10 Week Marathon Training Plan

10 weeks·4 days / wk·marathon·intermediate

Weeks: 10
Sessions: 40
Peak week: 42.5 mi; week 8
Long run: 20 mi; week 8
Taper: 2 wk

BaseCutbackBuildPeakTaperRace

Paces assume an intermediate runner (VDOT 42). Enter a recent race to personalise them.

Week-by-week training plan
Wk	Focus	Sessions	Volume	Biggest session
01	Base: aerobic volume, hills and stridesLong run 11 mi	4 · 3 key	29.5 mi	Long run 11 mi
Tue Oct 6 Hill repeats 6 × 60 s 4 mi Warm-up · 1.5 mi easy 6 × 60 s uphill · hard but controlled (5K effort), jog back down Cool-down · 1 mi easy Thu Oct 8 Easy run 11 mi 11 mi easy · @ 9:28–10:25/mi, conversational Fri Oct 9 Fartlek 5 × 1 min 3.5 mi Warm-up · 1.5 mi easy 5 × 1 min on / 1 min easy · "on" near 7:53/mi Cool-down · 1 mi easy Sun Oct 11 Long run 11 mi 11 mi steady · @ 9:28–10:25/mi, fuel every 45 min if over 90 min
Weeks 2–10 locked Unlock the full plan. Every session, every week Paces and loads from your numbers PDF, calendar and Garmin export Re-plans when you miss a key session Billing period$79 / year$14 / month Annual works out at $6.58 a month Secure checkout with Stripe · Cancel any time
02	Base: aerobic volume, hills and stridesLong run 12.5 mi	4 · 3 key	32 mi	Long run 12.5 mi
03	Base: aerobic volume, hills and stridesLong run 14 mi	4 · 3 key	33.5 mi	Long run 14 mi
04	Cutback: absorb the trainingLong run 10 mi	4 · 1 key	24.5 mi	Long run 10 mi
05	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 15.5 mi	4 · 3 key	35.5 mi	Long run 15.5 mi
06	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 17 mi	4 · 3 key	37.5 mi	Long run 17 mi
07	Peak: marathon-pace long runsLong run 18.5 mi	4 · 3 key	40 mi	Long run 18.5 mi
08	Peak: marathon-pace long runsLong run 20 mi	4 · 3 key	42.5 mi	Long run 20 mi
09	Taper: volume down, race pace sharpLong run 15 mi	4 · 2 key	32 mi	Long run 15 mi
10	Race week — marathonRace 26 mi	4 · 1 key	15 mi	Race 26 mi

Your paces

Easy / long: 9:28–10:25/mi62–70% VO2max, conversational
Marathon (M): 8:25/mi
Threshold (T): 7:53/micomfortably hard, ~60 min race effort
Interval (I): 7:15/mi3–5 min reps, ~97.5% VO2max
Repetition (R): 6:49/mishort fast reps, mile race pace
marathon race pace: 8:25/mifinish 3:40:33

The numbers

About this plan

This 10 week marathon training plan opens with 29.5 mi in week 1 and peaks at 42.5 mi in week 8. Halfway, week 5 carries 35.5 mi with a 15.5 mi long run. That is 322 mi over 40 runs for an intermediate marathon runner. Cutbacks: week 4 (24.5 mi).

15 key sessions — 3 hill, 3 fartlek, 5 tempo and 4 interval — back up a long run that reaches 20 mi in week 8. Easy running at 9:28–10:25/mi is 72% of the 322 mi; 5 threshold sessions run at 7:53/mi. Late long runs, peaking at 20 mi in week 8 of 10, finish at 8:25/mi marathon pace.

Taper: from 42.5 mi in week 8 down to 15 mi of running in race week. A 42.5-mi peak in week 8 points to 3:40:33 for the marathon, 8:25/mi average.

4 sessions and 29.5 mi open this 10-week plan, topped by a 11 mi Thursday.

Structure: base weeks 1–3 (29.5–33.5 mi), build weeks 5–6 (35.5–37.5 mi), peak weeks 7–8 (40–42.5 mi), taper week 9 (32 mi) and race week 10 (15 mi).

Questions

FAQ

How many miles a week is the 10 week marathon training plan?

29.5 mi in week 1, 35.5 mi by week 5 and 42.5 mi at the peak, week 8: 322 mi total.

What pace are the easy runs on this 10-week marathon plan?

9:28–10:25/mi at VDOT 42, for 72% of 322 mi.

What is the longest run in the 10 week marathon training plan?

20 mi in week 8, up from 11 mi in week 1.

Does the 10 week marathon training plan work with 3 runs a week?

It regenerates all 10 weeks around the 20-mi long run at 3 days — about 30 runs.

Keep exploring

All running plans