Thinking about running your first marathon? Or maybe you’re coming back after some time away and want a longer, more gradual build? This 20-week marathon training plan is designed to help you get to the start line feeling healthy, confident, and excited to take on 26.2 miles.
20 weeks might sound like a long time to train for a race, but trust us, it goes by faster than you think. And no matter where you fall in the pack, running a marathon is hard. That’s why giving yourself enough time to train really matters.
You want your body (and mind) to be ready for the distance without jumping into too much mileage too quickly and risking injury.
This plan is here to guide you every step of the way. It’s simple, easy to follow, and flexible enough to fit into your life, especially when you’re balancing work, family, and everything in between.
It’s a great starting point to prepare for the marathon distance and can easily be modified for your needs. Of course, if you want something truly custom…well, that’s why we offer 1:1 coaching!!
Who is the 20 Week Marathon Training Plan for?
This training plan is perfect if you have a specific goal race in mind and you’ve been running at least 3 days a week with a long run of around 6-7 miles already.
If you’re not there just yet, you can always check out our Couch to Marathon Training plan. Or if you’re looking to target a specific time, check out our other marathon training plans:
- 4 Hour Marathon Training Plan
- Beginner Marathon Training Plans
- Other plans and guides are available in the Run To the Finish Book
Training for a marathon is not just about covering distance; it’s the perfect time to practice everything from wearing the right gear to testing your fueling strategy and strengthening your mindset. (Looking for a pair of shoes that will get you through training and race day? Check out our list of the best marathon shoes for beginners.)
By race day, you’ll feel strong, prepared, and ready to take on 26.2 miles.
👉Download the 20 week marthon training plan here >>
20 Week Marathon Training Plan
Over 20 weeks, this plan will help you gradually build mileage, develop speed and endurance, and prepare for race day. It will include a mix of easy runs, long runs, and speed workouts, such as intervals, marathon-pace runs, and strides.
To keep things exciting, this 20-week marathon training plan can be broken into sections so you can celebrate smaller goals along the way to 26.2 miles. Those small wins will keep you motivated and remind you why you started this journey in the first place. Let’s make this a challenge you’ll enjoy every step of the way!
For those of you who like to check off boxes, there’s a spreadsheet that you can download and even print!
This plan doesn’t provide specific paces for workouts or strength training, but those are included in the customized coaching plans we create. So if you need something tailored to you, reach out about 1:1 coaching!
Weeks 1-8: Base Building
The first few weeks of the plans are when we will build on the base that you already have coming into training. We know that you’re super excited to get started, but it’s important to ease into things so that you don’t do too much too soon and burn out.
Every fourth week you’ll see a scheduled down week. And you might wonder, why scale back when I’m feeling good? But these weeks are there for a reason to help your body absorb training, recover, and start the next week feeling fresh.
As tempting as it might be, don’t skip them, and definitely resist the urge to add extra workouts.
Weeks 9-16: Building Strength + Speed
This is where we will start to introduce workouts that may feel a little intimidating at first, especially if structured speed is new to you.
Speed workouts are meant to feel challenging. If you’re breezing through them, you may want to consider adjusting your pace and effort.
Each workout will build on the last, so you’ll be able to look back and see how much stronger you’ve gotten.
You’ll start to see regular speed workouts now, but the type and intensity will vary depending on the plan.
The first few workouts you start to do around your goal pace may feel hard, and that’s okay! It’s not meant to feel easy at first; take baby steps, practicing this pace/effort so that each workout feels more and more achievable the closer you get to race day.
Remember, your goal can be anything from setting a specific finish time to pacing with negative splits, or as simple as just crossing the finish line.
Weeks 17-18: Peak Training Weeks
You know we’re always honest here, so we’ll tell you straight away…. peak weeks are the toughest part of any training cycle.
As race day gets closer, this is your chance to fine-tune your pacing, nutrition, and mental game. This week includes your usual speed work, plus a key long run with marathon pace effort to simulate race conditions.
Treat that final long run like the real thing. Go through the motions of following a similar schedule from the time you wake up to the time you start your run. Practice your fueling before, during, and after so everything feels second nature when it counts.
