Running training plans
Free running training plans, with every week written out and three levels per distance. Choose your race, check that you're ready to start, and follow the table. If you'd rather have a plan that changes when your week does, LeCoach builds one around your schedule, your recovery data and your goal.
Choose your training plan
| Training plan | Length | Runs per week | Time per week | Longest run | You can already run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half marathon | 12 weeks | 4 to 5 | 3 to 5.5 h | 18 to 20 km | 10 km |
| Marathon | 16 weeks | 4 to 6 | 3.5 to 7.5 h | 30 to 32 km | 14 km |
Training plans for 5K and 10K are coming soon. Each training plan has beginner, intermediate and advanced versions.
What makes a good running training plan
Whatever the distance, the plans that work have the same things in common:
- Mostly easy running. About 80% of your running should feel easy. Easy days build your endurance and let you recover for the sessions that matter.
- One or two harder sessions a week. Tempo, threshold and race pace running do the rest. More than that rarely helps amateur runners.
- A long run that builds slowly. About 10% a week at most.
- Lighter weeks. Every third or fourth week, so your body can catch up.
- A taper. Less running in the last two or three weeks, so you start fresh.
Find your paces
Your training plan is only as good as the paces you run it at. These calculators give you yours:
- Running pace calculator: pace, time and distance.
- VDOT calculator: your training paces from a recent race.
- Race time predictor: what a recent race says about your next one.
- Marathon pace calculator: your marathon pace and splits.
A fixed plan or one that adapts?
A written training plan is a good start, and it's free. It can't know that you slept badly, that work got busy or that your knee is complaining. For that you need to adjust it yourself, using the rules on each plan page.
LeCoach does that part with you. It reads your completed runs, HRV, sleep and resting heart rate, suggests a change when one makes sense and explains why. See how our AI running coach works, or compare the apps in our overview of the best AI running coach.
Running training plan FAQ
Start from your race and what you can do now. If you can run 10 km, the 12-week half marathon plan fits. If you can run about 14 km and run 3 to 4 times a week, you can start the 16-week marathon plan. When in doubt, choose the lower level.
Yes. You don't need an account: read them here or print them. LeCoach is a paid app, with a 14-day free trial, for runners who want a plan that adapts to them.
A written plan stays the same whatever happens. An AI running coach follows your runs and recovery, changes the plan when needed and answers your questions. If your weeks are predictable and you enjoy planning, a written plan may be all you need.
Yes, but count the load. A hard ride tires your legs too, so swap it for an easy run or a rest day rather than adding it on top. LeCoach can combine cycling and running in one training plan.
Want a training plan built around your week?
LeCoach builds your running training plan around your goal and your available days, and adapts it to your sleep, HRV and missed runs.
Try LeCoach free for 14 days