If you have never run before it may not be wise to jump straight into a full marathon training plan. Start slowly by tacking a 5km or 10km distance or maybe even a half marathon. 

Before you begin your training plan, you'll need to build a running base. This is a foundation that will support the demands of progressive mileage and intensity that can come with a marathon training plan.

When you begin a training plan it starts out at a low level with short distances and builds week-on-week until it peaks just before your race and allows you to taper (reduce your mileage just before the race). If you go into a training plan without a training base, you will be at a higher risk for injury and you body may struggle to adapt to the constant increase in intensity and mileage that your training plan will have.

Think of your training base like the foundation of a house, without a strong base to start on the house doesn’t hold up. The time period for a training base varies depending on your running experience and fitness level. Typically though, it is a 6 - 12 week period.

Never Run Before

Invest in some easy miles running at a pace where you can hold a conversation. This will help you build a solid aerobic base from which you can begin a beginner's training plan. 

Example Week:
Monday: Run easy effort 3km
Tuesday: Cross-training & strength training
Wednesday: Run easy effort 3km
Thursday: Rest Day
Friday: Cross-training & strength training
Saturday: 5 km run easy effort
Sunday: Rest Day

OR (once 5km is comfortable)

Monday: Run easy effort 5km
Tuesday: Cross-training & strength training
Wednesday: Run easy effort 3km

Thursday: Rest Day
Friday: Cross-training & strength training
Saturday: Run easy effort 10km run - first 8km easy effort, final 2 km fast

Sunday: Rest Day

Can run 10km

You base training will include easy effort running with some harder effort running involved such as hill, tempo and fartlek workouts. It is important that you balance your easy and hard workouts so that you aren't pushing your body into training mode to quickly and therefore fatigue your body.

Example Week:
Monday: Run easy effort 5km
Tuesday: Cross-training & strength training
Wednesday: Fartlek run - 40 minutes at easy effort with six to eight 30 second hard effort sprints woven in OR Hill run - 40 minutes easy effort run with six to eight hill sprints
Thursday: Cross-training & strength training
Friday: Run easy effort 5km
Saturday: Long run 10 - 15km - first 8 - 13km easy effort, final 2 km fast
Sunday: Rest Day