Easy 32 Week Marathon Training Schedule for beginners

+ free printable download of the training plan below!

This 32 Week Beginner Marathon Training Schedule is one of THE most popular training plans on this site! (you can see the whole training plan at the bottom of this page!) 

Runners love it as it is ideal for those who need a little more time when training for a marathon. 

This printable marathon training schedule comes in both miles and kilometers. 

A lot of marathon training programs are about 16-20 weeks in length.

While this might be the ideal for many runners, we all vary when it comes to our running history, current goals, and fitness level. 

This 32 week schedule will help you on your way to running a fantastic marathon while taking your time to focus on building up your endurance level.

Let's take a quick look at the training plan first and then go into the details of the plan! 

behold, the 32 week marathon training schedule

Who is this beginner marathon training schedule ideal for?

This plan might be just what you need especially if you are:

• older (age is relative but often times as we grow older we want to give ourselves more grace)

• trying to minimize any chance of damage or stress on their body
• making a comeback from a running injury and want to ease into a training program
•  completing the marathon for fitness reasons versus time goals

• realizing that the marathon is a huge challenge and therefore want to take their time with this mammoth journey. 

• new to running and want to give yourself more of a base to work with. This scheduled progresses slowly enough to allow you to do so.

Still not sure if you are ready for a marathon?  Answer these specific questions to determine if you are ready to begin a marathon training schedule.

Your goal when using this marathon training schedule

Everyone runs a marathon for different reasons. Runners usually try to pick a training plan that will help them fulfill their marathon goals. 

Therefore this 32 Week Marathon Training Schedule aims to:

• help any runner reach the marathon finish line
• allow you to run at your normal pace, this is not for you if you want speed workouts and have a finishing time goal
• keep you injury free!

The most important thing to keep in mind as a first time marathoner training with this 32 week marathon training program is that you are not racing to meet a certain time. 

You are running the marathon for the huge accomplishment of finishing it!

This program will just ease you into beginner marathon training and set you up for future marathons wherein which you can have a time goal.

Why 32 Weeks of Training?

Runners, especially beginners, training for a marathon have a high risk of injury due to the high mileage that they are running each week, and it increases as you add in factors such as:

• your running history
• how many a miles per week you are used to running
• how well your body is adapted to running, etc.

Therefore, the easiest thing you can do during a marathon training program is become injured.

Taking it slow and prudently the first time will help to get you across the finish line in full health!

This is why stretching out your marathon training and doubling it to 32 weeks is perfect for preventing injury and allowing yourself to set a sturdy foundation for your marathon race. 

Note:

If you would like a longer training plan that helps you build up to the 5K, then 10K, half marathon and ultimately marathon distance, then be sure to check out my 52 Week Marathon Training Schedule! 

What should you do before beginning this marathon training Plan?

Before most runners begin a marathon training schedule they should first run for about 3-6  months, consistently. 

It is never a good idea to jump into marathon running and training if you haven’t been a regular runner for awhile.

Your body needs to adapt and strengthen itself towards the high intensity of running before it can take on the marathon.

However, since this program gives you such a gradual buildup you could begin training earlier and have the first few weeks serve as your consistency training as you build endurance and work into the plan.

By the way, here are the best 16 things you can do before you begin any marathon training program. 

What does this 32 week marathon training schedule consist of?

Let's talk about your long runs first!

This training program has a very gradual build up in how far you are running during each of your scheduled long runs. 

Remember that this is to help your body keep up with the training program, avoid injury, and give you a good running base to work with.

Let's talk a bit more about your long training runs as they are the #1 predictor of your marathon race day success! 

How much your long run increases each week:

Your long runs will increase each week by one mile until you hit a total long run of 11 miles in Week 11.

From Week 11 onwards, you will have one easy week, also known as a "reduction week" where your long run mileage will be reduced, followed by a week where you will add on another mile to your last longest long run distance. 

What is the longest long run distance on this plan?

Your longest long run will be a total of 22-23 miles during Week 30 of the marathon training schedule, which will lead you into the 26.2 miles of the marathon that takes place 2 weeks following that run. 

However, if you don't feel comfortable going over the 20 mile mark, you can just opt to do only 20 milers for any scheduled run over 20 miles.

Here is more information on how far your longest long run should be when training for a marathon.

It will help you to make a more informed decision on how far you want your longest run to be before a marathon. 

What should you eat before, during, and after your long runs

Your nutrition will play a heavy role as you begin to perform runs over an hour in length.

You definitely want to focus on what you are putting in your body so that it can give back to you the energy that you need to run long distances! 

