Marathon Training Schedule - Beginner

Week  #  2

  

 

Marathon Training Tip Of The Week:  Running Smart...

During the course of a typical 17 week marathon training program you will run 600 - 700 miles! This is over 30 miles per week and your chances off getting injured are much higher than during your regular running. You should aim to avoid injury at all costs because it will seriously disrupt your training schedule.

If you are beginning to hurt during a training run, don’t be afraid to slow down or walk. Avoid the pressure of ‘keeping up’ if you are running with others. Read our article on avoiding injuries now, right at the start of your training program.

 

 
 

Click to download our Free Marathon Race Strategies guide to running a successful marathon

 

Marathon Training Schedule: Week 2

Welcome to week # 2 of your training program. Hopefully you will be settling in to the idea of following a regular marathon training program. The results will start to show in a few weeks and will definitely help you succeed on marathon day.

 

 
 

 

Beginner Level: Week 2 Mileage Chart

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Total Miles
5 E 6 T Rest 5 E Rest 8 L Rest 24

E - Easy Pace; HD - Hard Pace; HL - Hills; L - Long Slow Run; M - Marathon Pace; T - Tempo

 

 

 

 

 

This week we will 'up the ante' so to speak, - roughly a 10% increment of 2 miles for a weekly total of 24 miles.  As mentioned several times in week 1, stretching is meant to be one of the cornerstones of your training program.  Another cornerstone is getting plenty of rest; this will become self-evident as the mileage base and workload increase over the coming weeks.

Following are the suggested day-by-day training goals for this week's training. Don't worry if you have to miss a day, or make adjustments.

The beginner training schedules follow the hard day / easy day approach. if you have to modify this week's training for any reason, try to stick to this basic principle.

Week 2 Daily Training Schedule

 

 

Day 1:

- Let us begin with a 5 mile run at Easy pace. The pace will be run in your aerobic zone, which basically means that throughout the workout you will feel comfortable with little or no heavy breathing.

Day 2:

- This day will be devoted to your first Tempo Run (6 miles). Tempo consists of a warm-up period at easy pace (1 mile) then pick a pace, say 8:30 min/mile for the middle 3 miles and finish easy for the last mile of the workout. Generally pick a pace under your marathon pace (30 seconds). The objective is to increase the length of the workout at pace over the duration of the training program. This will help you maintain your marathon pace over a longer period of time during the actual event.

Day 3:

- Rest day. See Stretching and Cross-Training Sections.

Day 4:

- Today is an Easy 5 miler on your favorite flat course.

Day 5:

- Rest day. See other rest days.

Day 6:

- This 8 mile run is devoted to LSD (Long SLOW Distance). See week one.

Day 7:

- Rest day. Do not forget to stretch.

 

Marathon Program Training Tips

  • Get a running buddy. Nothing will get you out of the door better than having to meet another runner. It also makes a nice change from the solitary runs, and certainly helps those long run miles go by. Make sure though that your running partner runs at a similar pace to you.

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  • Schedule your long runs. Personally I prefer to do my weekly long run on a Saturday morning, but we know many people will choose a weekday evening like Wednesday. Pick whatever works for you. However, it’s always good to have a “fallback” day in case you have to miss your regular time.

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