How to train for a marathon: the complete guide, from base to race day
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Where to start
Before choosing a method you need three honest answers: how many kilometres you run per week today, how long you have done that without breaks, and what your goal is (finishing or a time). These are the same questions our Wolf Planner uses to build a plan: if your base or the available time is not enough for the goal and the date, it says so instead of inventing mileage to fit the calendar. A downloaded plan that ignores these three numbers is the most common way to reach race day flat or injured.
The training phases
The established methods share the same architecture, described in our analysis of the Lydiard method: first an aerobic base of easy-intensity weeks, then a build-up with quality sessions and strengthening, then the specific period at race pace, and finally the taper. On tapering the evidence is among the strongest in marathon preparation: the Bosquet meta-analysis indicates about two weeks with volume cut by roughly half and intensity maintained, as we cover in the race taper guide.1,2
Volume and intensity
The most studied distribution has most of the time spent running easy: the 80/20 Running guide explains the principle and how to count minutes, while polarised or pyramidal compares the two distributions observed in studies. The practical point: raising total volume, with intensity concentrated in a few key sessions, is what separates a preparation from simply collecting miles.
The methods compared
Five references, five philosophies: the table sums up who they are and who they can work for; each row links to the full card with sources and stated limits.
| Method | In short | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Pfitzinger | 18 weeks, eight workout categories, 50 to 70 miles per week | Already-trained runners seeking structure and volume |
| Hansons | Three key sessions a week, cumulative fatigue, longest run 16 miles | Those who respond well to consistency and frequent race pace |
| Lydiard | 28 weeks: aerobic base, hills, sharpening | Those with time who want to build the engine from scratch |
| Daniels (VDOT) | Five codified intensities, a season in four phases | Those who want paces calculated from current form |
| Maffetone's MAF | The 180 formula for the aerobic ceiling, all easy | Those restarting, often injured, or rebuilding base |
None of the five is "the best": the cards report what the sources say and what they do not prove. If you are unsure, the safest path is to start from the base and the 80/20 distribution, then adopt the structure of the method that best fits your profile.
The right paces
Every method prescribes different intensities; turning them into minutes per kilometre takes your current paces. The Daniels method derives them from VDOT, i.e. a recent performance; our free Wolf Engine does the same calculation: enter a distance and a time to get training paces and a race prediction, with no manual formulas.
Fueling and hydration
More marathons are lost at the aid station than in training. Three guides with the numbers made practical: how many carbs per hour in the marathon (grams, gels and minutes), electrolytes and sodium (why drinking too much is the main risk, more than salt) and caffeine (studied doses and limits). The shared rule: nothing new on race day; everything gets tested in the long runs.
Strength, sleep and shoes
Strength is not an extra: reviews of runners show benefits for economy and performance with specific protocols, collected in strength for running. Recovery is where adaptation happens: sleep and recovery gathers the evidence. On shoes, the guide to carbon-plate shoes explains what actually changes and for whom, without marketing promises.
Race day
The race plan is built on splits: our guide to marathon splits shows how to set kilometre-by-kilometre references. And if you are choosing where to debut or chase a PB, the race calendar has verified cards with dates, fees, courses and logistics.
Build your plan
This guide is deliberately a map, not a plan: the right plan comes from your numbers. The Wolf Planner uses them to build a training week around the days you actually have, and the Wolf Engine calculates the paces to assign to each session. The methods compared above remain the reference for understanding why the plan looks the way it does.
Sources
- Bosquet L., Montpetit J., Arvisais D., Mujika I., Effects of tapering on performance: a meta-analysis, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2007. Cited in our race taper guide, which reports doses and limits.
- Mujika I., Padilla S., Scientific bases for precompetition tapering strategies, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2003. PubMed abstract.
- The WOLFLAB guides cited in this map (Pfitzinger, Hansons, Lydiard, Daniels, MAF, 80/20, carbohydrates, electrolytes, caffeine, strength, sleep, shoes, taper) each carry their own verified primary sources, with what they prove and what they do not.
Guide published on 7 November 2026. This is not a training plan: an individual plan must be built on personal volume, history and goal.