How to train for your first marathon: long runs, easy days, tapering and race day

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A marathon is 42.195 kilometres, and for most people training for one takes several months on top of an existing running base. It is achievable for many ordinary runners, but it rewards patience. This guide explains how first-marathon training is usually structured. It is general information; if you have a medical condition, or have not run regularly before, talk to a doctor first.

Start with a base

Most first-marathon plans assume you can already run comfortably for around an hour, or have finished a half marathon or a few 10Ks. If you are not there yet, build up gradually for a few months first. Starting a marathon plan from scratch is the quickest way to get injured. Many first-marathon plans last around 16 to 20 weeks, with four or five runs a week.

The four types of run

Easy runs: the bulk of your training. Run at a conversational pace. They build endurance with low injury risk.
The long run: once a week, usually at the weekend. It grows gradually over the plan and is the most important session for marathon training.
Quality sessions: one a week, for example a tempo run at a comfortably hard pace, or intervals. Optional for a first marathon whose goal is to finish.
Marathon-pace running: blocks at your target race pace, often within a long run later in the plan, so you learn how it feels.

The long run

Increase it gradually, with a lighter week every few weeks.
Run it slowly, well below race pace. Its job is time on your feet.
Many plans peak with a long run of about 30 to 35 kilometres a few weeks before the race. You do not need to run the full distance in training; race-day adrenaline and the taper carry you the rest of the way.
Use long runs to practise everything you will do on race day: breakfast, kit, shoes and fuelling.

Easy days and hard days

The common mistake is running every run at the same medium-hard pace. Keep easy days genuinely easy, so you have energy for the long run and any quality session. Have at least one full rest day a week. Strength training twice a week helps keep you injury-free. Increase weekly distance gradually. If something starts hurting, back off early rather than pushing through.

Tapering

In the last two to three weeks, reduce your running so your body can recover and arrive fresh.

Cut weekly distance progressively, while keeping a few short, faster sections to stay sharp.
Your legs may feel strange, heavy or restless during the taper. That is normal.
Do not try to make up for missed training now. Fitness gained in the final days is minimal; tiredness is not.

Fuelling and hydration

Carbohydrate: your body stores only so much, so most marathoners take carbohydrate during the race. Common guidance for a marathon is roughly 30 to 60 grams per hour, from gels, chews or sports drink, with some faster or well-practised runners taking more. Start with the lower end if you are new to it.
Practise it in training. Your gut needs to learn to handle food while running. Never try a new gel or drink on race day.
Carb loading: in the day or two before, eat more carbohydrate than usual, and reduce fibre if it upsets your stomach.
Hydration: drink to thirst. Drinking far more than you need, especially plain water over many hours, can cause dangerously low blood sodium (hyponatraemia). Confusion, headache, nausea or bloating during or after a race need medical attention.

Race day

Lay out everything the night before: bib, shoes, kit, gels, safety pins.
Eat a familiar breakfast a few hours before the start.
Wear nothing new, including shoes and socks.
Start slower than you think you should. The first half should feel easy; most first-time marathoners who struggle went out too fast.
Take fuel and water early and regularly, not only when you feel tired.
If you feel chest pain, dizziness or confusion, stop and tell a race medic.

Afterwards

Walk, eat and drink. Expect sore legs for several days, and take at least a week or two of very easy running or rest before building up again. Are you training for your first marathon? Share your race, your plan, or your questions in the comments.