Elizabeth Maiuolo wasn’t a runner when she moved to New York City 10 years ago. But she heard the marathon was the place to be, so she volunteered at the finish line, an experience that changed her life.
“You see people of all sizes, ages, and paces transform in front of you,” says Maiuolo, who eventually ran six New York City Marathons in a row and now coaches for New York Road Runners. “You feel inspired to think that can be you one day.”
Anyone with the word “marathon” in their vocabulary can target a 26.2-mile effort, provided they’re motivated and committed, says Chicago-area coach Denise Sauriol, who has helped hundreds of first-timers cross the finish line. Sauriol ran her first after watching her older sister finish one in 1993. “She turned what I thought was superhuman into a human,” she says.
Experts say a year is more than enough time for even brand-new runners to prepare for their first marathon, provided they plan well.
How to Train for Your First Marathon
In this guide, you’ll learn how to train for a marathon. I’m going to share the best marathon training tips and insights that I’ve picked up over the last ten-plus years of training distance runners.
Training for your first marathon can seem very daunting. Trust me, I’ve been there!
Once you know many of the common mistakes made by first-time marathon runners, you’ll be able to avoid them and focus your marathon training efforts in the right places to achieve success on marathon day.
Right Now
Choose your race.
Scope out registration dates and policies; many big-city marathons limit entries and admit first-timers based on a lottery or drawing. Applications for the 2018 New York City Marathon are open from January 15 to February 15, while you can sign up for the 2018 Chicago Marathon now through November 30.
Assess your schedule.
Consider how much time you have to train, advises Tim Bradley, a running coach in St. Louis. Ideally, you’d find slots for at least two to four shorter and one longer run each week, along with a day or two of cross-training.
Plot your strategy.
Counting backward from race day, you’ll want four to six months for dedicated marathon training, Maiuolo says. But that doesn’t mean you should wait a half year to start running—use the weeks beforehand to safely ramp up to, and maintain, a consistent running routine. One way to do it: start with a training plan for new runners, then once you complete it, begin a marathon-training plan (for instance, the Runner’s World New Runner plan, then our First-Timers Marathon plan). You can also hire a coach or join a group tailored to your experience level.
Buy shoes.
They’re the most important piece of equipment, Sauriol says. Visit a specialty running store (locate one with our Store Finder) for an expert fitting, along with advice on other gear, like GPS watches and cold-weather clothing.
Seek (more) inspiration.
Fuel your fire with documentaries like Spirit of the Marathon and PBS’ Boston Marathon Challenge, both of which feature everyday athletes, Sauriol says. Signing up with a charity group to raise funds and awareness as you train can add meaning. A bonus: many offer support and guidance along the way.
In the First 3 Months
Find your joy.
Making running fun helps you train consistently, Maiuolo says. Experiment with different situations and options to see what feels right for you—park versus treadmill, with training partners or alone, wearing headphones or tech-free.
Slow down.
If you start each training session at a sprint, you’ll swiftly fade. Ease your pace so you can hold a conversation during most runs—especially your long runs. You’ll build the aerobic fitness essential to successful marathoning, says elite runner and coach Neely Spence Gracey, who ran the 2016 NYC marathon in a time of 2:34.
Start a log.
Use a website or apps like Garmin or Strava, or write your mileage, time, and how you feel after each run down in a paper notebook. However you do it, tracking keeps you accountable and provides a solid record of your progress, Sauriol says.
Run a 5K (or two).
Smaller goals stoke motivation along the way, and lining up two 5Ks a month or so apart can give you a read on how much you’re improving, Gracey says. Plus, shorter races give you low-stakes exposure to a race atmosphere.
Hit the gym.
One or two days a week of cross-training—think cycling, swimming, or group fitness classes—improve your fitness while giving your legs a break from the persistent pounding of running. And strength training makes your muscles and joints resilient against injuries, Bradley says.
In Months 3-6
Run a 10K.
Taking a step up in distance gives you even more experience fine-tuning your race-day routines.
Stay healthy and strong.
As your mileage builds, use a foam roller to self-massage areas like your quads, hamstrings, and calves. Dynamic warmup moves and post-run stretches keep your muscles flexible and limber to prevent injuries.
Make travel plans.
Unless you’re running your hometown race, nail down flights, hotels, and other big logistics.
Join a group.
If you haven’t already, consider hooking up with other runners. Check online or at your local running store for meetups. Longer distances fly by faster when you’re chatting, and you’ll find yourself with a whole new group of friends who have similar goals, Sauriol says.
In Months 6-9
Fuel up.
Once your long runs exceed 90 minutes, experiment with gels, chews, sports drinks, or other midrun carbohydrates. Post-run, grab a snack with a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein to replenish the energy you’ve expended and start repairing damaged muscles.
