6 Month Marathon Training Plan

Hey folks!

This 6 month marathon training plan is perfect for new runners, or runners with some experience under their belt! 

Before beginning, you should ideally be able to run 2-3 miles without stopping.  Alternatively, you can adopt a run/walk strategy for this training plan too!

Six months is a generous amount of time to prepare for a marathon, which means we can very gradually work on building up your mileage.

This is awesome as it reduces the risk of injury that comes with ramping up the miles too quickly.

It also allows your muscles and cardiovascular system more time to get used to the mileage, so it’s not such an intense experience on your body.

I’ve also written the following article to accompany the 6 month marathon training plan:

How To Train For a Marathon in 6 Months – check it out!

6 Month Marathon Training Plan – Who Is It For?:

Beginners and intermediate runners who have six months (or more!) to get ready for their marathon.

Ideally you should already be able to run 2-3 miles without stopping!

This plan is best-suited for runners who don’t have an ambitious marathon finishing time goal instead are looking to simply comfortably finish their marathon.

How Long?: 

24 weeks // 6 months.

If you’ve got slightly longer, you can work on your shorter distances with 2-3 runs per week and a couple of cross training days before starting the 6 month marathon training plan.

Training Plan Guide:

The plan features 4 days of running workouts, plus one day of cross-training – leaving two days of rest per week.

Here’s a run-down of how to do each run:

Training Runs
These are regular, easy runs to be done at a comfortable pace.

If you’re feeling ambitious, you can determine your planned marathon pace and do these runs at that pace. For the rest of us, these are all about adding miles to your training and getting your body adapted to running.

Ideally you should be running all of these; if you are struggling, adopt a structured run/walk strategy (run for 2 minutes, walk for 1 minute). Aim to train yourself so you can be running this continuously as soon as you can! (some more on walk/run strategy here!)

Long Runs
As the name suggests, these are the longest training runs of your training plan.  

They are designed to increase your maximum mileage, and therefore your stamina.

The most important thing to remember with these long runs is to do them at a slow, comfortable pace!  Don’t push yourself.

The aim is to get the miles in, not to exhaust your body.

 If in doubt, do them at a speed at which you could hold a conversation with a friend.

Cross Training
The plan includes one day per week dedicated to cross training.

The idea behind cross training is to un-do some of the stresses your body is subjected to while running for long distances.

The most effective forms of cross training are things like strength training and yoga; these actively work on stretching out and strengthening muscles in your hips and legs, which help prevent injury.

Swimming is another awesome form of cross-training, it is low intensity and helps stretch out your tired muscles, while providing some cardiovascular training.

Changing The Plan
If you have a hectic schedule and need to miss one day of training, my advice would be to skip one of the short training runs.  It will mean you’re a little less prepared come marathon day, but should still make it round.

The most important workout of the 6 month marathon training plan is definitely the Long Run – try not to skip too many of these! They are crucial for building your endurance and getting your mileage in.

Many runners decide to drop cross training from their plan. While cross training is definitely optional, I can tell you that it’s effects on your marathon performance are greater than one short run. That’s why I always include one day per week of cross training in each of my training plans.

Feel free to move around the order of these runs to suit your own schedule – just drag and drop using the spreadsheet, once you’ve downloaded it. My one piece of advice is to leave a rest day after the long run day.

Download The 6 Month Marathon Training Plan Here

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Using this format gives you guys the ultimate flexibility in whatever you choose to do with the plan – and also protects our content!

Check Out The Premium Version of The 6 Month Marathon Training Plan . . .