Four runs a week, one 20-mile long run, and a three-week taper get you to 26.2
Asked:
“What's a good marathon training plan that's 16 weeks in total?”
A complete 16-week beginner-to-intermediate marathon schedule from Marathon Handbook: 16 weeks, four runs per week, one strength day, two rest days (Monday and Thursday). Running builds from 19 miles in week 1 to a 42-mile peak in week 13, then tapers to race day. All distances are in miles (1 mile = 1.609 km).
Check the base first. This plan assumes you already run 3–4 times a week for 30+ minutes without injury and can run 5 miles continuously. If not, a 16-week marathon build is too aggressive — build that base first.
marathonhandbook.com
Cutback weeks are deliberate. Volume drops in weeks 4, 7, 10 and 12 to absorb the load before the next build — do not "fix" them by adding miles.
marathonhandbook.com
Week 12 rehearses the race. A half marathon sits at the end of the biggest build phase, one week before the 20-mile peak long run.
marathonhandbook.com
Novice plans vary, but all protect recovery. ASICS's beginner plan expects comfortable 10K ability, uses only three running days with rest between them, and tapers over the final three weeks — evidence that easing off before race day is universal.
asics.com ·
asics.com
The full 16-week schedule
Monday and Thursday are rest days every week. Distances in miles; 1 mile = 1.609 km.
| Week | Tue | Wed | Fri | Sat | Sun | Total mi | Source |
|---|
How to use it
- Training runs stay comfortable. Ordinary training runs are done at a comfortable, sustainable pace — their purpose is miles and time on your feet, not speed.
- One quality session. Keep Tuesday's pace run as the single harder effort of the week; don't turn every run hard.
- Saturday strength. Bodyweight or lighter-weight, high-rep work for upper legs, hips, core, and upper body. Do not start unfamiliar heavy lifting during the block.
- Missed a workout? Let it go — never stack sessions to make it up. The progression, including cutback weeks, is the plan.
Safety. Stop and seek qualified medical advice for chest pain, fainting, severe shortness of breath, or pain that changes your running form. Persistent localized pain calls for rest and professional assessment. This is general training information, not individualized medical advice.
Source: Marathon Handbook's 16-week marathon training plan (16 weekly rows, one per week; Monday and Thursday rest throughout; all distances in miles), plus its audience, prerequisite and workout definitions, and an ASICS beginner-plan comparison (3 pages). Weekly totals are scheduled running miles as published; Saturday strength adds no mileage. Nothing was cut.