How to Choose a Marathon Training Plan (Beginners & Intermediates)

You've registered for a marathon. Now you need a training plan.

Search "marathon training plan" and you'll drown in options. Hal Higdon, Pete Pfitzinger, the Hansons brothers, Jack Daniels (the coach, not the whiskey), some random PDF from 2008. Everyone claims their approach is best. Everyone has success stories. Everyone promises to get you to the finish line.

Here's the truth: most established training plans work. The real question isn't which plan is best—it's which plan is best for you, your schedule, and your current fitness.

This guide cuts through the noise. No fluff. No pretending there's one perfect plan. Just a straightforward breakdown of what actually matters when choosing how to train for 26.2 miles.

Before You Choose: Know What You're Working With

Stop scrolling through training plans and answer these five questions first. Your answers determine which plans are even viable for you.

1. How much are you running right now?

Not what you ran last year. Not what you used to run in college. What's your average weekly mileage over the past month?

Under 15 miles per week: You need a plan with a gradual ramp-up. Jumping into a plan that starts at 30 miles per week is asking for injury.

15-30 miles per week: You're in the sweet spot for most beginner and intermediate plans. Your body has enough base fitness to handle the progression.

30-45 miles per week: You can handle intermediate plans. Your aerobic base is solid enough for quality work.

45+ miles per week: You're ready for higher-volume intermediate plans. You're already doing significant mileage - now it's about structuring it effectively.

2. How many marathons have you run?

Zero: Stick with beginner plans. Seriously. Your first marathon teaches you more about your body than any training plan can predict. Don't get fancy yet.

1-2 marathons: You've learned what works and what doesn't. Beginner plans might feel too easy. Intermediate plans are your zone.

3+ marathons: You know your body. You know the distance. Intermediate plans with higher volume and quality work will help you improve.

3. How many days per week can you actually run?

Be brutally honest here. Factor in your job, your family, your life. The perfect plan you can't follow is worthless.

3-4 days per week: Your options are limited but they exist. Plans like FIRST are built for this. Most traditional plans require 4+ days minimum.

5 days per week: This is the sweet spot. Most quality plans are designed around 5 running days with 2 rest or cross-training days.

6+ days per week: High-volume plans like Hansons and Pfitzinger become viable. You need the time commitment and recovery capacity for this.

4. When is your race?

Less than 12 weeks away: You're in emergency mode. Options are limited. Pick something conservative and focus on staying healthy.

12-16 weeks: Standard marathon training window. Most plans are built for this timeframe or can be adapted.

18-20 weeks: Ideal. Enough time to build properly without dragging it out so long you lose motivation.

More than 20 weeks: You have time for a solid base-building phase before jumping into structured marathon training. Use it wisely.

5. What's your actual goal?

Not what you tell your friends. What you actually want when you're honest with yourself.

Just finish: Nothing wrong with this. Pick a conservative plan with gradual progression. Survival is the goal.

Finish strong/hit a specific time: You need structured training with quality workouts. Just logging miles won't cut it.

PR or Boston Qualify: Intermediate plans with significant quality work and higher volume. Expect multiple hard sessions per week.

For First-Time Marathoners: Your Best Options

First marathons are about learning. Learning what your body can handle. Learning how to fuel for distance. Learning that mile 20 is where shit gets real.

Pick a plan that prioritizes finishing healthy over finishing fast. You have the rest of your running career to chase times. Right now, you need to prove you can cover the distance.

Best Overall: Hal Higdon Novice 1

The standard for a reason. Hal Higdon's Novice 1 plan has guided more first-time marathoners across finish lines than probably any other plan on earth.

Duration: 18 weeks
Days per week: 4 days running
Peak weekly mileage: 40 miles
Longest run: 20 miles
Cost: Free
Where to find it: halhigdon.com

The plan is beautifully simple. Run short during the week. Go long on weekends. Gradually increase the long run from 6 miles to 20 miles over the 18 weeks. Add optional cross-training on Sundays. Rest on Mondays and Fridays.

