16-week marathon training plan

A marathon is unforgiving if you start too high, so pick the level that matches what you do now. If you're between two, take the lower one.

Never run a half marathon? Our 12-week half marathon training plan is a better first step, and it leaves you ready to start this one.

Every session in this training plan uses one of five efforts. Find your own paces with the running pace calculator or the VDOT calculator, using a recent race. No recent race? Start from the heart rate and effort columns. Your max heart rate is best taken from a hard effort, because age formulas can be well off.

Heart rate lags behind in short efforts, so use pace or feel on anything under 5 minutes. On hills and hot days, go by effort and let your pace drop.

Four ideas carry the whole schedule:

• Mostly easy. About 80% of your running is easy, which is how you can handle this much distance without getting hurt.
• Build slowly. Your long run grows by about 10% a week at most, and weeks 4, 8 and 12 are easier weeks.
• Get specific late. From about week 9 your main session moves to marathon pace, so you know exactly how it should feel.
• Taper properly. The last three weeks bring your distance down step by step, so you start fresh.

Each table lists the runs in order. Put them on the days that suit you, with these three rules:

• Long run on the day you have the most time, usually Saturday or Sunday.
• At least one easy day or rest day between the session with efforts and the long run.
• At least one full rest day a week. Beginners and intermediate runners do well with two or three.

Start every session with efforts with 10 to 15 minutes easy, and finish with 5 to 10 minutes easy. That running is included in the distance.

Four runs a week. Your long run builds from 14 to 30 km. Strides are relaxed, fast runs of 20 seconds with a full walk back. Your goal is to finish well, so take the pace on long runs easy.

Five runs a week with one main session. Your long run builds from 18 to 32 km.

Six runs a week with two sessions for most of the plan. Your long run builds from 22 to 32 km.

The marathon is as much about fuel as about legs. Use your long runs from about 20 km to practise what you'll do on race day: most runners take about 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate an hour, in gels, drink or food. Practise with the products you'll use in the race, because your stomach needs training as well. The race nutrition calculator and carb loading calculator help you work out your own numbers, and the marathon pace calculator gives you your splits.

After your last long run in week 13, your distance comes down over three weeks. The small race pace sessions keep your legs awake. Many runners feel flat, restless or suddenly notice small aches. That's normal and it says nothing about your fitness. Don't add extra runs to feel better: you can't gain fitness now, only lose freshness.

In the final days, sleep well, eat more carbohydrate than usual and keep your race day routine the same as in your long runs.

Life gets in the way of every training plan. Use these rules:

• Missed one easy run: let it go.
• Missed the session with efforts: do it later this week if you still have a day between it and the long run. Otherwise skip it.
• Missed the long run: do it within the next two days if you can, and take an easy day after it. Otherwise pick the plan back up at the next week and don't try to catch up.
• Missed a full week: repeat the week before you stopped, then carry on.
• Sick: rest until your symptoms have gone, then restart with a few easy runs. Fever or symptoms in your chest mean no running, and see a doctor if you're worried.
• Tired for several days, poor sleep or low HRV: make the next session with efforts an easy run. One easier day costs you nothing.
• Pain that changes how you run: stop, and have it checked. Running through it rarely ends well, and a marathon build gives you little room to recover from an injury.