Hal Higdon — Marathon Novice 1
The go-to first-marathon plan: 18 weeks, four runs a week, long runs marching up to 20 miles. Finish-focused, no speedwork.
- Duration
- 18 weeks
- Frequency
- 4 days / week
- Time / week
- 4–6 hrs
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Start if you can…
- You can run 3–6 miles comfortably
- Builds up to
- 20-mile long run
- Source
- Hal Higdon ↗
Best for
- ✓Your first marathon
- ✓Runners who want to finish strong, not race
- ✓Busy people — only 4 runs/week
Why the community recommends this
The default first-marathon recommendation across r/running and r/firstmarathon for decades. Only 4 runs/week makes it realistic for normal lives.
Check paces against your current fitness
Enter a recent race result to estimate training paces. A goal time shows the fitness that goal requires.
How the plan is structured
- 4 running days + cross-training + 2 rest days
- Tuesday and Thursday runs plus a Wednesday run building from 3 to 10 miles
- Weekend long runs build from 6 miles, with step-back weeks
- One 20-mile training run in week 15
- Step-back weeks and a 3-week taper
Strengths
- +Four running days and two rest days per week
- +Designed for first-time marathoners
Trade-offs
- −No speedwork — not built for a time goal
- −Long runs are a big share of weekly volume
We summarize this popular plan and link to the original rather than reproduce its copyrighted week-by-week schedule.
anystride plans are educational summaries of community-trusted training methodologies, not medical or individualized coaching advice. Listen to your body, and consult a doctor before starting a new program.
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