Why it works: The progression is gentle enough that your body adapts without breaking. Four running days per week fits into most people's lives. The weekend long run teaches you what marathon distance feels like on tired legs.

Potential drawbacks: Very basic. No speed work. No tempo runs. No race-pace practice. Some runners find it too conservative and finish feeling like they could have pushed harder in training.

Choose this if: You're running your first marathon, have a busy schedule, or just want something proven and straightforward. This is the default choice for good reason.

Best for Injury Prevention: Jeff Galloway Run-Walk Method

Run-walk gets dismissed as "not real running" by people who don't understand how effective it is. Jeff Galloway's research shows 98% completion rates and significantly lower injury rates compared to continuous running plans.

Duration: 24-30 weeks (longer than most)
Days per week: 3-4 days
Peak weekly mileage: Varies
Longest run: 26 miles (yes, longer than the marathon)
Cost: Free schedule, book recommended
Where to find it: jeffgalloway.com

The strategy is deceptively simple: take walk breaks from the beginning of every run. Not when you're tired - from mile one. The walk breaks allow your muscles to recover briefly without stopping forward progress. The specific run-walk ratio depends on your pace goal.

Run-walk ratios by goal pace:

• 8-minute miles: 4 minutes running / 30 seconds walking

• 10-minute miles: 2 minutes running / 30 seconds walking

• 12-minute miles: 1 minute running / 30 seconds walking

• 14-minute miles: 30 seconds running / 30 seconds walking

Why it works: The walk breaks prevent the cumulative damage that causes overuse injuries. You can actually run longer in training (hence the 26-mile long run) because the walk breaks keep you fresh enough to recover.

Potential drawbacks: Some runners struggle with the mental aspect of "giving up" continuous running. Race day logistics require planning your walk break timing. You need to embrace the method fully - trying to eliminate walk breaks defeats the purpose.

Choose this if: You're injury-prone, coming back from time off, or prioritize finishing healthy over finishing with a certain time. Also ideal for runners over 40 or those carrying extra weight.

Best for Busy Schedules: Nike Run Club

The app-first approach to marathon training. Nike Run Club offers guided audio runs from coaches, making every session feel like you have someone in your ear keeping you honest.

Duration: 18 weeks (8-week option exists)
Days per week: 3, 4, or 5 days (you choose)
Peak weekly mileage: Moderate, varies by plan
Longest run: 20 miles
Cost: Free with app
Where to find it: Nike Run Club app

The plans adapt to your schedule. Choose how many days per week you can run, and the app structures workouts accordingly. Every run includes audio coaching with pacing guidance, motivation, and education about what you're doing and why.

Why it works: The flexibility is unmatched. Can only run 3 days this week? The app adjusts. Travel for work? It adapts. The audio coaching keeps you engaged instead of zoning out or checking your watch constantly.

Potential drawbacks: Requires smartphone and app dependency. Some runners find audio coaching annoying rather than helpful. The plans are less detailed than traditional written plans about specific pacing and progressions.

Choose this if: You want flexibility, learn better through audio than reading, or need built-in accountability through technology. Perfect for runners who travel frequently for work.

Also Worth Considering: Hansons Beginner

Despite the name, the Hansons "Beginner" plan isn't really for true beginners. It's for first-time marathoners who are already running 20-30 miles per week consistently.

Duration: 18 weeks
Days per week: 6 days (Wednesday rest)
Peak weekly mileage: 48-55 miles
Longest run: 16 miles (intentionally capped)
Cost: Free schedule online, book recommended
Where to find it: hansons-running.com

The Hansons Method flips traditional training on its head. Instead of building up to 20-22 mile long runs, the longest run maxes out at 16 miles. The plan compensates with higher overall weekly mileage and running six days per week.

The philosophy: Cumulative fatigue. You run those 16 miles on already-tired legs from running the day before, simulating the feeling of marathon miles 20-26. The plan builds endurance through consistency and volume rather than single long efforts.

Why it works: Many runners find the 20+ mile long runs psychologically and physically brutal. Capping at 16 miles reduces injury risk from extremely long single runs while still building the endurance needed through accumulated weekly volume.

