Go From Couch to Marathon with this 24-Week Training Plan

How much running experience do you need before you run a marathon? One year? Five years? Try a mere 24 weeks! As long as you are currently healthy, you can go from couch to marathon finisher in less than six months.

But it’s wise to do so in steps. Instead of going straight from zero to a 26.2-mile start line, we suggest you “climb the ladder” of standard road-race distances. Start with a 5K, move to a 10K, advance to a half marathon—and finally make the leap to the marathon.

A step-ladder approach will prevent you from taking on too much too soon and keep you motivated throughout.

What to Expect

The following four-part training plan will guide you along your journey. You’re ready to start when you can comfortably walk/jog for 20 minutes. If you’ve already completed a 5K, you can start with the 5K to 10K plan (likewise with other distances).

All four plans involve a three-zone intensity scheme. “Easy” is a slow jog that allows you to speak full sentences without losing your breath. “Moderate” is a pace at which you feel in control of your breathing, but if you went any faster you’d begin to strain. “Hard” is relative, but it means running almost as fast as you can (90 percent of your max). This means you will run faster for 30-second hard efforts versus 3-minute ones, but you should complete both workouts feeling as though you could have given only 10 percent more.

What’s My Marathon Pace?

Most runners don’t pace themselves very well in marathons. A 2013 study by Spanish researchers found that among 40 recreational runners who completed a marathon, 18 slowed down by more than 15 percent between the beginning and the end and the remaining 22 runners slowed by an average of 40 seconds per mile.

Even if your goal is just to finish, you’ll want to avoid this kind of deceleration, because it comes with a good deal of suffering. Your marathon experience will be much more enjoyable if you start at a pace you can sustain the whole way. Here is a three-step process you can use to pull off this feat:

STEP 1: Use your half marathon time as a predictor.

After you run a half marathon, enter your time into an online race-performance equivalence calculator such as this one. This will give you predicted times for races of other distances including the marathon. Note that these tools tend to predict marathon times that are a little too fast for beginners.

STEP 2: Avoid slowing down in your long runs.

Try to complete all of your long runs without slowing down at the end. If you are forced to slow down in one of these runs, start the next one at a slower pace. As your long runs get longer, the pace at which you run them will become more predictive of what you can do in a marathon.

STEP 3: Do a marathon simulator run.

In week five of the Half Marathon to Marathon Plan, this workout is scheduled. It comprises an 1-mile warm-up, plus 16.2 miles (exactly 10 miles less than a marathon) at your estimated race pace. Complete this run at your current goal pace for your upcoming marathon, basing this goal on both Step 1 and Step 2. After you finish, use the result of the simulator to refine your objective. If you really struggle to sustain a goal pace of 10:45 per mile, for example, you might want to change your goal to 11:00 per mile. But if you still have a little left in the tank, leave your goal unchanged. In making such assessments, keep in mind that you will be three weeks fitter and also more rested when you run your marathon.

RELATED: Weekly Tempo Runs Will Build Your Capacity at Marathon Pace

The 24-Week Couch to Marathon Training Plan

Follow along with the bite-sized plans below, or download the full plan to get through the 24-weeks without skipping a beat.

Zero to 5K Plan

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	Rest	Walk/Run Easy  10x(Walk 2 min/ Run Easy 1 min)	Rest	Walk/Run Easy 10x (Walk 2 min/ Run Easy 1 min)	Rest	Walk/Run Easy 13x (Walk 2 min/ Run Easy 1 min)	Optional Non-Impact Cardio  30 min
2	Rest	Walk/Run Easy 15x(Walk 1 min/ Run easy 1 min)	Rest	Walk/Run Easy 15x (Walk 1 min/Run Easy 1 min)	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Walk/Run Easy  20x (Walk 1 min/ Run Easy 1 min)	Optional Non-Impact Cardio  30 min
3	Rest	Walk/Run Easy 15x (Walk 30 sec/Run Easy 1.5 min)	Optional Non-Impact Cardio  30 min	Walk/Run Easy 15x (Walk 30 sec/ Run Easy 1 min)	Optional Non-Impact Cardio  30 min	Run Easy 30 min	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min
4	Rest	Walk/Run Easy 15x(Walk 30 sec	Optional Non-Impact Cardio  30 min	Run Easy 25 min	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Rest	5K Race

