Beginner marathon training plan for your first marathon

The plan at a glance

Galloway-style: Run-walk intervals throughout, lower volume, conservative long runs. 9 quality sessions in total, with every fourth week lighter and a taper into race day.

Week by week

Training paces

Set from a recent 10k result, not the goal. Enter your own in the generator and they update.

• Easy8:01/km
• Marathon6:59/km
• Threshold6:32/km
• Interval5:57/km
• Repetition5:43/km
• Goal race7:07/km

Is run-walk really training?

Yes. Planned walk breaks start from the first kilometre, not when you are already exhausted. They let you cover the distance with less muscle damage and a faster recovery. Many first-timers finish faster with walk breaks than without them.

The sample uses two minutes of running and thirty seconds of walking on easy and long runs. Adjust the ratio as you get fitter.

What to expect in a first-marathon block

Nearly half of the plan is base: weeks 1 to 9 are easy running only, with rest on Mondays and Thursdays. The long run grows from 10 km to about 17 km in that time.

A short threshold run joins in week 10. In weeks 15 to 18 it becomes a goal-pace run of 4–5 km at about 7:07/km. The final two weeks taper, so you start fresh.

The long run is the session that matters most. It peaks at 24 km in week 18, two weeks before race day. At easy pace that is more than three hours on your feet.

Who this plan is not for

Someone who can’t yet run 5K without stopping. Build up to that first, over six to eight weeks, then start here.

Someone chasing a time. This plan is built to finish. If you already have a few half marathons behind you, the 18-week or sub-4 plans fit better.

Anyone carrying an injury. Get it seen to first. Twenty weeks of training make a niggle worse, not better.

Practise race day on your long runs

Eat and drink on every long run over 90 minutes, the way you will in the race. Try the gels or drinks the race hands out, so your stomach knows them.

Wear the shoes and kit you will race in on at least two long runs. Nothing new on race day.

Start the race with walk breaks from the first kilometre, even when the crowd makes you feel you don’t need them. The second half is where they pay off.

When to stop a run

Tired legs and general soreness are part of training. Sharp pain, pain that gets worse as you run, or anything that changes your stride is not. Stop, walk home, and take two or three days off before trying an easy run. If it comes back, see a physio.

Frequently asked questions