Completing a marathon is a great achievement that you will keep with you for the rest of your life, no matter whether you walk or run it.
A marathon is 26.2 miles long, which is an incredible distance to walk or run in one day.
This training schedule is 20 weeks long and gives you a task to do each day to get you ready for your marathon.
Walking a marathon is best for people who cannot run for 3 miles at a time. However, if you can already run 3 miles at a time you might want to aim to run the entire marathon.
How to read the training schedule
The training schedule has increments that look like this: 2/1 intervals. The first number means how many minutes you should run for, while the second is how many minutes you need to walk for.
So, 2/1 intervals mean that you should run for two minutes before walking for one minute, repeating until you’ve finished the allotted miles.
If you find that these intervals are getting too easy for you, you could change these to 4/1 or even 5/1 intervals. If you can run for 3 miles already, you might want to discard these intervals and run the entire time.
Warm-ups and cool-downs
Start each run with a 5 to 10-minute walk to warm your muscles up, and finish each run with a 5 to 10-minute walk to cool down. You can also finish with a stretch.
Cross-Training (CT)
Cross-training is also included within the schedule so that you can break up your runs.
Runners will benefit from strength training, so every time you see a cross-training session on your schedule try to do 30 to 45 minutes of strength training.
Rest Days (RD)
Rest days are very important when training for a marathon to ensure that you don’t overwork your body.
Make sure that you take your rest days seriously, either doing no exercise for the full day or take a walk.
20-minute Marathon Training Schedule
Week One
Day 1: 2 miles - 2/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (30 minutes)
Day 3: 3 miles - 2/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 4 miles - 2/1 intervals
Day 7: 2 miles RD walk
Week Two
Day 1: 3 miles - 2/1 intervals
Day 2: 3 miles - 2/1 intervals
Day 3: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 4: CT (30 minutes)
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 4 miles - 2/1 intervals
Day 7: 2.5 miles RD walk
Week Three
Day 1: 3 miles - 2/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (30 minutes)
Day 3: 3 miles - 2/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 5 miles - 2/1 intervals
Day 7: 2 miles RD walk
Week Four
Day 1: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (30 minutes)
Day 3: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 6 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 2 miles RD walk
Week Five
Day 1: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (30 minutes)
Day 3: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 7 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 3 miles RD walk
Week Six
Day 1: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (30 minutes)
Day 3: 4 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 8 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 3 miles RD walk
Week Seven
Day 1: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (40 minutes)
Day 3: 4 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 9 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 3 miles RD walk
Week Eight
Day 1: 4 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (40 minutes)
Day 3: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 10 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 3 miles RD walk
Week Nine
Day 1: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (40 minutes)
Day 3: 4 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 12 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 3 miles RD walk
Week Ten
Day 1: 4 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (45 minutes)
Day 3: 4 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 8 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 3 miles RD walk
Week Eleven
Day 1: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (45 minutes)
Day 3: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 14 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 2.5 miles RD walk
Week Twelve
Day 1: 4 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (45 minutes)
Day 3: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 10 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 3 miles RD walk
Week Thirteen
Day 1: 4 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (45 minutes)
Day 3: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 15 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 3 miles RD walk
Week Fourteen
Day 1: 4 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (45 minutes)
Day 3: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 10 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 3 miles RD walk
Week Fifteen
Day 1: 4 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (45 minutes)
Day 3: 4 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 16 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 3 miles RD walk
Week Sixteen
Day 1: 4 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (45 minutes)
Day 3: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 12 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 2.5 miles RD walk
Week Seventeen
Day 1: 4 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (45 minutes)
Day 3: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 18 to 20 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 2.5 miles RD walk
Week Eighteen
Day 1: 4 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: CT (45 minutes)
Day 3: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 4: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 12 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 2.5 miles RD walk
Week Nineteen
Day 1: CT (45 minutes)
Day 2: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 3: CT (30 minutes) or RD
Day 4: 2 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 6 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 7: 2.5 miles RD walk
Week Twenty
Day 1: 3 miles - 3/1 intervals
Day 2: 30 minutes - 3/1 intervals
Day 3: RD
Day 4: 20 minutes - 3/1 intervals
Day 5: RD
Day 6: 20-minute walk
Day 7: Marathon day!
Summary
Follow the above training schedule and you’ll be much more ready for your race.
Remember, there is no shame in walking part of the way for the marathon - there isn’t even any shame in walking the entire way!
So, enjoy yourself and be proud, because completing a marathon is an incredible achievement.
Suzie here, the oldest and wisest of the two! I am a married mother with two small children and a cheeky cat, Milo. I started running after Ihad my second child as a way to shift some baby weight. At first, I hated it. No, I would have to drag myself down the street, moaning under my breath. It took a while, but the love of running came.
Now I can chase after my children and feel fitter and healthier than ever before! But while I was searching for new trainers or a good running route, many reviews and sites seemed tailored to men. Not only did it annoy me, but it made me wonder, is there a gap in the market?
I wanted to create a safe space online that was inclusive to everyone, so I convinced fitness fanatic, Lizzie to join me and create Psycho Wyco to empower others to feel comfortable and confident about running.
- How Many Calories Do You Burn Running a Marathon? - May 13, 2021
- Should You Run On An Empty Stomach? - May 12, 2021
- Which Exercise Is Best for Lungs? - May 11, 2021