If you’re looking to train for a marathon over the next 24 weeks (6 months), you’re in the right place. This article will provide you with a free 24 week marathon training plan and help you avoid a lot of the potential disasters that beginner runners make when trying to get to the finish line. 

This training plan is designed for beginner runners to complete over 6 months. Beginner runners are those who are brand new to running or who may be returning to it after a long break. No matter your situation, this article will help you go from couch to marathon with your best possible fitness. 

This marathon program is adapted from the training plans in our app that are written by coaches who know exactly what it takes for amateur age group runners to overcome challenges and reach their endurance race goals. 

In this post you will learn:

• How to go from couch to marathon
• What makes a great learn to run program
• How long is a marathon
• What’s an average finish time for a marathon
• How to train for a marathon as a beginner runner
• What’s a fast marathon finish time
• How long you should train for a marathon
• What is your marathon pace
• What is a 24 week couch to marathon training program

To train for this marathon you can absolutely use the training plan below. But if you really want a personalized training program that’s designed for your abilities, your goals, and your schedule, you should check out the MOTTIV training app. You can use it for free and it includes much more detailed and personalized plans than we can include in a blog post.

How to Go from Couch to Marathon

Starting off your running journey with a marathon is certainly an admirable goal, some runners will slowly build through some shorter distance events such as a 5K or a half marathon, before tackling the full marathon. But, there is no reason an athlete can't start with the full distance. 

When going from couch to marathon, the key is to give yourself a proper amount of time in order to reach a few crucial milestones ahead of race day. 

These milestones are:

1. Learn to run with proper form
2. Build baseline fitness
3. Build endurance and durability
4. Build speed endurance 
5. Sharpen up for race day

Any good couch to marathon training plan will aim to tackle these key pieces of the puzzle to build your marathon fitness. Our plan specifically targets these puzzle pieces to get you to the start line fit and confident that you can (and will!) conquer your marathon challenge. 

The MOTTIV Method for Learn to Run

While running is a relatively simple sport to learn, many new runners pick up some bad habits that can hurt them later on in their running career. This is why a proper learn to run program is necessary to help new runners begin their career with proper form in order to prevent injury and increase the effectiveness of the training to come. 

The first problem we aim to address is the lack of specific training found in most learn to run programs. Many programs simply have new runners get out the door and run aimlessly for longer and longer at whatever pace they can hold. While this plan can be effective in building simple endurance, it doesn't properly train a runner for performance. It also has a few negative impacts which are:

• Develops and enforces poor running form
• Doesn’t build strength or speed
• Limits runners to monotonous shuffling

At MOTTIV, we designed our learn to run training program with these issues in mind, and we utilize specific learn to run workouts and exercises to help you start your running career in the best shape possible. You'll not only gradually build endurance with some traditional workouts, but we'll also have you doing some drills and sprints to build form and add some diversity to your running ability. 

Learn to Run with Sprints and Drills

While you won’t be doing muc, if any, sprinting on marathon day it's important to include sprints in your training to build proper running technique. Sprint efforts teach the legs to turn over more rapidly and recruit a larger array of muscles to support the effort. Sprinting will supplement your endurance-build by not only sharpening your legs for the slower efforts but by strengthening your mind to push through when the going gets tough. 

Through your journey of learning to run, it's also important to include some drills which help build form by coaxing your body into the proper position that may not come naturally to all new runners. 

The main drill we use is a butt-kick drill which helps enforce a forward lean in the running stance. The drill itself will see a runner start with stationary butt-kicks, slowly leaning forward to the point that they begin to fall forward. When falling forward, driving the leg forward into the running stride will place a runner into a natural stance that has a forward tilt. Utilizing drills like this will improve a runners efficiency and can also reduce the risk of injury from improper form. 

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Reducing Injury Risk with Trail Running 

Another unique approach we take in not only our learn to run but all of our run training plans is to encourage trail running on longer, easy running days. Running on trails has the effect of both reducing the impact on the legs but it also helps runners to slow down because the uneven surfaces mean they have to focus on each step. Running too fast when you're supposed to be running slowly will prevent athletes from gaining critical base endurance.

