Training plans
Twelve plans from a first run to a sub-3:30 marathon. Every one is a complete week-by-week table with every session written out — no email address, no app, no locked weeks.
Which plan?
| Plan | Goal | Weeks | Days/week | You should already be able to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Couch to 5K | Run 5 km without stopping | 9 | 3 | None. You should be able to walk briskly for 30 minutes. |
| Sub-30 minute 5K | Run 5 km in under 30 minutes | 8 | 4 | You can already run 5 km continuously, in roughly 32–35 minutes. |
| Sub-25 minute 5K | Run 5 km in under 25 minutes | 8 | 5 | A current 5K of roughly 26–28 minutes and at least six months of consistent running. |
| First 10K | Finish 10 km comfortably | 10 | 4 | You can run 5 km continuously without walking. |
| Sub-60 minute 10K | Run 10 km in under an hour | 10 | 4 | You can already run 10 km, in roughly 63–70 minutes. |
| Sub-50 minute 10K | Run 10 km in under 50 minutes | 10 | 5 | A current 10K of roughly 52–56 minutes and a year of consistent running. |
| First half marathon | Finish 21.1 km | 12 | 4 | You can run 8–10 km comfortably and have been running consistently for at least three months. |
| Sub-2 hour half marathon | Run 21.1 km in under 2 hours | 12 | 5 | A completed half marathon in roughly 2:05–2:20, or a 10K under about 55 minutes. |
| Sub-1:45 half marathon | Run 21.1 km in under 1 hour 45 minutes | 12 | 5 | A half marathon around 1:50–2:00, or a 10K under about 48 minutes. |
| First marathon | Finish 42.2 km | 16 | 4 | A completed half marathon, and at least six months of running 30 km or more a week. |
| Sub-4 hour marathon | Run 42.2 km in under 4 hours | 16 | 5 | A completed marathon in 4:05–4:30, or a half marathon under about 1:55. |
| Sub-3:30 marathon | Run 42.2 km in under 3 hours 30 minutes | 16 | 6 | A marathon around 3:35–3:55, or a half marathon under about 1:38, and a year of 50 km weeks behind you. |
Choosing honestly
The most common mistake is picking the plan for the runner you intend to become rather than the one you are this week. A sub-2 half-marathon plan run by somebody who is currently at 2:20 produces twelve weeks of sessions at the wrong pace and, quite often, an injury in week nine. Every plan on this site states its entry requirement in the first line for exactly that reason.
If you are not sure where you stand, run a hard 5K or 10K on a measured route and put the result into the race time predictor. It will tell you what the same fitness implies over the longer distances, and that is a better starting point than ambition.
One more note specific to running in India: these plans are written in kilometres and paces that assume conditions in which pace and effort agree. Between March and June across most of the country, and through the monsoon in the coastal cities, they do not. Run the sessions by effort in those months and let the paces come back in October.
Every time, pace and physiological figure on this site is computed from a published formula, and the formula is named and shown on the method page. Nothing here is predicted by a model you cannot check. Race details change — always confirm dates, routes and entry with the official organiser. Training guidance is general information, not individual coaching or medical advice.