Marathon Training Over 50
You can train for a marathon well past 50. What changes is less the running and more the space around it: recovery, strength and a heart-rate guide that fits your heart, not a formula for someone half your age. This 18 week plan is built for that. Four runs a week, two short strength sessions, an easier week every third week and a long run up to 30 km (18.5 miles).
Who it is for: you are 50 or older, you have run a half marathon (or 16 km) in the last year, and you run about 30 km (19 miles) a week. Newer to running? Begin with the 16 week beginner plan and add the strength sessions from this page.
Health first. Under ACSM's screening guidance, if you have known heart, metabolic or kidney disease, get medical clearance before you start, or before you step up to vigorous training if you already exercise regularly. If you get symptoms such as chest pain, unusual breathlessness or dizziness, stop and get cleared (Riebe et al., 2015). If that's you, talk to your doctor before week 1. This is a general plan, not medical advice.
What changes after 50, and what doesn't
- Performance declines with age, but training slows the decline. A review of masters athletes concluded that some loss is inevitable, but that performance can be maintained through systematic training, and that a less active lifestyle explains much of what we blame on age (Borges et al., 2016).
- Recovery may take a little longer. The same review found only limited research, but it suggests there may be an age effect on recovery after hard sessions. That is why this plan has an easier week every third week instead of every fourth, and never two hard days in a row. The 3-week rhythm is our choice based on that, not a fixed rule.
- Strength matters more. The WHO recommends muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days a week for all adults, and for people 65 and over, balance and strength work on at least three days a week (Bull et al., 2020).
- Your maximum heart rate is lower than it was. Tanaka's formula, 208 − 0.7 × age, comes from a meta-analysis of 18,712 people and gives an average for healthy adults (Tanaka et al., 2001). Your own maximum can be clearly higher or lower. If you can, use your own measured max.
Heart-rate zones for the over-50 marathoner
Set your zones with the training pace and heart rate calculator, ideally from your own max heart rate. vo2max.io has a max heart rate by age chart if you need a starting point.
- Easy and long runs: about 65–79 % of your max heart rate, the easy range published with Daniels' training intensities and used by our calculator, where you can talk in full sentences. In a lab study, the point where talking first became difficult closely matched the ventilatory threshold (Persinger et al., 2004), so being able to talk comfortably is a good sign you are below it.
- Expect drift. During prolonged exercise, heart rate drifts upward while the amount of blood pumped per beat falls, even at the same effort, and dehydration and heat make it worse (Coyle & González-Alonso, 2001). Slow down to keep it in range rather than chasing a pace.
- Threshold sessions: "comfortably hard", a few words but not sentences; Daniels gives about 88–92 % of max heart rate. Heart rate lags behind on short repeats, so go by effort first.
The 18 week plan
Distances are for the whole week. The long run and key session are part of the total; the rest is easy running over two other runs.
| Week | Phase | Long run | Key session | Week total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Base | 15 km | Easy run with 6 × 20 s strides | 34 km |
| 2 | Base | 16 km | 3 × 6 min threshold, 2 min jog | 37 km |
| 3 | Easier week | 12 km | Easy runs only | 28 km |
| 4 | Build | 18 km | 8 km with 4 km at marathon pace | 40 km |
| 5 | Build | 20 km | 3 × 8 min threshold, 2 min jog | 43 km |
| 6 | Easier week | 14 km | Easy runs + 6 × 20 s strides | 32 km |
| 7 | Build | 22 km | 10 km with 6 km at marathon pace | 46 km |
| 8 | Build | 24 km | 3 × 10 min threshold, 2 min jog | 49 km |
| 9 | Easier week | 16 km | Easy runs + 6 × 20 s strides | 36 km |
| 10 | Peak | 26 km | 12 km with 8 km at marathon pace | 52 km |
| 11 | Peak | 28 km | 2 × 15 min threshold, 3 min jog | 55 km |
| 12 | Easier week | 21 km | Half marathon tune-up race, or an easy long run | 40 km |
| 13 | Peak | 30 km | 14 km with 10 km at marathon pace | 58 km |
| 14 | Peak | 26 km | 16 km with 12 km at marathon pace | 56 km |
| 15 | Easier week | 18 km | Easy runs + 6 × 20 s strides | 42 km |
| 16 | Taper | 20 km | 10 km with 6 km at marathon pace | 44 km |
| 17 | Taper | 14 km | 8 km with 4 km at marathon pace | 32 km |
| 18 | Race week | — | 3 short easy runs + RACE | 15 km |
A typical week
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Strength (20–30 min) |
| Tuesday | Key session |
| Wednesday | Easy run |
| Thursday | Strength (20–30 min), or rest |
| Friday | Easy run |
| Saturday | Rest |
| Sunday | Long run |
Keep at least one full rest day a week, and never put the key session the day after the long run.
