A good marathon training plan for beginners builds one long run a week, keeps the other runs easy and tapers before race day. Hal Higdon's Novice 1, his most popular plan, takes 18 weeks: long runs build from 6 miles in week 1 to 20 miles in week 15, every third week steps back, and the last 3 weeks taper. The TCS London Marathon offers free 16-week plans if you'd like a shorter build.
Your first marathon is less about speed than about turning up to the start line healthy. I read Hal Higdon's Novice 1 programme and the TCS London Marathon's training page to show how a beginner plan is put together, week by week and day by day.
How a Novice 1 week is built
| Day | What you do |
|---|---|
| Monday | Rest |
| Tuesday | Easy run, with slight increases as the weeks go on |
| Wednesday | The midweek run, building from 3 to 10 miles |
| Thursday | Easy run |
| Friday | Rest |
| Saturday | Long run, from 6 miles in week 1 to 20 miles in week 15 |
| Sunday | Cross-training, such as swimming, cycling or walking |
The long run is the plan
Hal Higdon is blunt about this: you can skip an occasional workout, but don't cheat on the long runs. They build from 6 miles to 20 miles in the climactic week 15, then you taper for 3 weeks. Every third week is a stepback week with less mileage, which is what lets your body absorb the work. He also suggests a half marathon in week 8, the week you'd normally run about 13 miles long, as a taste of race day.
Run the long runs slowly. His usual advice is 30 to 90 seconds or more per mile slower than marathon pace, but since you won't know your marathon pace yet, he says to run them at a comfortable pace instead. Walking breaks are fine too: he suggests walking through aid stations, because you can drink more easily walking than running.
Midweek miles match the weekend
One detail in Novice 1 surprises people: add up the weekday runs and you'll find you run roughly the same mileage during the week as in the weekend long run. As the long run grows, the weekday runs grow with it, but they stay at an easy pace. Wednesday is the one Hal Higdon calls a sorta-long run, building from 3 to 10 miles, while Tuesday and Thursday are planned as easy days with small increases.
What the London Marathon plans add
The TCS London Marathon's free plans run for 16 weeks and come with fundraising and nutrition tips and podcast suggestions, which helps if you're running for a charity place. Its training page also groups advice by topic, including getting started, nutrition and hydration, recovery, female training, family training and training during Ramadan, so you can find help for your own situation rather than a one-size plan.
Rest and cross-training
Novice 1 rests on Mondays and Fridays, before and after the weekend's hard work, and uses Sundays for cross-training: any aerobic exercise that uses slightly different muscles, with swimming, cycling or walking his top suggestions. On strength training, his line is that if you've never lifted before, your first marathon block isn't the time to start.
Picking your plan
- You're new to running or have only just started: Novice 1, which Hal Higdon designed with first marathoners in mind.
- You've been running for a year or more and have raced 5K to half marathon: he suggests looking at Novice 2 instead.
- You want a plan tied to a big city race, with fundraising and nutrition tips: the TCS London Marathon's free 16-week plans.
- You'd rather have a plan that adapts to your week: the London Marathon points to Coopah, its official training app.
- Whatever you pick, count back from race day so the taper lands in the last 3 weeks.
For the tech side, my guide to the best workout apps covers tracking, and if you train at home on rest days, here's the best home workout kit for small spaces.
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My advice on your first marathon plan
Pick a plan you can fit around work and family, then protect the Saturday long run like a client deadline. Slow down more than feels right, take the stepback weeks seriously and trust the taper. If in doubt, do less: Hal Higdon's own rule is that you can skip an occasional workout, but not the long runs.
Frequently asked questions
How many weeks do you need to train for a marathon as a beginner?
Hal Higdon's Novice 1 takes 18 weeks, and the TCS London Marathon publishes free 16-week plans.
How long should my longest run be before a marathon?
In Novice 1, the long run peaks at 20 miles in week 15, followed by a 3 week taper before race day.
How many rest days should a beginner marathon plan have?
Novice 1 has two rest days a week, Monday and Friday, plus cross-training on Sunday.
Is it OK to walk during marathon training?
Yes. Hal Higdon says walking is a perfectly acceptable strategy, and suggests walking through aid stations so you can drink.
