Marathon training template
Marathon training plan timeline
A training block is easier to hold onto when you can see the taper coming. This is the standard 16-week shape — build, peak, taper, race — as a single bar with a countdown to your next checkpoint. Adjust the weeks to fit your race date.
Use this template
Opens in the editor. Free, no signup.
The milestones
Roughly 18 weeks end to end. Weeks are relative to the first milestone — set your own dates once it's open in the editor.
| When | Milestone | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| Week 0 | Base mileage | Build |
| Week 6 | First long run (16km) | Build |
| Week 11 | Half-marathon checkpoint | Peak |
| Week 14 | Peak week (60km) | Peak |
| Week 16 | Taper begins | Taper |
| Week 18 | Race day | Race |
What to put on it
- Week 1 of base building, so you know when the block actually started.
- Your first long run over 15km — the first real test of the plan.
- A half-marathon or tune-up race as a mid-block checkpoint.
- Peak week, the highest-volume week of the build.
- Taper start, typically two to three weeks out.
- Race day.
Questions
- How long should a marathon training plan be?
- Sixteen weeks is the common default for runners with a base already in place. Twenty weeks is more forgiving if you're building from a low mileage base or coming back from injury.
- When does the taper start?
- Usually two to three weeks before race day. Put it on the timeline as its own milestone — it's the one people talk themselves out of, and seeing it dated makes it harder to skip.
- Can I use this for a half marathon or a 10k?
- Yes. Keep the same phases and compress the weeks: twelve for a half, eight for a 10k. You can also describe the race in plain English on the editor's prompt bar and let it draft the milestones.
Make it yours in about a minute.
The template opens as a draft in your browser. Edit the dates, publish when it's right, and share the link — it unfurls as a preview of the actual timeline in Slack, Teams, Discord, and iMessage.
Use this template