As a running coach, one of the most common questions I hear from marathoners-in-training is: “How many miles should I be running each week?”
The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all—it depends on several factors, including your experience level, your goals, your available time, and how well your body handles volume.
If you’ve trained for a race before, especially a half or full marathon, you probably remember that the final weeks of your plan cut back your mileage. That’s the taper period—designed to help you recover and show up fresh on race day.
But before you taper, building up to the right weekly mileage is key to developing the endurance, strength, and confidence you’ll need for 26.2 miles.
The concept of “ideal” weekly mileage varies, but understanding the general ranges and what influences them can help you train more effectively and avoid burnout or injury.
Let’s break down what weekly mileage typically looks like for marathon training and what factors can help you determine the right range for you.
How Many Miles Should I Run Per Week Training for a Marathon?
In most training plans, I often see a lot of focus placed on the long run, which makes sense. It’s a critical component of preparing your body and mind for race day.
Most marathon plans for recreational runners build toward a peak long run of around 20 miles, and there’s general consensus among coaches that this is a solid benchmark for many athletes.
However, far less attention is given to another key aspect of training: your total weekly mileage. In other words, beyond the long run, how many miles per week should you actually be running to prepare for a marathon effectively?
The answer is, it depends. While 20 miles may be a common long-run target, weekly mileage is much more individualized.
Elite and experienced runners may go well beyond 20 miles in a single session, and plans like the Hansons Marathon Method cap long runs at 16–18 miles due to their higher overall volume and back-to-back quality sessions.
When it comes to total weekly mileage, there’s no one-size-fits-all number. Runners may log anywhere from 35 to 140+ miles per week, depending on their experience, goals, available time, and ability to recover.
That’s a huge range, so instead of chasing a number that worked for someone else, it’s essential to understand the factors that influence your optimal weekly mileage.
Here are some general guidelines that you can take as you go through the factors and adjust as necessary:
- Beginners training for their first marathon often run in the neighborhood of 35 to 40 miles per week
- Experienced marathon runners who are looking to set a PR or who have been training for many years may run closer to 40 to 60 miles per week.
- Competitive and sub-elite marathon runners typically have an average of 70 to 90 miles per week.
- Professional and elite runners are often well above 100 miles per week, training for a marathon (110-140 miles per week).
Let’s break down our aforementioned factors so you can build a plan that’s smart, sustainable, and tailored to you.
Related: Marathon Time Calculator – Predict Your Marathon Finish Time
What Really Determines How Many Miles You Should Run Each Week
Consider the following factors when trying to decide how many miles to run per week for marathon prep:
#1: Experience Level
Arguably, the single most significant factor that will affect your target average weekly mileage for marathon training is your experience level.
Beginners will almost certainly have lower weekly miles for marathon training than experienced and competitive athletes.
#2: Your Marathon Goal
Your goal for the marathon will also affect the recommended number of miles per week you should be striving for.
If you are just looking to finish the race, you should be able to get away with lower weekly mileage, but if you are looking to set a big PR, qualify for the Boston Marathon, place in your age group, or break the tape, your goal mileage for a marathon training should be higher.
#3: Your Injury History and Risk
If you are prone to injuries, you may be best served by reducing your weekly running mileage and supplementing with low-impact cross-training activities, such as using elliptical machines, deep water running, or indoor cycling.
In this case, you may even want to consider keeping track of your marathon training in minutes per week vs. miles per week, since it will be easier to have a meaningful gauge of your weekly marathon training volume if all forms of cardio exercise are added in the same format.
#4: Training Plan Intensity
One of the most important factors to consider is the quality of the miles you are running on the training plan. Not all miles are equal in terms of intensity and effectiveness.
There has long been a debate about whether you can actually run “junk miles “ or if all miles are helpful.
Wherever you stand on the debate, what is clear is that speed workouts, threshold runs, long run mileage, hill workouts, etc., take more of a toll on the body than an easy jog or recovery run. Moreover, how you structure the intensity in a training plan for a marathon also matters.
Overall, a marathon training plan that includes just base mileage with few structured workouts or high-intensity interval sessions may have higher weekly mileage than a marathon training plan with lots of high-intensity workouts.
#5: Your Age
If you are a senior or older adult, you may need to consider lowering your average miles per week to avoid getting injured and to support recovery. The body tends to take longer to recover as we age.
As you can see, many factors can affect the optimal number of miles per week for marathon training plans, so the range for overall marathon weekly mileage is significantly broader and up for more debate than the average peak marathon long run distance.
To help you get a head start, check out some of our free online marathon training plans:
