Couch to Marathon Training Plan: 26-Week Schedule

From walk-run to marathon in 26 weeks: a 10-week walk-run start, then a 16-week basic marathon plan with 1–3 sessions a week and a longest session of 2 hours. Every week of both stages is below. Or let SportPlan build it around your schedule and race date.

26.2 miles / 42.195 km

26 weeks in total: a 10-week walk-run start, then the 16-week basic marathon plan. These are two consecutive templates; the second stage uses its own weekly session pattern.

26 weeks · 0.3–3.7 hours a week · 1–3 sessions per week · longest session 120 min

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Week-by-week schedule

Stage 1: 10-week walk-run start

Couch to Marathon Training Plan: 26-Week Schedule
Week	Phase	Sessions	Weekly total
Week 1	Base	Mon · Walk-run · 30 min Wed · Walk-run · 30 min Sat · Walk-run · 30 min	90 min · 3 sessions
Week 2	Base	Mon · Walk-run · 30 min Wed · Walk-run · 30 min Sat · Walk-run · 30 min	90 min · 3 sessions
Week 3	Build	Mon · Walk-run · 31 min Wed · Walk-run · 31 min Sat · Walk-run · 31 min	93 min · 3 sessions
Week 4	Build	Mon · Walk-run · 22 min Wed · Walk-run · 22 min Sat · Walk-run · 22 min	66 min · 3 sessions
Week 5	Build	Mon · Walk-run · 32 min Wed · Walk-run · 32 min Sat · Walk-run · 32 min	96 min · 3 sessions
Week 6	Specific	Mon · Walk-run · 32 min Wed · Walk-run · 32 min Sat · Walk-run · 32 min	96 min · 3 sessions
Week 7	Specific	Mon · Walk-run · 32 min Wed · Walk-run · 32 min Sat · Walk-run · 32 min	96 min · 3 sessions
Week 8	Specific	Mon · Continuous run · 30 min Wed · Continuous run · 30 min Sat · Continuous run · 38 min	98 min · 3 sessions
Week 9	Taper	Mon · Continuous run · 30 min Wed · Walk-run · 22 min Sat · Confidence run · 30 min	82 min · 3 sessions
Week 10	Taper	Mon · Walk-run · 22 min Wed · Short shakeout run · 15 min Sat · First 5K run · 45 min	82 min · 3 sessions

Stage 2: 16-week marathon plan

Couch to Marathon Training Plan: 26-Week Schedule
Week	Phase	Sessions	Weekly total
Week 11	Base	Tue · Easy run · 30 min Thu · Easy run · 30 min Sat · Long run · 60 min	120 min · 3 sessions
Week 12	Base	Tue · Easy run · 40 min Sat · Long run · 75 min	115 min · 2 sessions
Week 13	Base	Tue · Easy run · 40 min Thu · Progression run · 30 min Sat · Long run · 90 min	160 min · 3 sessions
Week 14	Base	Tue · Recovery run · 20 min Thu · Easy run · 30 min Sat · Long run · 60 min	110 min · 3 sessions
Week 15	Build	Tue · Easy run · 40 min Thu · Tempo or threshold run · 40 min Sat · Long run · 90 min	170 min · 3 sessions
Week 16	Build	Tue · Easy run · 50 min Sat · Progression run · 90 min	140 min · 2 sessions
Week 17	Build	Tue · Easy run · 50 min Thu · Tempo or threshold run · 50 min Sat · Long run · 120 min	220 min · 3 sessions
Week 18	Build	Tue · Recovery run · 20 min Thu · Easy run · 40 min Sat · Long run · 75 min	135 min · 3 sessions
Week 19	Build	Tue · Easy run · 50 min Thu · Tempo or threshold run · 50 min Sat · Long run · 120 min	220 min · 3 sessions
Week 20	Specific	Tue · Easy run · 60 min Sat · Progression run · 90 min	150 min · 2 sessions
Week 21	Specific	Tue · Easy run · 50 min Thu · Tempo or threshold run · 50 min Sat · Long run · 120 min	220 min · 3 sessions
Week 22	Specific	Tue · Recovery run · 20 min Sat · Long run · 90 min	110 min · 2 sessions
Week 23	Specific	Tue · Easy run · 50 min Thu · Progression run · 30 min Sat · Long run · 120 min	200 min · 3 sessions
Week 24	Taper	Tue · Easy run · 40 min Thu · Tempo or threshold run · 40 min Sat · Long run · 90 min	170 min · 3 sessions
Week 25	Taper	Tue · Easy run · 30 min Sat · Long run · 60 min	90 min · 2 sessions
Week 26	Taper	Tue · Recovery run · 20 min	20 min · 1 sessions

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Questions about this schedule

How long is this schedule?

The complete schedule contains 26 weeks.

How many sessions are scheduled each week?

The schedule contains 1–3 sessions per week, counting every listed session, including strength and mobility when present.

How long is the longest session?

The longest scheduled training session is 120 minutes. Race day has no estimated duration in this table.

What do the final weeks contain?

The final three weeks all belong to the taper phase. Their complete sessions and durations are listed in the schedule.

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This is a general template, not medical advice; check with a doctor before you start a new training load.