Absolute Beginner and First Timer Schedules

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 |