Beginner 16 week training plan

Absolute Beginner and First Timer Schedules

marathon 1

From the www.edinburgh-marathon.com website.

There is no off the shelf schedule that will be applicable to everyone. Everyone is starting from a different base level of fitness and factors like age, experience, gender, motivation and expectation all play a part. The schedules here are really a guide to what you need to do and are not set in stone.

Alternative exercise or cross training is there to use slightly different muscle groups to running, give variety and build all round strength and fitness. It can be swimming, cycling or walking, or a game of squash, tennis or 5 a side. Or it can be an exercise, yoga or pilates class.

There are two advanced schedules to choose from below.

Tempo Runs

Tempo runs (sometimes called threshold runs) are runs where after a 10-15 minute warm up you run at a sustained pace for anything from 20 min up to an hour with a 10-15 min slower jog at the end. You are running hard, possibly just below your normal 10k pace, but not flat out. And the distance and effort should be such that you do not finish feeling exhausted. As with interval runs, it is such an individual area, to recommend individually.

Pace runs are training runs, run at approximately your estimated race pace. That is if you are aiming for a 3 hour 30 marathon averaging approx 8 min miles.(5 min km) then your pace runs are run at 8 min miles. They help build pace judgement and even paced running. The long training run is there to build endurance, not speed, and running your long run at a faster pace than you are ready for could lead to you taking longer to recover each week and upset the steady gradual improvement all schedules are designed to bring.

 

Absolute Beginner Schedule

Week Date Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
1 W/E Feb 10 Rest 3m run 4m run 3m run Rest 5m run 60min Walk
2 W/E Feb 17 Rest 3m run 4m run 3m run Rest 9m run 30min Walk
3 W/E Feb 24 Rest 3m run 5m run 3m run Rest 10m run Cross Train
4 W/E Mar 3 Rest 3m run 5m run 3m run Rest 7m run Cross Train
5 W/E Mar 10 Rest 3m run 6m run 3m run Rest 12m run Cross Train
6 W/E Mar 17 Rest 3m run 6m run 3m run Rest 13m run Cross Train
7 W/E Mar 24 Rest 3m run 7m run 4m run Rest 10m run Cross Train
8 W/E Mar 31 Rest 3m run 7m run 4m run Rest 15m run Cross Train
9 W/E Apr 7 Rest 3m run 8m run 4m run Rest 16m run Cross Train
10 W/E Apr 14 Rest 4m run 8m run 5m run Rest 12m run Cross Train
11 W/E Apr 21 Rest 4m run 9m run 5m run Rest 18m run Cross Train
12 W/E Apr 28 Rest 4m run 9m run 5m run Rest 14m run Cross Train
13 W/E May 5 Rest 5m run 10m run 5m run Rest 20m run Cross Train
14 W/E May 12 Rest 5m run 8m run 4m run Rest 12m run Cross Train
15 W/E May 19 Rest 4m run 6m run 3m run Rest 8m run Cross Train
16 W/E May 26 Rest 3m run 4m run 2m run Rest Rest EMF Marathon


First Timer Schedule – Option 1

Week Date Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
1 W/E Feb 10 Rest 3m run 4m run 3m run Rest 5m run Cross Train
2 W/E Feb 17 Rest 3m run 4m run 3m run Rest 9m run Cross Train
3 W/E Feb 24 Rest 3m run 5m run 3m run Rest 10m run Cross Train
4 W/E Mar 3 Rest 3m run 5m run 3m run Rest 7m run Cross Train
5 W/E Mar 10 Rest 3m run 6m run 3m run Rest 12m run Cross Train
6 W/E Mar 17 Rest 3m run 6m run 3m run Rest Rest Half Marathon
7 W/E Mar 24 Rest 3m run 7m run 4m run Rest 10m run Cross Train
8 W/E Mar 31 Rest 3m run 7m run 4m run Rest 15m run Cross Train
9 W/E Apr 7 Rest 4m run 8m run 4m run Rest 16m run Cross Train
10 W/E Apr 14 Rest 4m run 8m run 5m run Rest 12m run Cross Train
11 W/E Apr 21 Rest 4m run 9m run 5m run Rest 18m run Cross Train
12 W/E Apr 28 Rest 5m run 9m run 5m run Rest 14m run Cross Train
13 W/E May 5 Rest 5m run 10m run 5m run Rest 20m run Cross Train
14 W/E May 12 Rest 5m run 8m run 4m run Rest 12m run Cross Train
15 W/E May 19 Rest 4m run 6m run 3m run Rest 8m run Cross Train
16 W/E May 26 Rest 3m run 4m run 2m run Rest Rest EMF Marathon


First Timer Schedule – Option 2

Wk Date Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
1 W/E Feb 10 Rest 3m run 5m pace 3m run Rest 6m run Cross Train
2 W/E Feb 17 Rest 3m run 6m pace 3m run Rest 11m run Cross Train
3 W/E Feb 24 Rest 3m run 6m run 3m run Rest 12m run Cross Train
4 W/E Mar 3 Rest 3m run 6m pace 3m run Rest 9m run Cross Train
5 W/E Mar 10 Rest 4m run 7m pace 4m run Rest 13m run Cross Train
6 W/E Mar 17 Rest 4m run 7m run 4m run Rest 15m run Cross Train
7 W/E Mar 24 Rest 4m run 7m pace 4m run Rest Rest Half Marathon
8 W/E Mar 31 Rest 4m run 8m pace 4m run Rest 17m run Cross Train
9 W/E Apr 7 Rest 5m run 8m run 5m run Rest 18m run Cross Train
10 W/E Apr 14 Rest 5m run 8m pace 5m run Rest 13m run Cross Train
11 W/E Apr 21 Rest 5m run 5m pace 5m run Rest 19m run Cross Train
12 W/E Apr 28 Rest 5m run 8m run 5m run Rest 12m run Cross Train
13 W/E May 5 Rest 5m run 5m pace 5m run Rest 20m run Cross Train
14 W/E May 12 Rest 5m run 4m pace 5m run Rest 12m run Cross Train
15 W/E May 19 Rest 4m run 3m run 4m run Rest 8m run Cross Train
16 W/E May 26 Rest 3m run 2m run Rest Rest Rest or 2m run EMF Marathon