Potential drawbacks: Six days per week is a big commitment. The mid-week tempo runs at marathon pace (building from 5 to 10 miles) require scheduling longer weekday running sessions. Some runners struggle mentally with never going past 16 miles in training.

Choose this if: You're already running 20+ miles per week, can commit to six running days, and you want a straightforward, programmed approach to get you across the finish line.

Quick Comparison: First-Timer Plans

The First-Timer Bottom Line

Most first-time marathoners should choose Hal Higdon Novice 1. It's proven, simple, and fits into normal life. If you're worried about injury or have a history of getting hurt, go with Galloway's run-walk method. If you want an app to guide you, Nike Run Club works great.

The goal for your first marathon is simple: cross the finish line healthy and wanting to do it again. Pick a plan that supports that goal rather than one that impresses people at parties.

For Intermediate Runners: Time to Get Faster

You've finished a marathon or two. You know what the distance feels like. You know how your body responds to training. Now comes the fun part: getting faster.

Or maybe you're a strong runner at shorter distances - solid 5K and 10K times - but you've never tackled the marathon. You don't need beginner plans. You need structure that respects your fitness while teaching you marathon-specific demands.

Intermediate training shifts from "can I finish?" to "how fast can I finish?" That requires structured quality work. Tempo runs. Interval training. Race-pace practice. The volume usually increases too - if you peaked at 40 miles per week for your first marathon, expect to hit 45-60 miles for significant improvement.

Best for Steady Improvement: Hal Higdon Intermediate 1

The logical next step from Novice plans. Higdon's Intermediate 1 adds the quality work missing from the beginner programs while keeping the overall structure familiar.

Duration: 18 weeks
Days per week: 5 days
Peak weekly mileage: 48 miles
Longest run: 20 miles
Cost: Free
Where to find it: halhigdon.com

The progression mirrors Novice 1 - gradually building the long run from 8 miles to 20 miles. The difference shows up in the weekday structure. Tuesdays introduce tempo runs at half marathon pace. Thursdays add pace runs at marathon goal pace. The volume increases with an additional running day.

Why it works: The structure feels familiar if you used a Higdon plan before, reducing the learning curve. The tempo runs develop your lactate threshold - your body's ability to clear lactate and sustain harder efforts. Marathon pace practice on Thursdays teaches your body and brain what goal pace should feel like.

Potential drawbacks: Still relatively conservative. The quality work is present but limited. Serious improvement seekers might need more structured speed work and higher volume.

Choose this if: You finished your first marathon using a Higdon plan and want a natural progression. You're targeting a moderate time improvement (15-30 minutes faster than your first). You value familiarity and gradual progression over aggressive training loads.

Best for Race-Specific Training: Hansons Marathon Method

The Hansons philosophy shines brightest for intermediate runners chasing specific time goals. Every workout has purpose. Every run builds toward race day performance.

Duration: 18 weeks
Days per week: 6 days (Wednesday rest)
Peak weekly mileage: 48-63 miles (Beginner vs Advanced plan)
Longest run: 16 miles
Cost: Free schedule, book highly recommended
Where to find it: hansons-running.com

The Hansons approach uses "Something of Substance" (SOS) workouts three times per week. These are your quality sessions that drive improvement:

Tuesday: Speed work (weeks 1-9) transitioning to Strength intervals (weeks 10-16). Early in the plan, this means shorter intervals at 5K pace. Later, it shifts to longer intervals at 10K pace.

Thursday: Tempo runs at goal marathon pace. These build from 5 miles to 10 miles over the training cycle. This is race-specific work - you're literally practicing sustaining marathon pace.

Sunday: Long run progression from 10 miles to 16 miles, repeated three times before tapering.

Between the SOS days, you run easy recovery miles. The training week looks like: Monday easy, Tuesday SOS, Wednesday rest, Thursday SOS, Friday easy, Saturday easy, Sunday SOS.

