Marathon Training Guide to Getting In Race Shape

Your current fitness dictates how long you need for 26.2

Oct 21, 2022

When you decide to run a marathon, you are actively making a decision to put your fun (read: life) and the fun of your family on pause for 3-5 months. Even though you’re the person running the race, your family must also make sacrifices to help you achieve your goals.

But how much time should you be setting aside for adequate training?

I think the amount of time you need to train for 26.2 miles depends on what your starting point is with your fitness.

Starting from scratch? Like you haven’t done any training a while, then yeah, you should start your training right away. You’ll need at least 4 weeks just to get in shape - keeping in mind that since you’ve been on a break there will be setbacks and growing pains in the process. Then you’ll spend 4 months or more getting prepared both mentally and physically to race. During this 4 month period, the miles will need to increase as will the long runs and the length of workouts.

person standing on ground with lots of paper cups — Photo by Norman Meyer on Unsplash

Already coming off some running? Then 4 months to 18 weeks is probably good enough for you. 4 months of training is typically good enough if you’ve recently had a racing season and you were relatively healthy coming out of it. Remember, before you start any kind of training plan, you should precede it with time off.

Here’s a sample training outline that I offered up to Tim as he gets ready for the Boston Marathon. Keep in mind, that this plan has Tim and his goals in mind, not necessarily yours.

Now until Nov 26th - train knowing you had two weeks off with 2 races on the calendar. Some easy running + a few short workouts + the 2 races.

Nov 27th-Dec 3rd - down week/off week/cross training week.

Dec 4th-April 17th - train for Boston.

If you' are gearing up for the idea of a spring marathon, here’s 2 things you should keep in mind:

time off prior to training for a marathon is a must. Yes, you’ll lose fitness, but not a ton and yes you will get back in shape within a matter of weeks. Take the rest.
training for a marathon with a static plan is fine, but remember, having a coach that can adjust your training based on gains in fitness or setbacks is exactly why coaches exist. Runners are individuals and so should your training plan. For details or any questions you might have, reply to this email.