How to Train for Your First Marathon: A 16-Week Plan
Runward —
The marathon is not a longer half marathon. Past roughly 30 km, fuelling, pacing discipline and accumulated durability decide your finish time more than raw speed does. Training for it is a four-month project.
Prerequisites
Before week one you should be running 30–40 km a week comfortably, with a long run of 14–16 km and at least six months of consistent running behind you. Starting a marathon plan from a lower base is the most reliable way to arrive at the start line injured.
The five pillars
- Weekly long run — builds fatigue resistance; the single most important session.
- Marathon-pace running — teaches your body the exact effort you will hold for hours.
- Tempo and threshold work — raises the ceiling so marathon pace feels easier.
- Easy volume — 75–80% of your week, conversational.
- Strength and sleep — what keeps the other four possible.
Find your Pace
Turn your goal marathon time into per-kilometre targets for the marathon-pace, tempo and long-run sessions in the plan below.
The 16-week plan (4–5 runs per week)
| Week | Key quality session | Long run | Weekly total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 min tempo | 16 km | ~40 km |
| 2 | 5 × 1 km at 10K pace | 18 km | ~44 km |
| 3 | 30 min tempo | 20 km | ~48 km |
| 4 | 20 min tempo | 16 km (easier) | ~40 km |
| 5 | 3 × 3 km at half pace | 22 km | ~52 km |
| 6 | 35 min tempo | 24 km | ~56 km |
| 7 | 6 × 1 km at 10K pace | 18 km (easier) | ~48 km |
| 8 | 2 × 20 min tempo | 26 km | ~60 km |
| 9 | 40 min tempo | 28 km | ~64 km |
| 10 | 20 km with 12 km at marathon pace | 20 km (the quality session doubles as the long run) | ~60 km |
| 11 | 3 × 3 km at half pace | 30 km | ~68 km |
| 12 | 40 min tempo | 24 km (easier) | ~58 km |
| 13 | 25 km with 15 km at marathon pace | 32 km (peak long run) | ~70 km |
| 14 | 30 min tempo | 22 km | ~55 km |
| 15 | 4 × 1 km at 10K pace | 16 km | ~42 km |
| 16 | 3 × 1 km at marathon pace | Race day | ~25 km |
Cap the longest run at 32 km or about 3 hours 15 minutes, whichever comes first. Beyond that, the recovery cost outweighs the benefit for first-time marathoners.
Fuelling: how to avoid the wall
"The wall" is usually glycogen depletion, not weak willpower.
- Aim for 60–90 g of carbohydrate per hour during the race, practised in training from week 6.
- Eat something every 30–40 minutes from the start, not once you feel empty.
- Take 400–700 ml of fluid per hour with sodium in warm weather.
- Rehearse the exact race-morning meal before your three longest runs.
Your gut is trainable. Untested fuelling is the most common cause of a first marathon falling apart.
Setting a realistic goal
A rough guide: marathon time ≈ half marathon time × 2.1 (add more if your weekly volume is below 50 km). Choose a pace you can hold when tired, not the pace of your best training day. For most first-timers, "finish strong and enjoy it" is a better goal than a number.
The three-week taper
- Week 14: volume down about 20%, keep one quality session.
- Week 15: volume down about 40%.
- Week 16: volume down 60%, short marathon-pace touches only, full rest two days out.
Expect restless legs and doubt. Both are normal.
Race-day execution
Run the first 10 km 10–15 seconds per km slower than goal pace. Hold goal pace from 10 to 30 km. From 30 km, focus on form, cadence and taking your fuel on schedule. Walking through aid stations to drink properly costs seconds and saves minutes.
Recovery
Take a full week off running, then two weeks of easy jogging only. Real recovery from a marathon takes three to four weeks even when you feel fine after five days.
Train with your own numbers
Runward builds a 16-week marathon plan around your race date and current fitness, tracks weekly training load and HRV so you can see when you are absorbing the work, predicts your marathon finish time from real sessions, and analyses each run so you know whether that long run was well executed or too fast.