Just be sure to move confidently and comfortably, being careful not to roll your ankle or take a tumble due to a careless mistake. Trail running is all about how well you can control your effort to stay stable and safe. If you’re new to running, you may even find yourself doing these workouts at a brisk walking pace as you build fitness. And that's absolutely okay!

Training Tips for Successfully Tackling the Marathon Distance

Before diving into the training, we'd like to answer the most common questions people have about marathons.

How Long is a Marathon:

If you’re looking to take on the marathon distance, you likely already know just how far a marathon is. But if you’re newly into running or simply don’t know the numbers, we'll start by answering the simple question of, “How many miles is a marathon?” or “How many kilometres is a marathon?” for our metric friends around the world.

A marathon is 26.2 miles or 42.2 kilometres and is the final challenge before reaching the ultra marathon distance. Now that you know how long the marathon is, you can enter your age and gender into the calculator below to find out what a good finish time in the marathon is for your age group. 

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How Much to Train for a Marathon:

Determining how much training you need for a marathon will depend on a few key factors: both your experience level and athletic history and your goals for the race will determine how much weekly training volume you'll need, as well as how many weeks of training are required to achieve your goals. 

By using the calculator below, you can determine how much you will need to train to reach your marathon goals. Whether you come from an athletic background and simply want to finish, or you're a newer runner aiming to win your age group, the training required will be quite different and our calculator will identify an optimal training load to get you there.

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What Gear Do You Need to Train for a Marathon

There are two items we recommend all runners have to prepare for a marathon:

1. Proper running shoes. Check out this article about what to look for in running shoes. 
2. A chest-strap heart rate monitor. Here's an article on everything you need to know about heart rate training zones and why we use them. 

These items are essential because a good pair of shoes will protect your feet, providing the stability and cushioning you need in order to remain injury-free. And, a heart rate monitor will allow you to track how your body is responding to training as well as being a critical tool for measuring your effort during a run, so you can follow the workout instructions exactly. 

Additional gear can be beneficial depending on where you live and where you're running, but you don't need anything else to get in really good training. A headlamp can be a great option for training in the early morning before the sun comes up, and items like a handheld water bottle or running vest can be nice options for carrying fuel on your longer training days. 

A running watch such as a Garmin can also be an excellent way to keep track of your workouts, giving you a live feed of your heart rate and pace as well as other valuable metrics to enhance your training. 

Women certainly need to consider even more elements when choosing the gear they need for running. This article will help guide female runners when they're gearing up.

How to Pace a Marathon

A marathon, unlike shorter distance races, requires a more technical approach to pacing. Given the duration of a marathon, it's paramount that you set off at a sustainable pace and remember that a properly paced marathon will feel relatively easy (some people say "too easy") until you approach the final 10-15 kilometres. 

A good marathon training plan will include workouts which develop your ability to run longer at race pace without getting tired. You can use the calculator below to calculate your approximate marathon race pace for these intervals.

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Heart Rate Training Zones

When training for a marathon, much of your training will be spent at a relatively low intensity. When training at lower intensities, it's important to train based on your own individual fitness levels -- that's why using heart rate zones to train is the most effective way to gain fitness and speed.|

You might feel like you're training at slower paces than you expected to run at but it's perfectly normal. Training this way will allow you to build endurance without stressing your body more than it can handle. Calculate your heart rate training zones with this calculator:

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Marathon Training Pace Zones

As mentioned above, heart rate based training is going to be used predominantly throughout a good marathon training program, however as the intensity of a training session increases, pace will become the better metric to guide your training. 

While heart rate is a better identifier of what’s happening in your body during training, during shorter and more intense intervals your heart rate will lag by 60-120 seconds which renders it useless for reaching the optimal intensity. However, pace gives you an instantaneous readout of how fast you are running. 

Use this calculator to identify your running paces in min/km and/or min/mile: 

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What to Eat When Training for a Marathon

Nutrition is often overlooked by athletes who don't understand that your fuel strategy can make or break any run training plan. Whether you’re looking to finish your first 5k or do something huge like qualify for the Boston marathon, if your body doesn’t have the fuel it needs, you won't perform your best in training or racing. Without the right fuel, your body's ability to recover from and absorb the training will be greatly reduced -- meaning, it will be very difficult to get faster or build enough endurance to complete the distance of your race.

