18 Week Marathon Training Plan

18 weeks·4 days / wk·marathon·intermediate

Weeks: 18
Sessions: 72
Peak week: 42.5 mi; week 15
Long run: 20 mi; week 15
Taper: 3 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	24.5 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 6 mi 6 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 2–18 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 11.5 mi	4 · 3 key	26 mi	Long run 11.5 mi
03	Base: aerobic volume, hills and stridesLong run 12.5 mi	4 · 3 key	27.5 mi	Long run 12.5 mi
04	Cutback: absorb the trainingLong run 9 mi	4 · 1 key	20.5 mi	Long run 9 mi
05	Base: aerobic volume, hills and stridesLong run 13.5 mi	4 · 3 key	28.5 mi	Long run 13.5 mi
06	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 14 mi	4 · 3 key	29.5 mi	Long run 14 mi
07	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 15 mi	4 · 3 key	31 mi	Long run 15 mi
08	Cutback: absorb the trainingLong run 11 mi	4 · 1 key	24 mi	Long run 11 mi
09	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 16 mi	4 · 3 key	33 mi	Long run 16 mi
10	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 16.5 mi	4 · 3 key	34.5 mi	Long run 16.5 mi
11	Build: threshold + intervalsLong run 17.5 mi	4 · 3 key	36.5 mi	Long run 17.5 mi
12	Cutback: absorb the trainingLong run 12.5 mi	4 · 1 key	27.5 mi	Long run 12.5 mi
13	Peak: marathon-pace long runsLong run 18 mi	4 · 3 key	38 mi	Long run 18 mi
14	Peak: marathon-pace long runsLong run 19 mi	4 · 3 key	40 mi	Long run 19 mi
15	Peak: marathon-pace long runsLong run 20 mi	4 · 3 key	42.5 mi	Long run 20 mi
16	Taper: volume down, race pace sharpLong run 15 mi	4 · 2 key	33.5 mi	Long run 15 mi
17	Taper: volume down, race pace sharpLong run 11 mi	4 · 2 key	27 mi	Long run 11 mi
18	Race week — marathonRace 26 mi	4 · 1 key	14 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

Week 1 of this 18 week marathon training plan totals 24.5 mi; the biggest week, week 15, reaches 42.5 mi. Halfway, week 9 carries 33 mi with a 16 mi long run. That is 538 mi over 72 runs for an intermediate marathon runner. Load drops in week 4 (20.5 mi), week 8 (24 mi) and week 12 (27.5 mi).

The long run tops out at 20 mi in week 15; 26 key sessions include 4 hill, 4 fartlek, 10 tempo and 8 interval workouts. 71% of all miles here are easy, at 9:28–10:25/mi, and threshold work at 7:53/mi fills 10 sessions. Marathon pace (8:25/mi) ends the late long runs, up to 20 mi in week 15.

Taper: from 42.5 mi in week 15 down to 14 mi of running in race week. Projected finish after 18 weeks and 538 mi: 3:40:33 for the marathon (8:25/mi).

The phases run base weeks 1–5 (24.5–28.5 mi), build weeks 6–11 (29.5–36.5 mi), peak weeks 13–15 (38–42.5 mi), taper weeks 16–17 (27–33.5 mi) and race week 18 (14 mi).

Questions

FAQ

How many miles a week is the 18 week marathon training plan?

24.5 mi in week 1, 33 mi by week 9 and 42.5 mi at the peak, week 15: 538 mi total.

What pace are the easy runs on this 18-week marathon plan?

9:28–10:25/mi at VDOT 42, for 71% of 538 mi.

What is the longest run in the 18 week marathon training plan?

20 mi in week 15, up from 11 mi in week 1.

Does the 18 week marathon training plan work with 3 runs a week?

54 runs instead of 72: switch to 3 days and the 20-mi long run stays.

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