Marathon training plan for beginners: 18 weeks to your first marathon

How hard: the talk testStrong evidence

Do most of your running at a pace where you can still talk in full sentences. In small lab studies, the point where talking first got harder matched the first breathing threshold, and the talk test used on its own kept 30-minute runs at a steady training pace.

Health guidance lists running as vigorous activity, but effort is personal. On a 0 to 10 scale of how hard it feels to you, moderate effort is 5 or 6, where you can talk but not sing, and vigorous starts at 7 or 8, where you can say only a few words without pausing for breath. Down to short sentences on an easy day? Slow down, or walk for a minute.

In this plan, easy runs and the long run are conversational. Marathon effort, for the marathon pace sessions and the race, is steady: you can still talk, but it has started to take a little effort, about 4 or 5 out of 10, which is our description. Tempo runs are comfortably hard, short sentences only, about 6 or 7, and hills are hard, a few words at most, about 7 or 8.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Build up one run at a timeEmerging evidence

No weekly percentage rule has been shown to prevent injuries. In 532 new runners, a slower 13-week programme built on the "10% rule" injured as many people as a standard 8-week one (20.8% against 20.3%), and a review of trials found no evidence that a more gradual build prevents injuries.

In one study that followed 5,205 runners, mostly men around 46 with years of running behind them, a run more than about 10% longer than their longest run of the past month went with more injuries, while week-to-week changes in total distance didn't. That's an association, not a tested rule.

So the Saturday long run in this plan grows by about 10% at a time, measured against your longest run of the past month, with lighter weeks 4, 8, 11 and 14, and stops at our limit of 32 km or 3 and a half hours. If a week felt hard, repeat it.

Sources 7, 8, 9

Warm up by walking and jogging; stretching is optionalEmerging evidence

Start every run with 3 to 5 minutes of brisk walking, then ease into an easy jog: the NHS suggests 5 to 10 minutes of brisk walking or gentle jogging before you run. Before hills, intervals, tempo runs, time trials and races, add the drills and strides in each session: across 32 studies, warm-ups other than stretching improved performance in 79% of the results measured. Walk or jog easily for 3 to 5 minutes at the end.

Stretching hasn't been shown to prevent running injuries: in pooled trials it didn't reduce them. Stretch afterwards if it feels good.

Sources 10, 11, 8

Aches, pain and when to stopEmerging evidence

Stiff, achy legs for a day or two after a long run or a hard session are normal. Stop and rest if a pain is sharp, makes you limp or change how you run, or builds as you go, and skip your next run if it's worse the next morning. The NHS advises not running when you're in pain, and seeing a GP or physiotherapist if it doesn't go away; a very painful or swollen knee, or a sudden sharp pain at the back of the ankle, needs a GP straight away.

Pain in one spot on a bone that hurts to press, gets worse with each step and later aches at rest or at night can be a stress fracture: stop running and get it checked. When you can walk briskly without pain, restart a week or two back in the plan. In one study, injured new runners took a median of about 10 weeks to recover, so it pays to stop early.

Sources 10, 12, 13

Stop and get helpStrong evidence

Call 999 in the UK or 911 in the US for chest pain that feels tight or like squeezing, or spreads to your arms, neck, jaw or back; chest pain with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness; or severe difficulty breathing. Don't drive yourself to hospital. If someone stops responding and stops breathing, call and start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Call NHS 111 (in the US, your doctor or an urgent care centre) if you're suddenly more short of breath than usual, or have chest pain with feeling sick or a heartbeat that races, skips or flutters.

In the heat, tiredness, dizziness, a headache, feeling sick, heavy sweating and intense thirst can be heat exhaustion: stop, get somewhere cool, drink and cool your skin, and you should feel better within 30 minutes. If you don't, or there's confusion, hot skin that has stopped sweating, a fit or a collapse, call 999 or 911: that's heatstroke.

After drinking a lot on a long run or in the race, confusion, a headache, being sick or unusual tiredness can be low blood sodium, which can be fatal: get medical help straight away.

Sources 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

Missed sessions and breaks

Missed a session? Carry on where you left off; don't double up. Missed a week or more, or been ill? Repeat the last week you completed, or go back two (our suggestion). Repeating weeks is part of the plan, not a failure.