Physiologists and nutritionists we've worked with believe that proper nutrition and hydration can generate the same race results with half the training. This article discusses what to eat before your runs, and this article explains what you should eat during running workouts and races in order to maximise your performance. 

Here are some of the biggest principles to know for a runner's diet plan:

1. Eat as little processed food as possible
2. Never under fuel; eating too little is just as dangerous as eating too much 
3. Try not to limit calories; healthy foods and good training will take care of weight management on their own
4. Always eat before and after workouts
5. Eat plenty of carbs before intense workouts to hit peak efforts in workouts
6. Eat low-blood sugar foods before easier workouts to make your body efficient at producing energy

Use the calculator below to understand how many calories you should be consuming for a given workout or race.

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Rest and Recovery

Arguably, the most important part of any training program is allowing your body to rest and absorb the training you have put it through. Rest comes in the form of the following:

• REST DAYS: Endurance athletes should take at least two days a week of either complete rest or very low-intensity training
• REST WEEKS: Our run training plans have a rest week scheduled every third or fourth week, where total training time is cut by roughly 40%, allowing the body to rest and get ready for the next several weeks‍

While you might want to train hard all the time, remember that Workouts + Rest = Progress. 

Tapering for a Marathon

In addition to the recovery weeks and rest days, it is important to properly reduce training volume in the last week or two before race day. Reducing training by 50-60% will allow your body to flush out any residual fatigue and absorb all of the training you’ve put in over the past several weeks or months. 

While the taper process is aimed at resting your body for the upcoming effort of race day, this does not mean that you will be doing nothing or very little. Training during the taper will include shorter bursts of speed to ensure your body is primed for race pace efforts so you don’t end up feeling flat when you get to the start line. 

Take the taper process seriously, resting and sleeping as much as possible during taper week. This study outlines the importance of the taper process and different strategies for resting leading up to your target race.

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Couch to Marathon Training Plan Workouts 

Our MOTTIV running training plans are expertly crafted by the coaches at Run Free Training who have a fantastic understanding of how to build training plans that are time efficient and are doable for age group runners. The coaches are elite runners themselves who combine their experience and knowledge in the creation of effective run training plans that will help you achieve your running goals. 

Beginner Marathon Training Plan Workouts

Our beginner marathon training plan has three days per week of running. The training load maxes out at roughly six hours of training per week. 

Beginner runners are athletes who are one of the following:

• Runners who have never run a race before
• Previous runners who are returning to running after a few years off
• Runners who want a training plan with as little training as possible that will still get them confidently across the finish line

Our beginner marathon training plan features 3 workouts each week. These key weekly workouts are:

• One long run 
• One interval run
• One tempo run

We'll explain the high-level points about each of these workouts below.

The Long Run in a Marathon Training Plan

The most important run in a run training plan is the weekly long run; most runners do this workout on the weekend when they have more time available. The long run is low intensity, building up gradually to eventually reach between three and four hours for a marathon training plan. 

This run will build endurance and teach your body to produce the energy necessary to complete the distance of your race. You can learn all about the details of the long run in this article.
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The Interval Run for Marathon training

The second most important run in a run training plan is a weekly interval run, which we call the Intense Run in the MOTTIV training app. Most athletes do this run on a weekday. The interval run will build your top-end speed and is based on your run pace determined in the calculator above. 

You can learn all about how to execute an interval run and what to eat before and during the workout to get the most out of it in this article here.

The Tempo Run in a Marathon Training Program

The weekly Tempo Run (which we call the Steady Run in our app) bridges the gap between the endurance you build in your Long Runs and the speed you build in your Interval Runs. It teaches you how to run fast without getting tired. 

Tempo Runs have been proven to be a key component of a successful run training plan. You can learn all about Tempo Runs in this article here.

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Marathon Training Plan

Below is a marathon training plan designed to build running fitness and prepare you for your upcoming race. The plan will begin with a focus on developing your ability to run before building up your endurance and speed towards race day. As the plan moves into its race preparation phase, you will spend more time at intensity as you dial in for race day. This plan will ensure you will reach your start line ready to go.