The 16-mile concept: This trips people up at first. Every other plan has you grinding through 20-22 mile long runs. Hansons caps at 16 miles, always done on Saturday+Sunday legs (meaning you ran the day before). The accumulated fatigue from six days of running means those 16 miles feel like miles 10-26 of a marathon, simulating race conditions without the extreme recovery demands of 20+ mile efforts.

Why it works: The marathon pace work directly prepares you for race day. You're not guessing what pace feels sustainable - you've practiced it weekly for months. The cumulative fatigue approach builds durability without the injury risk of extreme long runs. The structure leaves no question about what each workout should accomplish.

Potential drawbacks: Six days per week is non-negotiable. Missing one day throws off the cumulative fatigue pattern. The mid-week tempo runs require scheduling longer runs on workdays - you need 90+ minutes on Thursday mornings or finding a place to run during lunch. Some runners struggle mentally with never exceeding 16 miles in training, despite the plan's proven effectiveness.

Choose this if: You want race-specific training with clear progression. You can commit to six running days per week. You're targeting a specific finish time and want a plan built around hitting that pace. You're okay with higher volume and less emphasis on single ultra-long runs.

Best for Flexibility: Greg McMillan Running Plans

Data-driven training that adapts to your personal physiology. McMillan's approach uses recent race times to calculate individualized training paces, then builds plans around those numbers.

Duration: 16 weeks typically
Days per week: 5-6 days
Peak weekly mileage: Varies by plan level
Longest run: Progressive, plan-dependent
Cost: Paid plans through subscription
Where to find it: mcmillanrunning.com

McMillan introduces the concept of runner types: Speedsters (better at shorter distances, need endurance work), Combo Runners (balanced across distances), and Endurance Monsters (excel at long stuff, need speed work). The plans adjust emphasis based on your type.

The training paces are determined by plugging a recent race time into the McMillan Running Calculator. That generates specific paces for recovery runs, long runs, steady state runs, tempo runs, speed intervals, and race pace efforts.

Unique feature: Most runs are prescribed by time rather than distance. Instead of "run 8 miles," the plan says "run 60 minutes." This naturally adapts to your current fitness - faster runners cover more distance in that hour.

Why it works: The personalization removes guesswork. Every pace is tailored to your current fitness, not some generic formula. The runner type classification ensures you're working on your actual weaknesses. Time-based running reduces the obsession with hitting specific mileage totals.

Potential drawbacks: Paid subscription required. The calculator-based approach requires a recent race time to be accurate - you can't just guess your fitness level. Some runners prefer distance-based training over time-based. The plans are less famous/proven than the classic Higdon/Pfitzinger/Hansons approaches.

Choose this if: You're data-driven and want personalized training. You have recent race times to input. You're willing to pay for structured coaching-style guidance. You want your plan to adapt as your fitness changes.

Also Worth Considering: Pfitzinger 18/55

Pete Pfitzinger's entry-level plan from "Advanced Marathoning." Despite the book title, this plan works well for strong intermediate runners ready for structured training.

Duration: 18 weeks
Days per week: 5-6 days
Peak weekly mileage: 55 miles
Longest run: 20 miles (done three times)
Cost: ~$25 for "Advanced Marathoning" book
Where to find it: Book or various online adaptations

Pfitzinger's philosophy centers on lactate threshold development and medium-long runs. The plan includes two quality sessions per week plus a long run, with the remaining days filled by recovery runs and medium-long runs (10-14 miles).

Weekly structure:

• Recovery runs: 4-8 miles easy

• Medium-long runs: 11-15 miles at steady pace

• Lactate threshold sessions: Tempo runs with miles at 15K-half marathon pace

• Long runs: 16-20 miles, some with marathon pace segments

• VO2max intervals: Shorter, faster intervals at 5K pace

Why it works: The medium-long runs (done mid-week) build volume without the recovery cost of back-to-back long weekend runs. The lactate threshold work directly improves your ability to sustain hard efforts. The plan progressively increases training stress through periodized phases: endurance building, lactate threshold + endurance, race preparation, then taper.