RELATED: Get to Know the 5K, the Most Approachable Distance in Running

5K to 10K Plan

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	Rest	Run Easy 30 min	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Run Easy 30 min	Optional Non-Impact Cardio  30 min	Run Easy  40 min	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min
2	Rest	Speed Play 35 min Easy with 4×30 sec Hard sprinkled in	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Fast Finish 30 min Easy + 5 min Moderate	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Run Easy	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min
3	Rest	Speed Play 40 min Easy with 4×30 sec Hard sprinkled in	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Fast Finish 30 min Easy + 10 min Moderate	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Run Easy 1 hour	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min
4	Rest	Speed Play 35 min Easy with 4×30 second Hard sprinkled in	Optional Non-Impact Cardio  30 min	Fast Finish 30 min Easy + 5 min Moderate	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Rest	10K Race

10K to Half Marathon Plan

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	Rest	Speed Play 40 min Easy with 4×30 sec Hard sprinkled in	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Fast Finish  30 min Easy + 10 min Moderate	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Long Run 6 miles Easy
2	Rest	Speed Play 40 min Easy with 6×30 sec Hard sprinkled in	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Fast Finish 35 min Easy + 10 min Moderate	Optional Non-Impact Cardio  30 min	Run Easy or Optional Non-Impact Cardio  30 min	Long Run 7 miles Easy
3	Rest	Speed Play 40 min Easy with 8×30 sec Hard sprinkled in	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Fast Finish 40 min Easy + 10 min Moderate	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Run Easy or Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Long Run 8 miles Easy
4	Rest	Speed Play 40 min Easy with 4 x 30 sec Hard sprinkled in	Optional Non-Impact Cardio  30 min	Fast Finish 30 min Easy + 10 min Moderate	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Run Easy or Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Long Run 5 miles Easy
5	Rest	Hill Reps 10 min Easy + 7x(1 min Hard uphill/2 min Easy) + 10 min Easy	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Tempo Run 15 min Easy + 15 min Moderate + 15 min Easy	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Long Run 10 miles Easy
6	Rest	Hill Reps 10 min Easy + 7x(1 min Hard uphill/2 min Easy) + 10 min Easy	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Tempo Run  15 min Easy + 18 min Moderate + 15 min Easy	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Long Run 12 miles Easy
7	Rest	Hill Reps  10 min Easy + 7x(1 min Hard uphill/2 min Easy) + 10 min Easy	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Tempo Run 15 min Easy + 20 min Moderate + 15 min Easy	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Long Run 8 miles Easy
8	Rest	Speed Play  40 min Easy with 8×30 sec Hard sprinkled in	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Fast Finish 40 min Easy + 10 min Moderate	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Rest	Half Marathon

Half Marathon to Marathon Plan

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	Rest	Speed Play 40 min Easy with 4×1 min Hard sprinkled in	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio  30 min	Tempo Run 15 min Easy + 20 min Moderate + 15 min Easy	Optional Non-Impact Cardio  30 min	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio  30 min	Long Run 12 miles Easy
2	Rest	Speed Play 45 min Easy with 4×2 min Hard sprinkled in	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio  35 min	Tempo Run 15 min Easy + 22 min Moderate + 15 min Easy	Optional Non-Impact Cardio  30 min	Run Easy or Non-impact Cardio  30 min	Long Run 14 miles Easy
3	Rest	Speed Play 50 min Easy with 4×3 min Hard sprinkled in	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio 40 min	Tempo Run 15 min Easy + 24 min Moderate +15 min Easy	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Long Run 16 miles  Easy
4	Rest	Speed Play 40 min Easy with 4×1 min Hard sprinkled in	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Fast Finish 30 min Easy + 10 min Moderate	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Long Run 10 miles Easy
5	Rest	Speed Play 55 min Easy with 4×4 min Hard sprinkled in	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio 45 min	Temp Run 15 min Easy + 26 min Moderate + 15 min Easy	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio 45 min	Marathon Simulator Run 1 mile Easy + 16.2 miles at marathon goal pace
6	Rest	Speed Play 1 hour Easy with 4×5 min Hard sprinkled in	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio  50 min	Tempo Run 15 min Easy + 28 min Moderate + 15 min Easy	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio 50 min	Long Run 20 miles Easy
7	Rest	Speed Play 45 min Easy with 4×3 min Hard sprinkled in	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio 45 min	Tempo Run 15 min Easy + 30 min Moderate + 15 min Easy	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio 45 min	Long Run 10 miles Easy
8	Rest	Speed Play 40 min Easy with 4×1 min Hard sprinkled in	Run Easy or Non-Impact Cardio 30 min	Fast Finish 20 min Easy + 10 min Moderate	Optional Non-Impact Cardio 20-30 min	Rest	Marathon

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