So, you want to run a marathon?
A plan to get you ready to run 26.2 miles in 6 months
Earlier today, a THM subscriber reached out with a question via direct message, which I thought I’d share with you:
“Hi Terrell! I hope your fall running is going well. I went to the Philadelphia Marathon today and watched my niece finish her first marathon. So inspiring. I'm wondering if you have a full year training plan or recommendations for one? I ran two marathons back in my 20's including Philadelphia and want to commit to next year's Philadelphia marathon for a second time. Thanks for any guidance.”
That prompted me to take a look at the training plans I’ve shared with you in the past — all of which you can find here — and figure out how I might extend the training cycle for my full marathon plan, which I’ve used for the three marathons I’ve run.
So, what I did is take my 20-week plan and extend it for an additional six weeks, to allow for an even more gradual buildup to the miles you’ll need to run over six months instead of four and a half.
And, in the six months leading up to when training starts, I’m recommending that she keep doing what she’s already doing now — a mix of running and cycling, with her current twice-a-week weight lifting sessions.
(You don’t need to do everything she is doing now, but if you’d like to follow this plan, I’d highly recommend staying active by running at least 15 miles per week in the months leading up to when training begins, preferably with some cross-training added in too.)
The full, 26-week marathon training plan is below — and there’s also a downloadable PDF version at the end of the schedule, so you can print it out if you like.
Enjoy and feel free to reach out with any questions!
— Terrell
Week 1
Tuesday — 3 miles
Wednesday — 2 miles
Thursday — 3 miles
Saturday — 2 miles
Sunday — 3-4 miles
Week 2
Tuesday — 3 miles
Wednesday — 2 miles
Thursday — 3 miles
Saturday — 3 miles
Sunday — 4 miles