The 3 Day A Week Marathon Training Guide + Complete Training Plan

When most people envision marathon training, they imagine high-mileage weeks that involve running nearly every day.

And, while training for a marathon does require some long runs and running a lot can potentially improve your performance, it’s also possible to finish a marathon by running only three days per week.

In this article, we discuss the pros and cons of a 3 day a week marathon training program and how to train for a marathon running only three days a week. In addition, we have a 3 day a week marathon training program you can follow if training for a marathon running 3 days a week seems right for you.

We will cover: 

• What Is a 3 Day A Week Marathon Training Program?

• Pros and Cons of a 3 Day A Week Marathon Training Program

• Can You Train for a Marathon Running Only 3 Days a Week?

• How Is the 3 Day A Week Marathon Training Plan Structured?

• 3 Day A Week Marathon Training Plan

Let’s get started!

What Is a 3 Day A Week Marathon Training Program?

Before you get your hopes up too high, a 3 day a week marathon training program isn’t as easy and barebones as it sounds.

The “3-days” refers to three days of running per week, not three days of any type of training.

For best results, you’ll also need to do cross-training workouts in addition to running three days a week in preparation for your marathon.

Pros and Cons of a 3 Day A Week Marathon Training Program

A 3 day a week marathon training program is ideal for runners who are injury prone, struggle to find the time or motivation to run every day, or who prefer variety in their workout routine such that they don’t want to focus exclusively on running.

However, training for a marathon by running only 3 days a week isn’t necessarily going to prepare you to have your best performance.

Most exercise physiologists and coaches say that specificity of training is important in that you will make more adaptations and progress if you do the type of exercise you plan on competing in.

In other words, in order to become a better runner, you need to run more. 

Biking, swimming, rowing, and other forms of exercise will improve your overall fitness and in this way, can make you a better runner, but probably not to the extent that more running potentially will.

This isn’t an absolute, which is why plenty of runners do really well on a 3 day a week marathon training program. 

This amount of running can be just enough to stimulate specific running adaptations while effectively relying on low-impact cross-training to supplement running mileage and boost fitness with less impact and injury risk.

In sum, the benefits of a 3 day a week marathon training program include:

• Decreased risk of injury.

• More variety in training.

• Reduced risk of overtraining and burnout.

• Less boredom or monotony.

• Less time required.

• Can prepare you for triathlons and multi-sport races as well, so you get “transferable” fitness.

The primary drawbacks of a 3 day a week marathon training program include:

• You still have to cross train, so it’s not as much time savings as you might hope for.

• You may not reach your full performance potential.

Can You Train for a Marathon Running Only 3 Days a Week?

Many runners ask if running 3 days a week is enough to train for a marathon.

In most cases, you can run a marathon training only three days a week, and some runners actually respond better to the lower mileage of a 3 day a week marathon training program than a traditional high-volume marathon training plan.

The key to having success with a 3 day a week marathon training program is making sure each run has a specific purpose and that you’re consistent and diligent about doing every single workout.

How Is the 3 Day A Week Marathon Training Plan Structured?

Although different running coaches and sites may have their own unique ways of structuring a 3 day a week marathon training program, our plan includes three running workouts per week and two cross-training workouts.

The three running sessions are a long run, a speed workout, and a tempo run.

Let’s look into the purpose of each of these more closely.

Long Runs

The long run improves your endurance and stamina, which prepares you to be able to run the full 26.2 miles in the marathon.

Over the course of the 3 day marathon training plan, the distance of the long run will gradually increase, though not to the entire marathon distance. 

This is because it’s unnecessary to run the full distance prior to race day, and doing so can actually be counterproductive for most marathon runners aside from elite athletes, as it is overly stressful and exhausting on the body. 

You’ll still reap all the necessary physiological adaptations by long runs in marathon training that max out at 20-22 miles or so.

Your long run pace will be slower than your marathon race pace, so these 20-mile runs will be nearly as much “time on your feet” as the full race.

Long runs help develop your cardiovascular “engine,” meaning the strength and efficiency of your heart, lungs, and vasculature.

Adaptations to the cardiovascular system as a result of the endurance training from long runs include an increase in the strength and size of the muscular chambers in your heart and an increase in your blood plasma level.

These changes increase stroke volume, or the amount of blood pumped per beat to your heart. The greater your stroke volume, the lower your heart rate can be because more blood is reaching more tissues every time your heart beats.

Additional cardiovascular adaptations include improved efficiency in breathing mechanics so that you’re taking in more oxygen, and an increase in the capillary density in your muscles so that they can access oxygen more readily.

Your metabolic system also adapts because by becoming more efficient at burning fat for fuel and producing energy aerobically.

Additionally, your muscles get stronger and better able to continue working without fatiguing as early.

Another key benefit of the long runs on any marathon training plan is that they allow you to practice your fueling and hydration strategies for race day, and try out any gear you will wear.

Ironing out the kinks and rehearsing your race plan ensures you don’t have any surprises on race day.

Lastly, long runs improve your mental toughness, such that you can focus longer and continue pushing through your workout even when you feel tired.

They also foster confidence in your ability to handle the distance and finish the marathon come race day.

Speed Workouts

The speed workout builds your leg speed, and gets your body used to handling faster paces so that your marathon goal pace feels much more comfortable.

Tempo Runs

The tempo runs increase your lactate threshold, making it easier to handle faster paces without needing to switch gears into anaerobic glycolysis.

They should be run at a “comfortably hard” pace, or a pace you feel you could sustain at maximum effort for an hour of continuous running.

As a result, you can run further and faster without getting the acidic buildup in your legs, sparing you the discomfort and extreme fatigue.

Cross Training

Because the range of the running workouts in the 3 day marathon training plan hits each of the specific fitness areas that are essential for marathon running, it’s possible to have this very stripped-down approach.

The cross-training workouts serve to augment your aerobic fitness, giving you time “off your feet” while still improving the efficiency and strength of your cardiovascular “engine” (heart and lungs) and aerobic metabolism.

You can choose any form of cardio exercise for your cross-training workouts, but cycling, deep water running, rowing, elliptical, and stair climbing tend to work best.

These workouts should be Zone 2 efforts (heart rate 60-70% of your max) because the emphasis is on recovery.

You might be inclined to want to skip the cross-training, thinking the non-running exercise isn’t all that helpful for marathon running, but these are really important in this particular approach to marathon training since you’re only running three days a week.

The cross-training workouts serve to replace recovery runs and basic base building runs.

If you omit them, you’ll be compromising your recovery and sabotaging the gains in aerobic fitness you’ll need for marathon success.

3 Day a Week Marathon Training Program

Run the first half of each long run 1-2 minutes per mile slower than you plan to run the marathon. For the second half of the run, pick up the pace to 45-90 seconds slower per mile.

There you have it, your 3 Day A Week Marathon Training plan so you can get started, today! To accompany your training, it’s always a good idea to also focus on nutrition. For some great runner’s diets, check out our nutritional guides.