Run a half marathon.
If you don’t live in a big city already, consider trekking somewhere urban to get experience with the crowds and chaos of a larger field.
Nip budding injuries.
See a sports-focused doctor, physical therapist, or chiropractor for any aches and pains that linger more than a few days or interfere with your gait, Gracey recommends.
Sleep well.
Training is tiring. Everyone’s nightly needs differ, but you’ll probably find they increase along with your mileage, Maiuolo says.
Revisit your goals.
You might have had a target finishing time in mind when you started training, but now you’ll have a better idea of what’s realistic. In most cases, first-time marathoners should focus on getting to the starting line healthy and finishing the race happy, Maiuolo recommends. But if your training and practice races have gone well so far, you might consider aiming for a specific time or pace.
How to Select Your Marathon Training Plan
Picking the right marathon training plan to guide you through the process of training for your upcoming marathon is a crucial step in ensuring your success.
While you may not end up following your chosen plan to the letter, setting off on this journey with a marathon training program that doesn’t suit your needs, could potentially set you up for disappointment further down the line.
Let’s take a moment to look at what we need to take into account.
What Should You Look For?
There are a huge variety of free marathon training plans available online, many of which are specifically written for first-time marathoners. In deciding which might best suit you, a good place to start would be to ask yourself the following questions:
- What has your average weekly running mileage been for the last two months?
- How many times per week have you been running on average in the last two months?
- What’s the longest run you’ve completed in the last two months?
- What’s your ultimate goal for this first marathon? More on goal setting in a moment!
Having answered these questions, you’ll be more able to be realistic about your current level of training.
Many of the injuries sustained by first-time marathon runners, like shin splints, come as a consequence of increasing weekly mileage, long run duration, or running frequency often a combination of the three too quickly. This is why it’s so important to choose a training plan that starts you off at a training load that your body can manage, then builds your training gradually across the duration of the program.
How Long Does It Take to Train for a Marathon?
Most regular runners can successfully train for a marathon in twelve to eighteen weeks. You may well have noticed that there are marathon training plans available that span different time frames. The training plan I linked to above is a sixteen-week plan, while some other plans are twelve or eighteen weeks long. The answer to how long it will take you to train for your first marathon depends on your starting levels of running fitness.
This is why you’ll notice that in my beginner’s marathon training plan, there are a set of prerequisites that should be met before embarking on the sixteen weeks of focused marathon training.
If you meet the pre-requisite levels of running fitness, then you will certainly be ready for your first marathon after sixteen weeks of following the running schedule. However, if you need 3-4 weeks to build up your running, and to be ready to start the marathon training plan, then sixteen weeks could easily turn into twenty weeks.
Goal Setting for Your First Marathon
On a cold winter’s evening, it’s the motivation that comes from having set an inspiring goal that gets us out of the door and running. When it comes to marathon training so it is very important to set yourself meaningful goals.
These goals don’t always have to be time-related; for your first marathon, I’d rather you were more process orientated in your goals than outcome orientated. If you focus on successfully ticking off each of the long runs week-by-week during training, and on executing your pacing and nutrition plans on race day, the finish time will look after itself.
The only outcome-based goal I want a first-time marathoner to focus on is the goal of finishing strong and being able to look back a few days later and say “yeah, I’d do another”!
How Much Running Should You Do Before You Start Marathon Training?
You must achieve a pre-requisite level of running fitness ahead of getting started with a given marathon training plan. As mentioned above, you don’t want to fall into the “too much too soon” trap by having to ramp your training load up too quickly at the start of the program.
As a good rule of thumb, in the six weeks before the start of marathon training, your weekly running volume (miles per week) should be at least 90% of the weekly mileage stated in the first week of your marathon plan.
Similarly, your long runs in the weeks ahead of the start of your program should have reached the distance/duration of the first long run stated in your marathon program.
Time or Distance-Based Marathon Plans?
As you start looking around at different marathon training programs, and I suggest you compare a few before committing, you may notice that some stipulate specific distances you need to run each day, while others are time-based in their approach.
Both types of program work, and have their benefits. However, if you consider yourself to be a slower runner, you might want to take more of a time-based approach, particularly on your long runs.
The legendary running coach, Jack Daniels describes this concept well in the video below. Although I do feel a lot of slower runners struggle mentally with capping their long runs at 2:30 hours as he suggests, knowing that they will possibly be looking at a finish time of double that on race day.
The mental side can’t be overlooked. It’s a fine balance!
An effective way to both limit the long run duration, and build the resilience in your legs and time on your feet is to run “big training weekends” where you run 10-12 miles on Saturday and 18 miles on Sunday. This long run on tired legs mimics the demands of a longer training run well, while potentially reducing injury risk.