Two short strength sessions
Bodyweight or light weights, 20–30 minutes. ACSM's position stand recommends 2–3 days a week of resistance exercise, 8–12 repetitions for most adults and 10–15 repetitions at a lighter load for middle-aged and older people who are just starting (Garber et al., 2011).
| Exercise | Sets × reps to start |
|---|---|
| Squat or sit-to-stand from a chair | 2 × 10–15 |
| Step-ups onto a low step | 2 × 10–15 each leg |
| Calf raises (bent and straight knee) | 2 × 10–15 |
| Hip bridge | 2 × 10–15 |
| Side plank or plank | 2 × 20–30 s |
| Balance: stand on one leg | 2 × 30 s each leg |
Lighten the strength work in easier weeks and stop it in race week.
Let recovery, heart rate and sleep steer the plan
Before every key session and long run, do the green/amber/red daily check: sleep, morning resting heart rate (or HRV), legs and stress, each compared with your own normal. One amber turns the day easy. Two, or a red, turns it into rest. Several amber days in a row turn the week into an easier week. How HRV-guided training works, and what the studies found, is explained on vo2max.io: recovery-guided marathon training.
Flemming, the coach behind this site, is a masters runner himself. After many years as an elite cyclist he now races mostly over 5,000 m and 10,000 m. With the runners he coaches, he reviews every logged session himself and adjusts the plan when stress, sleep or training show that it's needed. If you want that kind of follow-up, see personal coaching. To compare your own race times across the years, try RunPerform's age-grade calculator.
Print the plan
Choose km or miles and press PDF (A4) or PDF (US Letter): week table, strength sessions, daily check and the health note.
Questions and answers
Can you start marathon training at 50 or 60?
Yes. Check with your doctor first if you have heart, metabolic or kidney disease or symptoms such as chest pain or dizziness, then build up gradually. If you are new to running, start with the 16 week beginner plan.
Why is every third week easier in this plan?
Research on masters athletes is limited but suggests recovery may take longer with age (Borges et al., 2016). A 3-week rhythm gives more chances to absorb the training. It is our choice, not a rule.
How many days a week should a runner over 50 run?
This plan uses four runs and two short strength sessions. If four runs is too much for your body, swap one easy run for cycling or another low-impact session.
What heart rate should I run at over 50?
Easy runs at about 65–79 % of your max heart rate, the easy range in Daniels' Running Formula and in our training pace and heart rate calculator. Use your own measured max if you can, because age formulas can be well off for individuals.
Should I still do speed work after 50?
Yes, in small doses. One key session a week with threshold or marathon pace keeps you sharp, as long as easy days stay easy.
Is strength training really necessary for marathon runners over 50?
The WHO recommends muscle strengthening on two or more days a week for all adults (Bull et al., 2020). Two short sessions fit easily around four runs.
Sources
- Riebe, D. et al. (2015). Updating ACSM's recommendations for exercise preparticipation health screening. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 47(11), 2473–2479. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000000664
- Borges, N., Reaburn, P., Driller, M. & Argus, C. (2016). Age-related changes in performance and recovery kinetics in masters athletes: a narrative review. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 24(1), 149–157. doi:10.1123/japa.2015-0021
- Bull, F. C. et al. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(24), 1451–1462. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955
- Daniels, J. Daniels' Running Formula. Human Kinetics (heart-rate ranges for the training intensities: easy 65–79 %, threshold 88–92 % of max HR).
- Tanaka, H., Monahan, K. D. & Seals, D. R. (2001). Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 37(1), 153–156. doi:10.1016/S0735-1097(00)01054-8
- Persinger, R., Foster, C., Gibson, M., Fater, D. C. & Porcari, J. P. (2004). Consistency of the talk test for exercise prescription. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 36(9), 1632–1636.
- Coyle, E. F. & González-Alonso, J. (2001). Cardiovascular drift during prolonged exercise: new perspectives. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 29(2), 88–92. doi:10.1097/00003677-200104000-00009
- Garber, C. E. et al. (2011). ACSM position stand: Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(7), 1334–1359. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e318213fefb
- The plan itself is our own and follows common principles.