Marathon: beginner
A sixteen-week plan of four runs a week, with an optional cross-training day. The long run builds from 12 km to a peak of 30 km three weeks out, with a lighter week every fourth week. One tempo session a week keeps some pace in your legs, and a three-week taper brings you to race day fresh.
Runners who have run a half marathon, or can run about 12 km, and run three or four times a week.
Length
16 weeks
Runs a week
Up to 4
Biggest week
5 h 30 min
Level
Beginner
Weekly running time, week 1 to week 16
Paces for a 4:30:00 goal. You'll set your own when you start.
Easy
7:20 /km
Long run
7:10 /km
Threshold
5:55 /km
Goal
6:20 /km
Mile
5:15 /km
Week by week
Quality
Long run
Easy
Cross-train
Race
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Week 1
2 h 50 min
Week 2
2 h 55 min
Week 3
3 h 20 min
Week 4
2 h 50 min
Week 5
3 h 35 min
Week 6
3 h 45 min
Week 7
4 h 5 min
Week 8
3 h 20 min
Week 9
4 h 10 min
Week 10
4 h 45 min
Week 11
4 h 50 min
Week 12
3 h 50 min
Week 13
5 h 30 min
Week 14
4 h 15 min
Week 15
3 h 5 min
Week 16
4 h 50 min
Rest Mon, Fri
Days are a suggestion: once you start, you can move any session to another day that week. Not sure of your goal? Predict it from a recent race.
The workouts
25 different sessions make up its 64 runs. Open one to see it in full, or run it on its own.