Free Marathon training plans
Compare Marathon plans by your starting point, the number of weeks and the days you can train. Complete schedules are free to follow here. Method overviews explain a plan and link to its official source.
Beginner
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.
18 weeks / 4 days a week
Read the method and find its official source
Intermediate
Hansons Marathon Method
A high-frequency plan built on 'cumulative fatigue' — six runs a week, goal-pace tempo runs, and a deliberately capped 16-mile long run.
18 weeks / 6 days a week
Read the method and find its official source
Advanced
Pfitzinger 18/55
Pfitz 18/55 is the Pfitzinger marathon plan from Advanced Marathoning: 18 weeks of training, peaking at 55 miles (89 km) per week. It combines long runs, tempo work and midweek medium-long runs.
18 weeks / 5 days a week
Read the method and find its official source
Marathon training guides
How Long Does It Take to Train for a Race?
Example preparation schedules for a 5K, 10K, half marathon or marathon, with starting requirements and links to the original plans.
How to Choose a Running Training Plan
Choose a running plan by its opening workload, weekly schedule and goal, then compare it with your current running.
Marathon Taper: How to Reduce Training Before Race Day
How to reduce marathon training before race day, retain familiar sessions and adjust the taper when pain or illness changes your plans.
How to Avoid Hitting the Wall in a Marathon
What runners mean by hitting the wall, how to plan pacing and carbohydrate intake, and when a sudden slowdown needs medical attention.
How to Run in the Heat: Summer Running Tips That Actually Work
Adjust running in hot weather without fixed pace formulas, plan access to fluids, and recognize heat illness warning signs.
Strength Training for Runners: What to Do and When
How to add strength training to your running plan — which exercises matter most, how often to lift, and when to schedule it so it helps rather than hurts.
The Run/Walk Method: How to Use Planned Walk Breaks
How to choose and practice run/walk intervals, use them in races and understand the limits of claims about speed and injury prevention.
Negative Splits: How to Run the Second Half of a Race Faster
What negative splits mean, how to calculate equal-distance halves and how to practice pacing without assuming a faster second half always gives the best result.
What Is a Tempo Run? Effort, Pace and Workout Examples
Understand threshold-style tempo runs, distinguish them from marathon-pace sessions and use pace estimates without treating them as exact prescriptions.
Treadmill vs Outdoor Running: Which Is Better for Training?
The real differences between treadmill and outdoor running — effort, biomechanics, and when each option serves your training better.
Base Building for Runners: How to Build Your Aerobic Foundation
Build a repeatable running routine before a race plan, compare starting workloads and understand why the 10% rule is not an injury-prevention guarantee.
Hill Training for Runners: Repeats, Strides and Planning
How hill repeats and short uphill efforts differ, what research supports and how to account for their workload in a running plan.
Rest Days for Runners: How to Space Your Runs
A practical way to space running days, decide when to add recovery, and adjust a week when a run leaves you unusually tired or sore.
Heart Rate Training for Runners: Zones, Benefits, and How to Start
How to use heart rate zones to pace your training, why most runners run too hard on easy days, and how a monitor improves every distance.
Post-Marathon Recovery: How to Bounce Back After Race Day
How to recover well after a marathon — what your body needs in the first 72 hours, when to run again, and how to avoid the mistakes that set back your next cycle.
How to Run in Cold Weather: Winter Running Tips That Actually Work
How to dress for cold runs, adjust your warm-up and pacing, stay safe on ice, and keep training moving through winter without missing a beat.
Interval Training for Runners: VO2max Workouts That Make You Faster
How to do interval training as a runner — the right effort, recovery, and frequency to build VO2max without burnout or injury.
How to Prevent Running Injuries: The Basics That Actually Work
How to avoid the most common running injuries -- shin splints, IT band, plantar fasciitis -- by building load gradually, recovering properly, and training smart.
How to Fuel for Long Runs
What to eat before, during and after a long run, with carbohydrate targets, a worked gel example, hydration guidance and original sources.