 45′ Z2 | Easy run 30′ Z2 | Long run 120′ Z2, with 2 × 15′ at marathon pace |
| W13 | Specific | Tempo 30′ Z4 (85-90 %) | Easy run 60′ Z2 | 2 × 5 km at marathon pace Z3 (77-80 %) · 3′ recovery | Easy run 45′ Z2 | Long run 170′ Z2, with 2 × 20′ at marathon pace |
| W14 | Taper | 3 × 2 km at marathon pace Z3 (77-80 %) · 3′ recovery | Easy run 50′ Z2 | Easy run 50′ Z2 | Easy run 40′ Z2 | Long run 130′ Z2 |
| W15 | Taper | 2 × 2 km at marathon pace Z3 (77-80 %) · 3′ recovery | Easy run 40′ Z2 | Easy run 40′ Z2 | Easy run 30′ Z2 | Long run 95′ Z2 |
| W16 | Taper | Easy run 30′ Z2 + 5 strides | Easy run 30′ Z2 | Easy run 20′ Z2 + 3 strides | Rest | Race day (marathon) |
Three hours is the cap on the long run even if you do not reach 30 km (18-19 miles): beyond that, wear and tear grows much faster than the benefit. What prepares you is time on your feet and having run tired at marathon pace, not the exact mileage.
How it is organized
- 1
Base (weeks 1-6)
vVO₂max test, easy runs, tempo and hills, with one quality session a week. The long run goes from 1 h 45 min to 2 h 20 min. Week 4 is a deload.
- 2
Build (weeks 7-11)
Two quality sessions a week and long runs with a progressive finish up to 3 h. Week 8 is a deload with a vVO₂max test.
- 3
Specific (weeks 12-13)
Marathon-pace blocks: inside the long run and as 2 × 5 km midweek. Week 12 opens with a deload.
- 4
Taper (weeks 14-16)
Three weeks of falling volume —about 80% and 60%, then little more than the race— while still touching marathon pace.
Deload and taper
To arrive fresh, cut volume and keep intensity
The reference meta-analysis on tapering found the most effective approach was a taper of about two weeks, cutting volume by 41-60% progressively without dropping intensity or session frequency. That is why the last weeks of each plan still include short intervals or race pace, just less of it.
What is most linked to injury is suddenly lengthening a single run
In a cohort of more than 5,000 runners, a session more than 10% longer than the longest of the previous month was associated with more overuse injuries; week-to-week changes in volume were not. The weekly 10% rule was never validated, while the risk of big jumps does show up in the literature. It is an observational study: a guide, not a guarantee.
Fueling is trained too
On runs longer than 90 minutes, practice what you will take on race day. Your gut adapts as well, and marathon morning is not the time to try a new gel (eating and drinking on the run).
How to adapt it
- If it is your first marathon, the goal is to finish well: set your pace in the app from your own vVO₂max, not someone else’s time.
- If you miss a long run, do not merge it into the next one: do the planned run and respect the 10% cap.
- If aches do not settle, drop back to the previous week or the deload week; a marathon is not fixed in the last week.
- After the race, two easy weeks are not too many.
Takeaways
- Sixteen weeks, five days, almost half of it base.
- Long runs up to 3 h, never jumping more than 10%.
- Marathon-pace blocks only in the specific phase.
- A three-week taper; nothing new in the last one.
Sources
- [1]Bosquet L, Montpetit J, Arvisais D, Mujika I (2007). Effects of tapering on performance: a meta-analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. meta-analysis
- [2]Frandsen JSB, et al. (2025). How much running is too much? Identifying high-risk running sessions in a 5200-person cohort study. British Journal of Sports Medicine. trial
- [3]Damsted C, Glad S, Nielsen RO, Sørensen H, Malisoux L (2018). Is there evidence for an association between changes in training load and running-related injuries? A systematic review. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. review
- [4]Nielsen RO, Parner ET, Nohr EA, Sørensen H, Lind M, Rasmussen S (2014). Excessive progression in weekly running distance and risk of running-related injuries: an association which varies according to type of injury. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. trial
Other plans
Your plan, at your paces, for your race date
Tell the app your race, the days you have and what you run now: it builds the weeks, warns you if the goal is optimistic and adjusts the plan when life does not follow the table.
