How Many Miles a Week to Run a Marathon?

How many miles a week to run a marathon depends on your level and runs per week. The peak week of a 16-week marathon plan on this tool is 28 to 37 miles for a beginner and 35 to 47 miles for an intermediate runner, depending on whether you run three, four, five or six days a week. A beginner on three runs peaks at 27.5 miles; an intermediate on four runs peaks at 39.6 miles.

Choose a level and runs per week in the generator to see your own weeks. The table below lists every combination, including the longest run.

Everything is calculated in your browser, so nothing you type is uploaded, and the tool is free with no account or sign-up.

Want this on your phone? Get the RunPacePlan app for Android; the iPhone version is coming soon.

How to use the marathon plan generator

1. Race is set to marathon and Plan length to 16 weeks. Change it between 12 and 24.
2. Pick Runs per week (3, 4, 5 or 6) and Level (Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced).
3. Read the summary line: it names the peak week and the longest run. Each week box shows the week total in miles or km.
4. Compare the longest run with the cap: 32 km (20 miles) for beginner and intermediate plans, 35 km (22 miles) for advanced.
5. Add a Goal time (optional) for paces and a Race date (optional) for dates.
6. Use Print, Download PDF, Add to calendar (.ics) or Copy link.

The plan is made in your browser and nothing you type is uploaded. Saving and syncing plans are not available yet. Prefer your phone? There is a RunPacePlan app for Android, with the iPhone version coming soon.

Change one setting at a time to see its effect. Add a run day and the peak week rises; move from Beginner to Intermediate and it rises again. With a goal time every run shows a pace, and with a race date every run shows its day. Read the summary line first: it names the peak week and the longest run, which are the two numbers this page is about.

How many miles a week should I run for a marathon?

There is no single number: the peak week depends on level, runs per week and how long you have. In a 16-week plan on this tool it runs from 27.5 miles (44 km) for a beginner on three runs to 46.6 miles (75 km) for an intermediate on six.

Is 30 miles a week enough for a marathon?

As a peak week, 30 miles sits between the beginner plan on three runs a week (27.5 miles) and on four runs (31.1 miles). Whether it is enough for you depends on your base and your goal. Forty miles a week matches the intermediate plan on four runs, at 39.6 miles. These are the tool’s settings, not a medical rule.

When is the peak week, and how long should the longest run be?

The peak comes late in the build, before the three-week taper at 80%, 65% and 45% of the peak week. It is not the week before the race. The long run is at most 50% of the week on three or four run days, 45% on five and 40% on six, and it is capped at 32 km (20 miles) for beginner and intermediate plans and 35 km (22 miles) for advanced. For comparison, Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 marathon program builds long runs from 6 miles to 20 miles in week 15.

How fast can weekly distance grow?

No week is more than 10% above the largest earlier week, and every fourth week is a cutback at about 80% of the week before. If you run 20 miles a week now, a plan that starts at 20 and follows those two rules is safer than one that jumps to 35.

What if I can only run three days a week?

Three runs a week can work for a first marathon, with a caveat: the longest run is shorter. A beginner on three runs peaks at 27.5 miles (44 km) with a longest run of 13.7 miles (22 km), well short of the 20-mile long runs of many marathon plans; on four runs the peak is 31.1 miles (50 km) and the longest run 15.6 miles (25 km). On three days the long run still takes up to half of the week, but the week is smaller, so the long run is shorter. Hard sessions are never placed the day before or after it.

Who is each mileage for?

Peak weeks of 28 to 37 miles suit a beginner running three to six days a week. Peak weeks of 35 to 47 miles suit an intermediate runner who already runs four days or more. The advanced rows in the table are for runners with a large base.

What mistakes do people make with weekly mileage?

Copying a peak week without the base to reach it, jumping more than 10% above the largest earlier week, and counting a taper week as the peak. The plan also places a cutback week every fourth week.

How does marathon mileage compare with a half marathon?

An intermediate runner on four runs a week peaks at 39.6 miles (64 km) in a 16-week marathon plan and at 29.0 miles (47 km) in a 14-week half marathon plan. The longest run is 19.8 miles (32 km) for the marathon and 11.6 miles (19 km) for the half. See how many weeks to train for a half marathon.

Frequently asked questions

How many miles a week should I run for a marathon?

For a 16-week plan, about 28 to 37 miles at peak as a beginner and 35 to 47 miles as an intermediate runner. Pick the level and runs per week that match what you run now.

Is 30 miles a week enough for a marathon?

It sits between the beginner peaks on three runs (27.5 miles) and four runs (31.1 miles). Whether it is enough depends on your base and your goal.

Is 40 miles per week enough for a marathon?

It matches the intermediate peak on four runs a week (39.6 miles) in this tool. Advanced plans peak higher; see the table.

How many days a week should I run?

The generator offers 3 to 6 runs a week and opens on 4. More days spread the same distance over shorter runs; hard sessions never fall the day before or after the long run.

Should I run 20 miles two weeks before a marathon?

The taper starts three weeks out, so the longest run comes before it. In this tool the intermediate plan’s longest run is 19.8 miles (32 km) and the last three weeks are at 80%, 65% and 45% of the peak week.

Is this medical or coaching advice?

No. Build up gradually and ask a doctor first if you have a health condition.

Can I use the plan commercially, for example with runners I coach?

Yes. The schedule, the printout and the calendar file you make here are free to use for any purpose, including giving them to runners you coach, with no credit needed. You may not copy the generator or the site itself; see the terms.

Take this question with you

The RunPacePlan app puts the plan, the paces and the splits for this question on your phone: get it on Google Play. The iPhone version is coming soon.

Related questions

• How Many Weeks to Train for a Marathon?: Another question runners ask.
• How Many Weeks to Train for a Half Marathon?: Another question runners ask.
• What Pace for a 3:30 Marathon?: Another question runners ask.
• What Is the Average Marathon Time?: Another question runners ask.
• What Is My Easy Run Pace Based on My 5K Time?: Another question runners ask.

Related tools

• Marathon training plan: The full generator with every option.
• 16 week marathon training plan: A 16-week schedule.
• Beginner running plan: Run-walk sessions for new runners.
• Half marathon training plan: A shorter race with lower weekly distance.
• 50K training plan: Longer weeks for an ultra.