I wrote a series of post on this topic that you might find useful! 

• What to eat before a long run
• What to eat during a long run
  
• What to eat after a long run

Here are some extra marathon nutrition resources for recovering after a run:

• Best Running Recovery Drinks
  
• Great Running Recovery Snack
• Best Anti-Inflammatory Foods for Runners

For more information on marathon nutrition see this guide.

For the ultimate resource on marathon nutrition consider the Eat Like a Marathoner Nutrition Plan!

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how to recover as quickly as possible after a long run?

This is an area that is important to implement as you ask your body to do one long training run after the next. 

I have a 24 hour long run recovery timeline that you can use to really help jump start your recovery process.

It contains a list of things you should focus on during those first 24 hours post long run to help you feel your best and get back out there with your training the following week. 

Here are some running recovery shoes your feet might enjoy.

Now let's talk about everything else scheduled on the 32 week marathon training plan

Besides the long run, you also have scheduled:

• Base or volume building running days and
• Rest days

Yes, this is a very basic marathon training plan that really places emphasis solely on building your endurance in order to complete 26.2 miles. 

There are no quality workouts scheduled in this program such as hill repeats, sprints, or intervals.

This is because the main goal of the plan is to take beginner runners and have them increase their endurance in order to get them to the marathon finish line. 

You're cutting out any fluff and cutting to the chase when following this beginner marathon training plan! 

Your Volume Building Running Days:

During each week of training you will have 3 days of shorter runs leading into your long run on the weekend.

These shorter runs will help you to build mileage (running volume) and help your body acclimate to consistent long distance running.  

Your running volume, or weekly mileage, is another strong determinant of your race day success. The way to becoming a better runners is running more. Surprise! (or no surprise!) 

Therefore these short runs are very important for staying tuned and ready to go for your long run on the weekend and ultimately your marathon race!

You need at least 3 runs per week in order to maintain and increase your running fitness level. These easy base runs help you to do just that.

your Rest days:

Three glorious rest days have also been scheduled every week during your training.

Rest days look different from runner to runner.

Some like to literally do nothing active and give their body a complete rest.

Others like to use this time to get an extra stretching session in, do some strength work on weak areas of their body, or taking an Epsom salt bath. 

I like to recommend that you find some activity that relaxes you and to include that into your rest day routine. 

This might also be the perfect day to work on your mental training which is an often neglected but incredibly effective technique that runners should be tapping into.

My 20 Week Mindset Training Plan for Marathoners would be perfect to include on your rest days! 

How to alter this marathon training schedule to fit your needs

When following a marathon training schedule, never be afraid to make alterations where needed. 

I realize that this might bring up doubts about how to do this and if it will change the effectiveness of the plan. 

However, if you are keeping the main elements of the plan that make it work with your schedule. 

Since this is a basic marathon training plan, there is a lot of flexibility for alterations.

walk or run/walk the marathon using this plan

This plan isn't just for runners, you could think about power walking a marathon using this program or doing run/walk intervals versus steady paced running.

Here is a guide on how to use run/walking as a distance runner.

How to reschedule your long runs

Your long run is scheduled for Sundays however you could move this to Saturdays. 

If you chose to do this, simply adjust everything by one day so that your long run falls on Saturday, your rest day on Sunday and then begin the first of your short, base runs on Monday.

How to add in other running workouts to the plan

Just because this training plan does not implement any quality workouts doesn't mean that you can't.

If you are feeling a bit stale just doing easy paced base runs and long runs a good entry level running workout that you might enjoy is the tempo run.

Tempo runs can be done once a week and for this specific training plan a good day to do them would be on Tuesday or Thursday.  Here is information on how to perform and run tempo style runs. 

If you find that after progressing through the plan you want to include some interval workouts to boost your speed then here is a guide on interval training. 

How to include cross training into this plan

There is no scheduled cross training on this marathon training schedule however if you would like to include a day of cross training then feel free to do so on one of your rest days.

For this training plan, Wednesday would make a great day for cross training.

Here's information on cross-training including the best and worst activities, how long you should cross train for, and even links to some of my favorite YouTube cross training workouts for runners!

here's another look at your free 32 week marathon training plan!

The free and paid version both contain a miles and kilometers version of the 32 Week Marathon Training Schedule. 

Alright, it's time for you to get training!

Remember, the theme of this race plan is to be easy on your body and focus on building your running endurance level.

If you follow the guidelines you won't end up tearing yourself up during your training and you will have a very pleasant marathon experience! 

Now that you have your marathon training plan, here is your ultimate guide on how to train for a marathon.

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