• WEEK 1: Start Learning to Run (2 hours)
•   Monday: Walk/Jog Intervals (24min)
•     6x1 min jog, 3min  walk
•   Tuesday: Rest Day
•   Wednesday: Sprints (30min) 
•     Warm up: 5min  walk to jog, increasing pace to a light jog 
•     Intervals: 5x10sec  with 2-4min easy jog until fully recovered
•     Cooldown: 5min jog to walk, decreasing pace from a light jog to walking
•   Thursday: Rest Day
•   Friday: Walk/Jog Intervals (28min)
•     7x1min jog, 3min  walk
•   Saturday: Rest Day
•   Sunday: Steady 
•     30min strong hike/brisk walk
• WEEK 2: Increase Running Duration (2 hours)
•   Monday: Walk/Jog Intervals (24min)
•     6x1.5min jog, 2.5min  walk 
•   Tuesday: Rest Day
•   Wednesday: Sprints (30min)
•     Warm up: 5min  walk to jog, increasing pace to a light jog 
•     Intervals: 6x10sec  with 2-4min easy jog until fully recovered
•     Cooldown: 5min jog to walk, decreasing pace from a light jog to walking
•   Thursday: Rest Day
•   Friday: Walk/Jog Intervals (28min)
•     7x1.5min jog, 2.5min  walk
•   Saturday: Rest Day
•   Sunday: Steady
•     35min  strong hike/brisk walk
• WEEK 3: Increase Running Duration (2 hours)
•   Monday: Walk/Jog Intervals (24min)
•     6x2min jog, 2min  walk 
•   Tuesday: Rest Day
•   Wednesday: Sprints (30min)
•     Warm up: 5min  walk to jog, increasing pace to a light jog 
•     Intervals: 7x10sec  with 2-4min easy jog until fully recovered
•     Cooldown: 5min jog to walk, decreasing pace from a light jog to walking
•   Thursday: Rest Day
•   Friday: Walk/Jog Intervals (28min)
•     7x2min jog, 2min  walk
•   Saturday: Rest Day
•   Sunday: Steady
•     40min  strong hike/brisk walk
• WEEK 4: Introduce Steady Jogging During Hike (2:10 hours)
•   Monday: Walk/Jog Intervals (24min)
•     6x2.5min jog, 1.5min  walk
•   Tuesday: Rest Day
•   Wednesday: Sprints (30min)
•     Warm up: 5min  walk to jog, increasing pace to a light jog 
•     Intervals: 8x10sec  with 2-4min easy jog until fully recovered
•     Cooldown: 5min jog to walk, decreasing pace from a light jog to walking
•   Thursday: Rest Day
•   Friday: Walk/Jog Intervals (28min)
•     7x2.5min jog, 1.5min  walk
•   Saturday: Rest Day
•   Sunday: Steady
•     40min  strong hike/brisk walk (jog the final 5minutes)
• WEEK 5: Build Up Steady Jogging During Hike (2:10 hours)
•   Monday: Walk/Jog Intervals (24min)
•     6x3min jog, 1min  walk
•   Tuesday: Rest Day
•   Wednesday: Sprints (30min)
•     Warm up: 5min  walk to jog, increasing pace to a light jog 
•     Intervals: 5x15sec  with 2-4min easy jog until fully recovered
•     Cooldown: 5min jog to walk, decreasing pace from a light jog to walking
•   Thursday: Rest Day
•   Friday: Walk/Jog Intervals (28min)
•     7x3min jog, 1min  walk
•   Saturday: Rest Day
•   Sunday: Steady
•     40min  strong hike/brisk walk (jog the final 7minutes)
• WEEK 6: Almost Continuous Running (2:10 hours)
•   Monday: Walk/Jog Intervals (24min)
•     6x3.5min jog, 30sec  walk
•   Tuesday: Rest Day
•   Wednesday: Sprints (30min)
•     Warm up: 5min  walk to jog, increasing pace to a light jog 
•     Intervals: 6x15sec  with 2-4min easy jog until fully recovered
•     Cooldown: 5min jog to walk, decreasing pace from a light jog to walking
•   Thursday: Rest Day
•   Friday: Walk/Jog Intervals (28min)
•     7x3.5min jog, 30sec  walk
•   Saturday: Rest Day
•   Sunday: Steady
•     40min  strong hike/brisk walk (jog the final 10minutes)
• Week 7: Fitness Testing & Zone Development. (2:30-3:10hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (40-60mins): 
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2 RPE, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. 5 minutes at high zone 4 RPE with 1 minute easy jogging recovery 4 minutes at high zone 4 RPE, 1 minute easy jogging recovery, 3 minutes at high zone 4 RPE, 1 minute easy jogging recovery, 2 minutes at high zone 4 RPE, 1 minute easy jogging recovery, 1 minute at high zone 4 RPE, 1 minute easy jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (50-70mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2 RPE, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set 1. 20 Minutes: Run steady at tempo effort top of Zone 3 
•     Rest Set. 3 Minutes: Easy walking/jogging 
•     Main Set 2. Repeat twice: 5 minutes at tempo effort 1 minute walking/jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Friday. Rest Day
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Run Time Trial Workout (60mins):
•     Warm Up. 10 Minutes: 5 minute easy jogging warm up, 5 minutes of running drills & dynamic stretching, include 5x50m strides building to zone 4 effort 
•     Running time trial. 3 kilometres (1.86 miles): Run this distance as fast as possible 
•     Cool Down: Run the remainder of the run in Zone 2 until you reach 60 minutes total running
• Week 8: Adapt to New Training Zones. (3:00-3:50hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (60-80mins): 
