| Week | Mon. | * Tues. | Wed. | * Thurs. |
Fri. | Sat. | * Sun. |
| 1 | Off | Easy 30-45 minutes | Off or Easy 30 minutes | Tempo: 10-10-10 (Easy 10 minutes,
fast 10 minutes, easy 10 minutes) |
Easy 30-45 minutes | Off or Easy 30 minutes |
2 hrs. easy
|
| 2 | Off | Economy: 6x1 minutes
(10-minute warm-up, then
1 minute fast, 1 minute slow
repeated six times) | Off or Easy 30 minutes | Tempo: 10-10-10 |
Easy 30-45 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes |
2¼ hrs. easy
|
| 3 | Off | Economy:
8x1 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes | Tempo: 10-10-10 |
Easy 45-60 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes |
2 hrs. easy
|
| 4 | Off | Economy:
8x1 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes | Tempo: 10-10-10 |
Easy 45-60 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes |
2½ hrs. easy
|
| 5 | Off | Economy:
10x1 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes | Tempo: 10-10-10 |
Easy 45-60 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes |
3 hrs. easy
|
| 6 | Off | Economy:
10x1 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes | Tempo: 10-20-10 |
Easy 45-60 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes |
2½ hrs. easy
|
| 7 | Off | Economy:
12x1 minutes | Off or Easy 45-60 minutes | Tempo: 10-20-10 |
Easy 60 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes |
3½ hrs. easy
|
| 8 | Off | Economy:
12x1 minutes | Off or Easy 45-60 minutes | Tempo: 10-20-10 |
Easy 60 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes |
3 hrs. easy
|
| 9 | Off | Economy:
6x2 minutes | Off or Easy 45-60 minutes | Tempo: 10-20-10 |
Easy 60 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes |
4 hrs. easy
|
| 10 | Off | 60 minutes Fartlek | Off or Easy 45-60 minutes |
Tempo: 10-30-10 | Easy 60 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes | 3 hrs. easy
|
| 11 | Off | Economy:
8x2 minutes | Off or Easy 60 minutes | Tempo: 10-30-10 |
Easy 60 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes |
4½ hrs. easy
|
| 12 | Off | 60 minutes Fartlek | Off or Easy 60 minutes | Tempo: 10-30-10 | Easy 60 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes | 3 hrs. @ Goal Pace
|
| 13 | Off | Economy:
10x2 minutes | Off or Easy 60 minutes | Tempo: 10-30-10 |
Easy 60 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes |
5 hrs.
easy |
| 14 | Off | 60 minutes Fartlek | Off or Easy 60 minutes | Tempo: 10-40-10 | Easy 60 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes | 3 hrs. @
Goal Pace
|
| 15 | Off | Economy:
12x2 minutes | Off or Easy 45 minutes | Tempo: 10-40-10 |
Easy 60 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes |
5 hrs.
easy |
| 16 | Off | 60 minutes Fartlek | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes |
Tempo: 10-40-10 | Easy 60 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes | 3 Easy, push
3rd hour |
| 17 | Off | Economy:
8x2 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes | Tempo: 10-30-10 |
Off or Easy 30-45 minutes | Off or Easy 30-45 minutes |
2 hrs. @ Goal Pace
|
| 18 | Off | 20 minutes Fartlek | Off or Easy 30 minutes | Tempo: 10-10-10 | Off or Easy 20 minutes | Easy 20 minutes + 4 x :30s | Marathon!
|
| | | | | | | |
# This schedule is designed for the first-time marathoner, but it assumes that you are currently walking for exercise or can successfully complete an easy 90-minute walk. The goal is to get you ready to comfortably finish a marathon, at a pace somewhere between three and four miles per hour.