Listen to your body, and if you’re feeling more fatigued than usual, prioritize active recovery days instead of a workout. Sure, peak week is an important phase of training, but if you push yourself past its breaking point, you’re putting your race day performance in jeopardy.
Remember that you do not need to cover 26.2 miles or even that infamous 20 mile long run in training! You can peak anywhere from 15-20 miles as your longest run. Don’t just focus on the long run, but every single run that has gotten you to this point.
Taper means going into the race with fresh legs. That, plus the adrenaline, gives you an incredible boost.
Weeks 19-20: Taper and Race Week
The taper is where you start dialing things back. Mileage drops, but a little bit of intensity stays in the mix to keep you feeling sharp. Cut back too much, and your legs might start to feel sluggish by race day.
Speed workouts during the taper? Yep, it’s still part of the plan. But don’t worry, the workouts aren’t about pushing your body to its limit. Instead, they’re focusing on your goal pace so that you keep on practicing.
Plus, a little bit of speed helps prevent taper madness!
If you’re looking for something more tailored to your individual goals, don’t forget you can always reach out to us for 1:1 coaching!!
Marathon Training Tips
Okay, so you’ve got all the workouts planned out, and it might start to feel a little overwhelming. That’s totally normal, especially if this is your first marathon.
Stepping into something new and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone can feel a little intimidating, but you’re not alone in that.
Here are some simple tips to help you get the most out of your 20 week marathon training plan.
Learn to Run Easy
We will say this until we are blue in the face, but learning how to TRULY run easily is a game-changer.
Being able to set clear boundaries between hard and easy – no more grey zones – will mean your body can push the effort on marathon day.
An easy run isn’t a pace; it’s an effort. And that effort will vary each day depending on factors like stress, hydration, nutrition, and even sleep.
You must let go of your mile pace on easy days and instead focus on being able to carry on a conversation. Easy runs are about building endurance, time on feet, and often recovery from hard days.
Don’t Skip Strength Training
Yes, you read that right.
We’re not expecting you to spend hours at the gym or follow super complicated workouts. 20-30 minutes once a week, focusing on full-body workouts with bodyweight, resistance bands/weights, or a combination, will do just fine. (Of course, we also won’t complain if you are able to squeeze in more without overdoing it.)
Strength training will reduce the risk of injury, improve your overall performance, and help you maintain better running form. Need some ideas, check these out:
Throughout the plan, you’ll see 2 days of strength training scheduled. Try to focus on one as a lower-body day and the other as an upper-body/core day.
Again, as with the speed workouts, you will want to keep your lower-body workout a few days apart from your long run so you’re not running on super-fatigued legs.
When you reach marathon taper weeks the focus will shift to bodyweight exercises and mobility to help you prepare for race day.
Practice Fueling
One of the biggest mistakes many of us make early on is not fueling during our workouts and long runs, and not enough on race day.
Here’s what you have to understand: without those calories, you won’t be able to complete the miles, you will get worn down, you won’t move as much the rest of the day, thus burning even fewer calories, and it will make you super hungry later!
- As soon as your runs start going over 90 minutes, start testing out gels, chews, or even waffles
- Remember that hydration with electrolytes is just as important, and that sodium is really key for feeling good and helping those gels to sit well.
- And if you need tips on the carb load, you’ll want to start planning ahead for that too
Rest Days and Cutback Weeks are Important
You’ll notice that every 4th week is a cutback week to give your body time to recover and adjust. This is intentional because without that pull-back, you are just piling on stress and not giving your muscles, joints, and tendons time to absorb the work and get stronger.
There will also be 1 planned rest day each week, do not skip it.
As you go through training, listen to your body, and if you’re feeling more tired than usual, take an extra rest day. It’s not worth it to push through just to check something off of your list.
Rest days can be complete rest or active recovery days.
- Active recovery days help you stick to a schedule.
- Same time you would have run, you do 10 minutes of hip mobility or foam rolling.
- It eases your anxiety about not doing anything.
- REST is when the body grows from the work you do; it is part of training.
Start to look forward to your rest days and not dread them. Remember that you can’t give it your all in a workout or even on race day if you’re constantly pushing on empty.
Ready to get started?
👉Grab the full 20 week marathon plan here >>
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