Marathon/Half-Marathon Training Plans

Since many of us will be training for spring marathons or half-marathons, I thought I'd post links to a few popular training plans. If you're looking for guidance on creating a training plan, these are a good place to start!

Hal Higdon
Hal Higdon's plans are super-popular. They're straightforward and to the point--no frills. His novice plans don't include any speedwork, so if you're just looking to increase your endurance, they might be a good choice for you. Note that the full marathon plans are 18 weeks, so you'll want to jump in ASAP if you're planning on the Oakland Marathon!

Novice Marathon Plans (18 weeks)
Novice Half-Marathon Plan (12 weeks)
Intermediate Marathon Plan (18 weeks)
Intermediate Half-Marathon Plan (12 weeks)

Jeff Galloway
Jeff Galloway is famous for his "run/walk" approach to running. His plans are especially good if you're new to running and you just want to finish. They're long (in fact, if you started his standard marathon plan today, you wouldn't finish it in time for the Oakland Marathon in late March!), build slowly, and encourage mixing running and walking.

Galloway Marathon Plan (30 weeks)

Ryan Hall
The Ryan Hall half-marathon plan is more advanced. It has a lot of challenging speedwork. Jesse and I used it earlier this year and really enjoyed it, but wouldn't recommend it if you're new to running.

Ryan Hall Half-Marathon Plan (10 weeks)

FIRST
If you're injury-prone, or like to do a lot of cross-training, the FIRST plan might be a good choice. It only has you running three days week, so your mileage is lower than in most other plans.

FIRST Half-Marathon Plan (10 weeks, actual plan is on page 7)
FIRST Marathon Plan (16 weeks, actual plan is on page 6)