Shoes and kitStrong evidence

Wear running shoes that fit and feel comfortable. No type of running shoe has been shown to prevent injuries, and choosing shoes by foot shape made no difference in three trials of more than 7,000 military recruits. In 927 new runners in neutral shoes, feet that roll in weren't injured more often over a year.

Add a supportive sports bra if you need one, lights or reflective clothing in the dark, and a bottle, belt or vest for long runs. Race in shoes and kit you've already run long in.

Sources 19, 20

Check first, and who should start elsewhereStrong evidence

Answer the 7 questions of the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q+) before you start. A yes to any (a heart condition or high blood pressure, chest pain, dizziness or fainting, another long-term condition or its medicines, a bone or joint problem, or being told to exercise only under medical supervision) means checking with your doctor or a qualified exercise professional first. It also asks people over 45 who aren't used to hard, all-out effort to check before exercising that hard: think races, time trials and intervals, not easy runs. Wait if you have a cold or a fever. The NHS suggests speaking to a GP first if you have medical conditions or concerns.

US guidance says people without conditions or symptoms don't need to see a doctor first, and that people who are already active can step up to vigorous training without doing so; new symptoms as you step up mean seeing a doctor. Screening advice from the American College of Sports Medicine likewise turns on how active you are, any symptoms or known heart, metabolic or kidney disease, and how hard you plan to train.

Not these plans, or not yet: myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), where our ME/CFS exercise guide is the place to start; and pregnancy, unless you were already running or training hard, because the NHS advises against starting a new vigorous activity such as running.

Sources 21, 5, 6, 22, 23

Start from a half marathonEmerging evidence

Start with a half marathon, or about 16 km, already behind you, running 3 times a week. In 675 first-time New York City Marathon runners, those who had run a half marathon before were less likely to be injured (their odds were about 60% lower), and in 662 Danish marathon finishers asked afterwards, those who had been running under 30 km a week beforehand were injured about twice as often as those running 30 to 60 km. Both are associations, but they point the same way. Starting from scratch? Do our Couch to 5K, 10K and half marathon plans first.

Sources 24, 25

Injuries are common, so the plan bendsEmerging evidence

In 735 New York City Marathon runners followed for 16 weeks, 40% were injured while training and 16% during or just after the race. In 1,049 runners, the foot, knee and hip took most of the training injuries, and half of those injured sought medical care. In a trial in first-time marathon runners, 20 of 52 serious overuse injuries were bone stress injuries. A previous injury raised the risk most.

So repeat any week that felt hard, and stop for pain that changes how you run.

Sources 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

Three runs a week, a fourth if you likeEmerging evidence

Easy, harder and long: three runs a week is the shape of this plan, as it was for your half marathon. In first-time New York City Marathon runners, those averaging 4 or more runs a week were injured more often, but that's an association that may be confounded: runners who chose to run more often may have differed in other ways. Across 85 studies, more running went with faster marathons. So a fourth easy run is optional, not required.

Sources 24, 31

The long run: about 10% at a time, to our limitEmerging evidence

Your Saturday run grows from 16 km to 32 km, never more than about 10% beyond your longest run of the past month, with a lighter week every third or fourth week. In a study of 5,205 runners, single runs more than about 10% longer than the longest of the past month went with more injuries.

No trial has compared long-run lengths. In 441 Dutch marathon runners, a longest run under 25 km went with finishing about 13 minutes slower, with no link between training and injuries; in first-timers, longer long runs went with fewer injuries on race day; and across 85 studies, longer long runs went with faster times. These are associations: runners who are already faster may be the ones who run longer.

The beginner plans of England Athletics' road running coach and of the London Marathon peak at about 3 to 3 and a half hours. So our limit is 32 km or 3 and a half hours, whichever comes first, and it's an editorial choice, not a tested rule. Race day is then the one bigger step.