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 6-8 times, ending when you feel like the next interval is the last you could possibly do at the same pace: 800m at marathon goal time, 2.5 minutes easy jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. (10-20mins): Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (55-75mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 3 times: 12 minutes running steady at tempo effort top of Zone 3 1 minute easy walking/jogging 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2
•   Friday. Rest Day
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Long Run  (65-75mins): 
•     Run easy in Zone 2 heart rate 
• Week 9: Build Endurance & Speed. (3:00-3:50hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (45-65mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 10-12 times, ending when you feel like the next interval is the last you could possibly do at the same pace: 1 minute effort uphill at moderate effort zone 4 effort, easy downhill jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (65-85mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 3 times: 15 minutes running steady at tempo effort top of Zone 3, 1 minute easy walking/jogging 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Friday. Rest Day
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Long Run  (70-80mins):
•     Warm Up. 30 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 1
•     Main Set. Repeat 3 times: 12 minutes at goal marathon pace, 3 minutes easy jogging recovery 
•     Cooldown. 15-25 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 1 
• Week 10: Recovery Week. (2:55-3:45hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (60-80mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 5-6 times, ending when you feel like the next interval is the last you could possibly do at the same pace: 1 mile (1600m) at 10k race pace, 3.5 minutes easy walking/jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (50-70mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. 30 Minutes: Run steady at tempo effort top of Zone 3 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2
•   Friday. Rest Day
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Long Run  (65-75mins): 
•     Run easy in Zone 2 heart rate 
• Week 11: Build Baseline Endurance & Speed (3:20-4:10hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (60-80mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 8-9 times, ending when you feel like the next interval is the last you could possibly do at the same pace: 3 minutes at the fast end of 10k race effort, 2 minutes easy jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (70-90mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 7-8 times, ending when you feel like the next interval is the last you could possibly do at the same pace: 1 mile at fast tempo effort 1 minute easy walking/jogging 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2
•   Friday. Rest Day
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Long Run  (70-80mins):
•     Warm Up. 15 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 1 
•     Main Set. Repeat 10-11 times, ending when you feel like the next interval is the last you could possibly do at the same pace: 1 mile at goal marathon pace, 2 minutes easy jogging recovery 
•     Cooldown. 10-15 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 1
• Week 12: Build Baseline Endurance & Speed. (3:20-4:10hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (70-90mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. 1 mile at 10k race pace, 3.5 minutes easy walking/jogging recovery, 2 miles at 10k race pace, 3.5 minutes easy walking/jogging recovery, 2 miles at 10k race pace, 3.5 minutes easy walking/jogging recovery, 1 mile at 10k race pace, 3.5 minutes easy walking/jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (60-80mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. 40 Minutes: Run steady at tempo effort top of Zone 3 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2
•   Friday. Rest Day 
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Long Run  (70-80mins): 
•     Run easy in Zone 2 heart rate
• Week 13: Recovery Week. (2:55-3:35hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (50-60mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 10-12 times, ending when you feel like the next interval is the last you could possibly do at the same pace: 30 second zone 5 effort uphill, easy downhill jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (55-75mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 3 times: 10 minutes running steady at tempo effort top of Zone 3, 1 minute easy walking/jogging 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2
•   Friday. Rest Day 
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Long Run  (70-80mins): 
•     Easy running at Zone 2 heart rate
