Make your next run count
Marathon training plan generator
Build a week-by-week marathon schedule that ends on your race day.
Choose 12 to 20 weeks, 3 to 6 runs per week and your current long-run distance. The plan lays out dated runs, weekly long-run targets, regular cutback weeks and a three-week taper. Review the full schedule, save it as a PDF or add the runs to your calendar.
Each week highlights its long-run distance and whether it is a build, cutback or taper week. Supporting easy runs have dates, with their distance or duration left for you to choose.
Your 16-week plan
Your schedule, from the first week to race day.
- Starts
- Race day
- Runs
- 48
Race week ends on race day. Early-week races have fewer training days. Easy-run lengths are yours to choose.
Week 1
Starting
Establish your starting rhythm
Begin with the first scheduled sessions. Use the targets as a guide and choose any unspecified workout lengths to suit your experience.
Tuesday
Easy run
Start with a familiar easy run and choose a length that fits your current routine.
Session lengthYour choiceThursday
Easy run / optional steady
Keep this session easy, or choose a steady effort if it suits your experience. You set its distance or duration.
Session lengthYour choiceSunday
Long easy run
This is the week's longer session. Complete the listed distance at an easy effort.
Long-run target5 miles
For general information only, not professional advice. Check the official sources below. Use your own judgement and speak to a qualified professional, such as your doctor, before you act.
A little context
Get more from your result.
The steps, examples and sources
behind this tool.
Build your own running plan
- Choose your race date, 12 to 20 weeks and 3 to 6 runs per week.
- Enter your current long run in kilometres or miles.
- Read the weekly run dates and long-run distances, including cutbacks and taper.
- Download the full plan with Save PDF, share your settings, print or download the calendar.
A worked example
- Race Sunday 2027-04-25, 16 weeks, current long run 8 miles.
- First Monday: 2027-01-04.
- Long runs: weeks 1, 2, 3, 4: 8, 9, 10, 9 miles.
- Weeks 8, 12, 13, 14, 15: 12, 15, 20, 15, 10 miles. Week 16 is the race.
How this tool works
The first week starts on Monday, counting back from the Monday of race week. For a Sunday race this equals race date minus (weeks x 7 - 1) days. Early-week races have fewer final-week runs so nothing is scheduled after the race.
The underlying build progression rises linearly towards a nominal target of 20 miles or 32 km. Every fourth build week is 80% of its calculated distance, including the final build week. Some plan lengths therefore finish the build below the target; the result shows the highest scheduled training distance. Distances round to 0.5 mile or 1 km.
The last three weeks taper: 75% of peak, 50%, then race week. The final long run is replaced by the race. Other runs are easy; their lengths are not specified by the source rules and are left to the runner.
The mile and kilometre peak targets are the separately specified planning targets, not exact equivalents. Activity guidelines provide general context; they do not endorse this exact progression. Calendar entries are all-day runs.
A few useful answers
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Adult Activity: An Overview
General adult physical activity guidance. Does not prescribe the exact workouts or progressions in these tools.
- UK Chief Medical Officers: UK Chief Medical Officers' physical activity guidelines
General physical activity guidance; these tools' training rules are planning rules, not clinical prescriptions.
- RFC Editor: RFC 5545: Internet Calendaring and Scheduling
The iCalendar date and floating local-time event format.
Last checked:
StrideSheet team
We build free running tools: training plans built to your race date, pace bands and race-day plans. Our plans follow published training principles and are a guide, not medical advice.