Sources 9, 32, 24, 31, 33, 34

Watch your weekly total tooMixed evidence

In 735 New York City Marathon runners, each day spent with a week's running at 1.5 times or more their average of the previous 4 weeks raised the odds of a training injury a little. In the larger study of 5,205 runners, week-to-week changes in total distance weren't linked with injury, while single long runs were. So the evidence is mixed, and this plan keeps both steady.

At about 6 minutes 45 seconds per kilometre, your running goes from about 28 km in week 1 to 47 to 51 km at the peak, a little more with the optional Sunday runs. Within each block it rises by about 5 to 10% a week, with lighter weeks between, and stays below about 1.2 times your average of the previous 4 weeks (our arithmetic). If you miss a week, don't make it up by doubling the next.

Sources 26, 9

Mostly easy, one steadier sessionMixed evidence

Most of your running is at a pace where you can talk in full sentences, and Tuesday's session moves from hills to tempo runs to marathon pace. In 48 recreational marathon and half marathon runners, more steady, comfortably hard running went with faster races, but no fixed split of easy and hard running has been shown best for recreational runners.

The repeats and block lengths are our editorial starting point. Tired, or something aches? Run it easy.

Sources 35, 36, 37

Find your marathon pace, then start slowerEmerging evidence

Set a goal pace with our running pace calculator from a recent 10K or half marathon and your weekly mileage. In 2,303 recreational runners, the usual formula was right on average for the 10K and half marathon, but for the marathon it was 10 minutes or more too fast for half of them, and adding weekly mileage made predictions better.

In more than 25,000 recreational marathon runners, 6-hour finishers raced at about 79% of their critical speed (the fastest pace they could sustain, worked out from their training data) and 2 and a half hour finishers at about 93%, and those who started above about 94% were likelier to slow sharply. That's why marathon effort in this plan is only a little faster than easy running for most first-timers: you can talk, with a little effort (our description, from those figures).

On race day, start at your goal pace or a little slower. In 1.9 million race records, 28% of men and 17% of women slowed sharply late in the race, and men and slower runners slowed most in the second half.

Sources 38, 39, 40, 41

Walk breaks are a methodEmerging evidence

In a randomised study of 42 non-elite marathon runners, those who took walk breaks finished in about the same time as those who ran throughout (4 hours 14 minutes against 4 hours 8), with less muscle pain and fatigue. Train with the long run's walk breaks if you plan to use them on race day.

Source 42

Fuel: practise it, then top up before the raceEmerging evidence

Guidance for athletes suggests 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate an hour in events longer than about an hour, and up to 90 g an hour beyond 2 and a half hours from mixes of different sugars, with less needed when the pace is slow. Practise 30 to 60 g an hour on every long run, from gels or a sports drink, and on race day use only what you've practised. The gut adapts: in a small trial, 2 weeks of practice cut stomach symptoms by about 60%, and in 28 non-elite runners, a planned 60 g an hour went with a marathon 4.7% faster than in matched runners who ate and drank as they pleased.

In the last day or two, eat more carbohydrate than usual, from familiar foods. Topping up muscle carbohydrate helps in events longer than about 90 minutes, and London Marathon runners who ate more than 7 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight the day before (about 500 g for a 70 kg runner, our arithmetic) ran faster and slowed less, an association.

Sources 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49

The taperEmerging evidence

Over the last 3 weeks, the long run and your total running fall each week while your usual days and some marathon-pace running stay. Among 158,000 recreational marathon runners, a strict 3-week taper, with training falling every week, went with finishing about 5 and a half minutes (2.6%) faster than a minimal taper, an association. In athletes, cutting training volume by about 41 to 60% while keeping intensity and frequency worked best.

Sources 50, 51, 52

How much to drink: to thirst, and never gain weightMixed evidence

Drinking more than you sweat out is what causes dangerously low blood sodium. In 488 Boston Marathon runners, 13% finished with it, linked with putting on weight during the race and with finishing times over 4 hours; 12.5% of 88 London Marathon runners had it on a cool day; and in 2,135 weighed athletes, weight gain from drinking too much was the main cause.

Experts differ on how much to drink. A 2017 expert update recommends drinking to thirst, which prevents low blood sodium in races like this, and says salt tablets don't protect you if you over-drink. Another expert review suggests planned drinking may suit hot races, heavy sweaters and anyone with a fixed carbohydrate plan. Guidance for athletes aims to avoid losing more than about 2% of body weight.

