Half Marathon to Marathon: a 14 Week Plan
Finishing a half marathon is the best start you can have for a marathon. But the full distance is not just "twice as far". The second half of a marathon asks things of your legs, your fuel and your patience that a half never does. This 14 week plan bridges that gap: four runs a week, a long run from 16 km to 32 km (10 to 20 miles), two easier weeks, a half-marathon tune-up and a two-week taper.
Who it is for: you have run a half marathon in the last few months and still run about 30 km (19 miles) a week, with a long run around 14–16 km. Already at 40 km a week? The 12 week plan is shorter. Over 50? The over-50 plan has more recovery built in.
Health note. General plan, not medical advice. If you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness, an injury, are pregnant or are coming back after a long break, check with a doctor first. Stop and seek help if you feel unwell.
What changes from the half to the full
| Half marathon | Marathon | |
|---|---|---|
| Distance | 21.0975 km (13.1 mi) | 42.195 km (26.2 mi) |
| Pace for a runner with a 1:55:00 half | 5:27 per km (8:46 per mile) | About 5:41 per km (9:09 per mile), Riegel estimate |
| Longest training run in our plans | 19 km (12 mi) | 32 km (20 mi), or about 3 hours |
| Carbohydrate guidance during the effort (ACSM) | 30–60 g per hour for 1–2.5 hours | Up to 90 g per hour beyond 2.5 hours |
- Pace. Your marathon pace is slower than your half pace. With the Riegel formula a 1:55:00 half marathon points to about 3:59:46, which is 5:41 per km, against 5:27 per km in the half. Our marathon time predictor does the sum for your own time.
- Fuel. For efforts longer than 2.5 hours, ACSM's position statement suggests up to 90 g of carbohydrate per hour, and 30–60 g per hour for 1–2.5 hours (Thomas et al., 2016). Your gut needs practice, so every long run from about 90 minutes is a fuelling rehearsal.
- Time on feet. The long run grows to 32 km. That is the big new demand, so the rest of the week stays mostly easy.
The plan, week by week
| Week | Phase | Long run | Key session | Week total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bridge | 16 km | 3 × 6 min threshold, 2 min jog | 32 km |
| 2 | Bridge | 18 km | 8 km with 4 km at marathon pace | 35 km |
| 3 | Bridge | 20 km | 3 × 8 min threshold, 2 min jog | 38 km |
| 4 | Easier week | 14 km | Easy runs + 6 × 20 s strides | 29 km |
| 5 | Build | 22 km | 10 km with 6 km at marathon pace | 42 km |
| 6 | Build | 24 km | 3 × 10 min threshold, 2 min jog | 45 km |
| 7 | Build | 26 km | 12 km with 8 km at marathon pace | 48 km |
| 8 | Easier week | 18 km | Easy runs + strides, or a 10K tune-up race | 36 km |
| 9 | Peak | 28 km | 2 × 15 min threshold, 3 min jog | 52 km |
| 10 | Peak | 30 km | 14 km with 10 km at marathon pace | 57 km |
| 11 | Easier week | 21 km | Half marathon tune-up race at marathon effort, or an easy long run | 42 km |
| 12 | Peak | 32 km | 16 km with 10 km at marathon pace | 60 km |
| 13 | Taper | 16 km | 10 km with 5 km at marathon pace | 35 km |
| 14 | Race week | — | 3 short easy runs, 2 with 4 × 20 s strides + RACE | 16 km |
Threshold is "comfortably hard" (a few words, not sentences). Marathon pace is your goal race pace. Strides are 20 seconds quick and relaxed with a walk back. Warm up 10–15 minutes easy before key sessions and cool down 10 minutes.
Paces for your goal: use the marathon pace calculator or the table on the marathon training plan page.
A typical week
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Rest |
| Tuesday | Key session |
| Wednesday | Easy run |
| Thursday | Rest or cross-training |
| Friday | Easy run |
| Saturday | Rest |
| Sunday | Long run (practise fuelling) |
How the 14 weeks work
- Weeks 1–3, bridge. The long run moves past half-marathon distance from week 2, while threshold work keeps the speed you built for the half.
- Weeks 4, 8 and 11 are easier. Week 11 is a half marathon tune-up run at marathon effort, not flat out: a rehearsal of pace, shoes and fuel.
- Week 12, peak. 60 km (37.5 miles) with a 32 km long run.
- Weeks 13–14, taper. About 40 % less running in week 13 and a light race week, close to the two-week, 41–60 % taper that a meta-analysis found most effective (Bosquet et al., 2007). Day-by-day race week: RunPerform's taper guide.
Recovery decides the hard days
The jump from half to full is where many runners pick up niggles, because the long run grows fast. Before each key session and long run, use the green/amber/red daily check: sleep, morning resting heart rate, legs and stress. One amber means easy; two or a red means rest. Flemming, the coach behind this site, adjusts his athletes' plans the same way, after reviewing every session they log. See personal coaching.
Print the plan
Choose km or miles and press PDF (A4) or PDF (US Letter).
Questions and answers
How long after a half marathon can I start marathon training?
Take at least an easy week after the half, longer if you are still sore. Then start week 1, as long as you are still running about 30 km a week.
Is going from half marathon to marathon a big jump?
Yes. The long run nearly doubles, you need to fuel during the race and recovery takes longer. Fourteen weeks gives you time to build that safely.
What marathon time does my half marathon predict?
Roughly double your half time plus a margin. With Riegel's formula: half × 2^1.06, so 1:55:00 gives 3:59:46 and 2:10:00 gives 4:31:02. Treat it as a best case.
Can I run the full marathon at my half marathon pace?
Don't plan on it. Riegel's formula, and every prediction method we use, puts marathon pace slower than half pace. Use the marathon pace calculator with a realistic goal.
Should I race the tune-up half in week 11?
Run it at marathon effort, not flat out. You practise pace, shoes and fuel and recover faster for the peak week that follows.
Sources
- Riegel, P. S. (1981). Athletic records and human endurance. American Scientist, 69(3), 285–290. (Table 1: men 1.07732, women 1.08283; men over 40 to over 70: 1.05352–1.06370.)
- Thomas, D. T., Erdman, K. A. & Burke, L. M. (2016). American College of Sports Medicine Joint Position Statement: Nutrition and athletic performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 48(3), 543–568. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000000852
- Bosquet, L., Montpetit, J., Arvisais, D. & Mujika, I. (2007). Effects of tapering on performance: a meta-analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 39(8), 1358–1365.
- The plan itself is our own and follows common principles.
Related
- All marathon plans · 12 week plan · Over 50 plan
- On RunPerform: Half marathon training plan · Half marathon pace chart
- On vo2max.io: VO₂ max and marathon time