• Week 14: Build Endurance & Speed. (3:25-3:40hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (50-70mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 12-16 times, ending when you feel like the next interval is the last you could possibly do at the same pace: 200m at the fast end of 5k race pace with 1.5 minutes easy jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (50-70mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat twice: 15 minutes running steady at tempo effort top of Zone 3 1 minute easy walking/jogging 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2  
•   Friday. Rest Day
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Long Run  (70-80mins): 
•     Run easy in Zone 2 heart rate
• Week 15: Fitness Testing & Zone Development. (2:20-3:10hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (40-60mins): 
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. 5 minutes at the fast end of 10k race effort 1 minute easy jogging recovery 4 minutes at the fast end of 10k race effort, 1 minute easy jogging recovery, 3 minutes at the fast end of 10k race effort, 1 minute easy jogging recovery, 2 minutes at the fast end of 10k race effort, 1 minute easy jogging recovery, 1 minute at the fast end of 10k race effort, 1 minute easy jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (50-70mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set 1. 20 Minutes: Run steady at tempo effort top of Zone 3 
•     Rest Set. 3 Minutes: Easy walking/jogging 
•     Main Set 2. Repeat twice: 5 minutes at tempo effort 1 minute walking/jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Friday. Rest Day
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Run Time Trial Workout (60mins):
•     Warm Up. 10 Minutes: 5 minute easy jogging warm up, 5 minutes of running drills & dynamic stretching, include 5x50m strides building to zone 4 effort 
•     Running time trial. 3 kilometres (1.86 miles): Run this distance as fast as possible 
•     Cool Down: Run the remainder of the run in Zone 2 until you reach 60 minutes total running
• Week 16: Build Endurance & Speed. (3:20-4:10hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (45-65mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 10-12 times, ending when you feel like the next interval is the last you could possibly do at the same pace: 1 minute effort uphill at moderate effort zone 4 effort, easy downhill jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (65-85mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 3 times: 15 minutes running steady at tempo effort top of Zone 3, 1 minute easy walking/jogging 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Friday. Rest Day
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Long Run  (90-100mins):
•     Warm Up. 30 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 1
•     Main Set. Repeat 3 times: 12 minutes at goal marathon pace, 3 minutes easy jogging recovery 
•     Cooldown. 15-25 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 1 
• Week 17: Build Endurance & Speed. (3:35-4:25hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (55-75mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 8-10 times, ending when you feel like the next interval is the last you could possibly do at the same pace: 2 minutes at the fast end of 10k race effort, 1 minute easy jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day
•   Thursday. Steady Run (50-70mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 4-5 times, ending when you feel like the next interval is the last you could possibly do at the same pace: 1 mile (1600m) at fast tempo effort, 1 minute easy walking/jogging 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2
•   Friday. Rest Day
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Long Run  (110-120mins): 
•     Run easy in Zone 2 heart rate
• Week 18: Recovery Week. (2:50-3:50hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (55-75mins): 
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 5-6 times, ending when you feel like the next interval is the last you could possibly do at the same pace: 1 kilometre at 10k race pace 2 minutes easy jogging recovery
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (55-75mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 4 times: 8 minutes running steady at tempo effort top of Zone 3, 1 minute easy walking/jogging 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Friday. Rest Day 
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Long Run  (60-80mins): 
•     Easy running at Zone 2 heart rate
• Week 19: Build Endurance & Speed. (3:20-4:45hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (60-80mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 5-6 times, ending when you feel like the next interval is the last you could possibly do at the same pace: 1 mile (1600m) at 10k race pace, 3.5 minutes easy walking/jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (50-70mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. 30 Minutes: Run steady at tempo effort top of Zone 3 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2
