How many days a week should you train for a marathon?
Between three and six days: how many sessions you need to prepare a marathon depending on your level, and how to organise them.
There's no magic number. You can finish a marathon running three days a week, and you can race poorly running six. What counts is the weekly volume you can absorb without getting injured.
By level
- First marathon: 3 or 4 days are enough if they include a long run, a quality session and easy runs.
- Experienced runner: 4 or 5 days spread the volume better instead of loading it into two sessions.
- Chasing a PB: 5 or 6 days, sometimes with easy doubles.
The three sessions you shouldn't skip
- The long run, which trains endurance and fat use.
- A threshold or marathon-pace session.
- Easy runs that add volume without fatigue.
More days, less impact
Spreading volume over more days reduces the stress of each run. If you're injury-prone, swap a running day for the bike or the elliptical: it adds aerobic work with less impact.
And two short strength sessions a week protect you more than any extra mile.