So on race day, drink to thirst, and plan more only for a hot race or if you sweat heavily; never drink so much that you gain weight. Weighing yourself before and after long runs shows which way you lean. Confusion, a headache, being sick or unusual tiredness after drinking a lot can be low blood sodium: get medical help straight away.

Sources 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 18

Painkillers before the raceEmerging evidence

Avoid painkillers such as ibuprofen or aspirin before or during the race. In 3,913 Bonn Marathon runners who answered a survey, those who took them had about 5 times as many problems, and all 9 hospital admissions, including 3 for kidney failure after ibuprofen, were among them. That's an association, but there's nothing to gain. If you take painkillers for a health condition, ask your doctor about race day.

Source 59

Strength once or twice a weekEmerging evidence

Twice a week through week 10, once from week 11, and none in race week, as in our strength training plan for runners. Strength training makes running more economical, by about 2 to 8% in most studies, and in 28 well-trained men, 10 weeks of heavy lifting and jumps kept running economy better late in a 90-minute run. It hasn't been shown to prevent running injuries: across 9 trials in endurance runners, exercise programmes didn't clearly reduce them, and a short home programme didn't help 720 first-time marathon runners.

Lift more than 3 hours after Tuesday's run, and never the day before the long run.

Sources 60, 61, 62, 28

Your heartStrong evidence

Cardiac arrest during marathons is rare: in US races from 2010 to 2023 it happened to about 1 in every 100,000 runners, fewer of those runners died than in the 2000s, and quicker CPR went with survival. In London, only 1 of 8 runners who died had reported symptoms beforehand, and in Paris, a third of runners with heart events had symptoms before the race.

Questionnaires can miss things: in 25 healthy-looking men aged 35 to 50 training for a first marathon, detailed heart tests found serious conditions in 3 that standard questionnaires had missed. So answer the PAR-Q+ questions before you start, and never ignore, or race with, chest pain, fainting, palpitations or a fever.

Sources 63, 64, 65, 66, 21

HeatStrong evidence

Marathon times slow as it gets warmer, slower runners most, and more runners drop out in the heat. On a hot race day, start slower than planned, use the shade and the water stations, and know the signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke above.

Sources 67, 68, 17

Fuel, periods and bonesEmerging evidence

Training more on too little food harms health and performance in women and men (relative energy deficiency in sport, or REDs). In runners, irregular or missing periods went with stress fractures, and Health New Zealand lists sudden increases in training, such as training for a marathon, among their causes. If your periods stop, or a bone hurts in one spot, see a GP.

Sources 69, 70, 12

What it does for youEmerging evidence

Training for a first marathon lowered central blood pressure by about 4/3 mmHg (millimetres of mercury) and made the aorta less stiff, about 4 years younger in "vascular age", in 138 first-time London Marathon runners aged 21 to 69, more so in older, slower runners. There was no comparison group.

Source 71

How to adapt it

Our suggestions, with the evidence where there is some:

• Three runs only: skip the Sunday run.
• Three days only: do strength B later on Wednesday, after the easy run.
• No gym: do the home session twice a week.
• Older or slower to recover: use the 20-week version and stop the 32 km runs at 3 hours. US guidance says older adults may need 2 to 4 weeks to adapt to each step.
• Run-walk the race: use the long run's rhythm of 9 minutes running and 1 walking (or 28 and 2, as the London Marathon's plan does) from week 1, and keep it on race day. Run-walkers finished in about the same time in a trial.
• A higher body weight: go by time rather than distance on the long run.
• A missed week or an illness: repeat the last full week, and after 2 weeks or more off, go back two. In New York City Marathon runners, 27% were ill at some point in training, so expect it.
• Achilles, calf or shin pain: skip the hills and the hops, run easy, and see the matching pain guide.
• A hot race: start slower and follow the heat advice above.
• Diabetes treated with insulin or a sulfonylurea: plan carbohydrate and doses with your diabetes team, and see our type 1 and type 2 diabetes exercise guides.

Sources 6, 34, 42, 26