•   Friday. Rest Day
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Long Run  (120-135mins): 
•     Run easy in Zone 2 heart rate 
• Week 20: Build Endurance & Speed. (4:40-5:35hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (70-90mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. 1 mile at 10k race pace, 3.5 minutes easy walking/jogging recovery, 2 miles at 10k race pace, 3.5 minutes easy walking/jogging recovery, 2 miles at 10k race pace, 3.5 minutes easy walking/jogging recovery, 1 mile at 10k race pace, 3.5 minutes easy walking/jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (60-80mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. 40 Minutes: Run steady at tempo effort top of Zone 3 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2
•   Friday. Rest Day 
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Long Run  (150-165mins): 
•     Run easy in Zone 2 heart rate
• Week 21: Recovery Week. (3:05-3:45hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (50-60mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 10-12 times, ending when you feel like the next interval is the last you could possibly do at the same pace: 30 second zone 5 effort uphill, easy downhill jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (55-75mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 3 times: 10 minutes running steady at tempo effort top of Zone 3, 1 minute easy walking/jogging 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2
•   Friday. Rest Day 
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Long Run  (80-90mins): 
•     Easy running at Zone 2 heart rate
• Week 22: Build Endurance & Speed. (5:30-6:25hrs)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (80-100mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 10-12 times, ending when you feel like the next interval is the last you could possibly do at the same pace: 800m at marathon goal time, 2.5 minutes easy jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (70-90mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. 6-8 Miles: Run steady at tempo effort top of Zone 3, ending when you feel like the next mile is the last you could possibly do at the same pace 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2
•   Friday. Rest Day
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Long Run  (180-195mins): 
•     Run easy in Zone 2 heart rate 
• Week 23: Peak Marathon Training Week. (4:40-5:30mins)
•   Monday. Rest Day
•   Tuesday. Intense Run (40-60mins):
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 10 times: 1 minute at the fast end of 10k race effort 1 minute easy jogging recovery 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2 
•   Wednesday. Rest Day 
•   Thursday. Steady Run (50-70mins): 
•     Warm Up. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in Zone 2, 5 minutes of running drills including 5x15 seconds strides at zone 4 effort 
•     Main Set. Repeat 3 times: 8 minutes running steady at tempo effort top of Zone 3 1 minute easy walking/jogging 
•     Cool Down. 10-20 Minutes: Easy jogging in zone 2
•   Friday. Rest Day
•   Saturday. Rest Day 
•   Sunday. Long Run  (190-200 Minutes):     Run easy in Zone 2 heart rate 
• Week 24: Taper Week. (50mins) 
•   Monday. Rest Day 
•   Tuesday. Intense Run. (25mins)
•     25min easy run with heart rate in Zone 2, include 8x30sec fast pick ups at Zone 4 pace spread throughout.
•   Wednesday. Rest Day
•   Thursday. Rest Day
•   Friday. Easy Run (15mins):
•     Run this entire run easy, including 3x1min at marathon race pace. Take as much time as needed between these intervals. 
•   Saturday. Shakeout Run (10mins)
•     Easy jogging to keep the legs fresh for race day
•   Sunday. Race Day:
•     You’re ready to nail this marathon!!

Wrap-Up

Now that you’ve completed your marathon, it may be time to re-evaluate your goals or even move on to your next challenge. Maybe you want to tackle some shorter distance races, or try to dip your toes into the world of ultramarathon! Or further still, maybe you want to take a crack combining running with biking and swimming in your first triathlon. No matter what your next challenge is, completing this marathon training plan will mean you've built a large base of fitness that will carry over into your next challenge, whatever it may be.

If you're looking to set big personal goals, and you want the best for your body, check out our app with unlimited options for marathon training. You can choose a training plan setup that's personalized specifically for you, and will get you training as well as you could possibly imagine.

You're ready to take on that big challenge, and when you train with MOTTIV, you're ready for race day!