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Marathon Training Program
Novice endurance athlete

A training program has to be developed to meet the athlete's individual needs and consider many factors: gender, age, strengths, weaknesses, objectives, training facilities etc. As all athletes have different needs, a single program suitable for all athletes is not possible.

This page aims to provide an insight into a 24-week endurance training program for a novice endurance athlete wishing to compete in a marathon race. This program must also be supported by general and specific strength training, nutrition, mobility and psychology programs.

Before You Start

Before starting any training, you must have a medical examination to ensure it is safe for you to do so.

The following program is suitable for an athlete who has completed a ½ marathon race. If you have not, it is recommended that before commencing this 24-week program, you should complete a general endurance training program in which you build up the distance you run each week to 40 miles. The weekly increment should not exceed 10% of the current mileage.

Any application of the following training program is at the athlete's discretion and risk.

Marathon Training program - mileage based

All figures in the table are miles.

Marathon Training program - General and Specific Endurance
Week Total Miles Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1 32 6 F 4 Rest 5 7 Rest 10
2 37 7 F 5 Rest 7 7 Rest 11
3 41 8 5 S Rest 6 10 R Rest 12
4 46 8 6 S Rest 8 2 x 6 Rest 12
5 51 8 8 S Rest 8 10 R 5 12
6 50 8 6 S Rest 2 x 6 10 Rest 14
7 55 2 x 5 8 S Rest 2 x 6 11 Rest 14
8 45 8 6 S Rest 6 10 R Rest 15
9 53 2 x 5 8 S Rest 8 12 Rest 15
10 58 2 x 5 10 H Rest 10 F 12 Rest 16
11 53 2 x 5 10 H Rest 1 hr F 10 R Rest 16
12 63 2 x 5 10 H Rest 2 x 6 8 & 6 Rest 17
13 53 8 10 H Rest 1 hr F 12 R Rest 17
14 66 8 10 H Rest 1 hr F 12 2 x 5 18
15 58 2 x 5 10 H Rest 1 hr F 13 R Rest 18
16 70 2 x 5 10 H Rest 1 hr F 8 & 6 9 20
17 63 2 x 5 10 H Rest 1 hr F 10 6 20
18 63 2 x 5 10 H Rest 1 hr F 15 R 4 18
19 75 2 x 6 10 H Rest 1 hr F 22 7 & 4 12
20 47 5 8 H Rest 1 hr F Rest 4 & 5 10 & 8
21 54 8 10 H Rest 1 hr F Rest 2 x 5 20 R
22 70 5 10 H Rest 1 hr F 10 2 x 5 28
23 24 Rest 6 H 6 Rest 6 H 6 Rest
24 12 6H Rest 6 Rest Rest Rest Race

All figures in the table are miles.

Key : F - Fartlek H -Include hills R - Time Trial or Race S - Speed

Note: 2 x 5 means two 5-mile runs, and 10 & 8 means a 10-mile run and an 8-mile run

Supplements

The supplement Choline may be beneficial to the marathon runner.

Post-Race

After the race, take 4 or 5 days off training and increase your Vitamin C and Zinc intake. Research has shown that in the first week after a marathon, the efficiency of your immune system is reduced, and you will, therefore, be prone to infections. An increase in Vitamin C and Zinc during training can also be considered.

Marathon Training Speed Calculator

Enter your Marathon Target Time and then select the 'Calculate' button.

Target Time mins  
Speed for an R or S session: min sec/mile   Speed for all other sessions: min sec/mile

Race Time Calculator

For an estimate of race time, enter details of a recent distance and time, the race distance and then select the 'Calculate' button.

Distance km   Time mins   Race Distance km
  Predicted Time mins

Free Calculator

Prediction based on marathon time

It is possible to predict your 400 metres, 800 metres, 1500 metres, 3 km, 5 km, 10 km and ½ Marathon times from your current marathon time using Frank Horwill's four-second rule for male athletes and Frank Horwill's five-second rule for female athletes.

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

  • MACKENZIE, B. (2001) Marathon Training Program - Novice endurance athlete [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/longdist/tpmarv.htm [Accessed