Potential drawbacks: The medium-long runs require significant time mid-week. A 14-mile run on Tuesday morning needs scheduling commitment. The mileage ramps up quickly - the first week starts at 33 miles with a 12-mile long run. You need a solid base before starting this plan.

Choose this if: You're comfortable running 30-35 miles per week already. You can schedule 60-90 minute runs on weekdays. You want detailed, structured training that's proven at the competitive amateur level. You're targeting sub-4:00 marathon times or Boston qualifying.

Quick Comparison: Intermediate Plans

The Intermediate Bottom Line

If you can handle six days per week and want race-specific training, choose Hansons. The marathon pace work and cumulative fatigue approach produces consistent results.

If you want familiar structure with added quality work, stick with Higdon Intermediate 1. It's a safe progression that reduces risk while still driving improvement.

If you're ready for serious training and can commit to mid-week long runs, jump into Pfitzinger 18/55. This is the plan that gets you toward competitive marathon times and Boston qualifying.

If you're data-driven and want personalization, try McMillan Running. The individualized approach adapts to your specific strengths and weaknesses.

The intermediate phase is where training gets fun. You're past survival mode and into optimization mode. Pick a plan that challenges you without overwhelming you.

How to Actually Follow Your Plan (Without Burning Out)

Choosing a plan is one thing. Executing it is another.

Don't treat it like gospel

Training plans are guidelines, not commandments. Life happens. Work gets busy. Kids get sick. You catch a cold.

The 80% rule applies: if you complete 80% of prescribed training, you'll be fine. Missing occasional runs won't destroy your fitness.

When to modify

Warning signs to dial back:

• Persistent muscle soreness beyond normal post-workout stiffness

• Elevated resting heart rate for multiple days

• Inability to hit prescribed paces on easy days

• Loss of motivation lasting more than a few days

• Sleep disruption or persistent fatigue

When you see these signs, take an easy day or rest day regardless of what the plan says. One extra recovery day protects the next three weeks of training.

Scale back smartly

If you need to reduce training load:

Cut volume first, maintain intensity. A 30-minute tempo run still provides training stimulus even if the plan called for 45 minutes.

Protect the long run and one quality workout weekly. Everything else can be reduced if needed.

Cross-training counts

Don't underestimate cross-training's value. Cycling, swimming, and elliptical maintain aerobic fitness without running's impact stress.

Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity cycling equals roughly 30 minutes of easy running aerobically, but with zero pounding on your legs.

The taper is non-negotiable

The final two weeks before your marathon, the plan reduces volume dramatically. This isn't optional.

Don't add mileage because you feel good. Don't try to "make up" missed training. The taper allows your body to absorb training adaptations and arrive at the start line fresh.

Trust the process. You've done the work. Now rest.

The Bottom Line: Just Pick One and Commit

Here's the truth most training advice won't tell you: analysis paralysis is worse than choosing an imperfect plan.

Hal Higdon, Pete Pfitzinger, the Hansons brothers, Jack Daniels—they've all guided thousands of runners to successful marathons. The plan you follow consistently beats the "perfect" plan you keep researching.

Your quick decision guide:

First marathon + want simple: Hal Higdon Novice 1

First marathon + injury concerns: Galloway Run-Walk

First marathon + want app-based: Nike Run Club

First marathon + already running 20+ miles weekly: Hansons Beginner

Second or third marathon + want to PR: Hansons Method or Pfitzinger 18/55

Strong at shorter distances but new to marathon: Hansons Method or Pfitzinger 18/55

Time-crunched: FIRST Method

Data-driven: McMillan Running

Make your choice

Pick the plan that fits your current fitness, schedule, and goals. Commit to it for 18 weeks. Execute it as well as you can while listening to your body.

The plan gets you to the start line prepared. What carries you across the finish line is showing up for training, trusting the process, and remembering why you signed up.

We'll see you at mile 20—where the real work begins.

Related Training Resources:

• The Tempo Run Decoded: Your Secret Weapon for Running Faster

• Zone 2 Running: All You Need to Know

• Building Your Race Calendar: Strategic Planning for Runners

• The Rest Day Question: How to Know When Recovery Beats Training