Half & full marathon
Your goal time sets the pace; the weeks you have left decide how much of it is realistic. Below are reference ranges for the most common targets: a half marathon under two hours or under 1:45, a marathon under four hours or under 3:30. YOUB turns them into a plan around your actual week.
Ranges for runners who already run regularly: for the half, you can run 10 km without stopping; for the marathon, you have already finished a half. If you are starting from scratch, add weeks.
| Goal | Race pace | Build | Runs and weekly volume | Longest run | Key session |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half marathon under 2:00 | 5:41 min/km | 8–12 weeks | 3–4 runs, 25–35 km | 16–18 km | 3 × 3 km at half marathon pace, 3 min jog recovery |
| Half marathon under 1:45 | 4:59 min/km | 10–12 weeks | 4 runs, 35–45 km | 18–21 km | 2 × 5 km at half marathon pace, or 5 × 1 km a little faster |
| Marathon under 4:00 | 5:41 min/km | 16 weeks; 12 with a half-marathon base | 4 runs, 40–55 km | 30–32 km | 24 km long run with the last 8 km at marathon pace |
| Marathon under 3:30 | 4:59 min/km | 16 weeks; 12 with a solid base | 4–5 runs, 55–70 km | 32–35 km | 28 km including 3 × 5 km at marathon pace |
A sub-2:00 half and a sub-4:00 marathon ask for the same pace; the marathon just asks for it twice as long. The same holds for 1:45 and 3:30. Around 80 percent of your kilometres stay easy, and every third or fourth week is lighter.
Eight weeks is enough if you already run three times a week and can cover 10 km; the block is then about race-pace strength and the long run. Twelve weeks leaves room for a calm base phase first, which is the safer route to a goal time.
Sixteen weeks is the standard. Twelve is enough if you're already running around 40 km a week and have a half marathon behind you. The plan has four phases: base, build, marathon-specific and taper, with volume rising in small steps.
The long run is the most important session of a marathon build. Add two to three kilometres every week or two and shorten it every third week. It doesn't need to last much more than three hours; beyond that, fatigue grows faster than the benefit.
One quality session a week, two later in the build, and no more. Threshold runs lift the pace you can hold for a long time; race-pace work teaches your body what the goal feels like. Work out your race pace from your target time.
Before a marathon, volume comes down by 40 to 60 percent over two to three weeks; before a half, seven to ten days is enough. Intensity stays in: short race-pace segments keep your legs sharp.
For a half marathon, water and perhaps one gel are usually enough. For a marathon they aren't: plan 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour, more if you've trained your gut for it, starting in the first half hour rather than at 30 km. And eat carbohydrate-rich for the one to two days before.
A plan from your watch knows your runs; it learns far less about the rest of your week. YOUB plans with you in the chat, knows your calendar, sleep and recovery, and moves sessions when life gets in the way. Workouts arrive with pace targets from your own zones on Garmin, COROS, Suunto and Wahoo. An Apple Watch delivers your runs through Apple Health, and you follow the planned sessions in the app.
For each of these races, youb.app has the course, the elevation profile and pacing notes. Pick your race and YOUB plans backwards from race day.
Coaching scenario
01
When the data shows that a demanding session does not fit the current state, YOUB does not react to one metric alone. The coach compares training history, subjective feedback, calendar pressure, and the next goal before suggesting an adjustment.
02
Depending on connected sources, YOUB can use completed sessions, duration, intensity, heart rate, sleep, recovery signals, availability, and goal dates. No single value decides the plan on its own.
03
A session can be moved, shortened, replaced, or intentionally kept. The decision is whether the change protects the long-term training goal while respecting real-life constraints and recovery.
04
YOUB provides coaching suggestions, not diagnoses. Pain, illness, injury, and medical questions belong with qualified medical professionals rather than an automated training decision.
05
For your half or full marathon, the next workout is only one part of the decision. YOUB looks at the whole week: hard stimuli, recovery, long sessions, and calendar commitments need to fit together so the plan stays understandable and does not collapse after the first schedule change.
06
YOUB turns adaptations into a clear recommendation with a reason: why the session still makes sense, which risk is being reduced, and which alternative best supports the goal. The result is an understandable coaching dialogue, not an anonymous plan change, including a short follow-up question when the data or real-life context is not clear enough.
Review and sources
This page is maintained by YOUB editorially and reviewed against recognized guidance for physical activity, training load, and training safety. YOUB does not replace medical advice; athletes with symptoms or medical conditions should consult a clinician.
FAQ
Yes, if you already run three times a week and can manage 10 km without stopping. Eight weeks then go into building the long run to 16–18 km and one tempo session a week. Starting from zero, allow twelve weeks or more.
The target is 5:41 per kilometre. Three to four runs and 25 to 35 km a week usually get you there, with a long run building to 16–18 km and one race-pace session such as 3 × 3 km. For 1:45 you need 4:59 per kilometre and a little more volume.
Sixteen weeks if it's your first marathon or you're running under 40 km a week; twelve if the base is already there and you've run a half. More than about 20 weeks of specific preparation rarely adds much.
Sub-3:30 needs 4:59 per kilometre; sub-4:00 needs 5:41. A half marathon is a good check: around 1:40 points to 3:30, around 1:55 to four hours. If you're slower, adjust the goal or give yourself more time.
30 to 35 km, or about three hours, whichever comes first. You don't run the full distance in training, and the last long run falls about three weeks before the race.
Watch plans are a good start if your weeks are regular. YOUB plans in conversation and adapts to your calendar, sleep and recovery. With Garmin, sessions arrive on your watch as structured workouts; with an Apple Watch you follow them in the YOUB app and your runs come back through Apple Health.
