16 week Marathon Blueprint plan

THE 16-WEEK MARATHON BLUEPRINT

Better form, better finish. Your complete week-by-week training system, from first benchmark to 26.2.

You've entered the marathon. Now what?

I remember my first one, asking a hundred people a hundred questions and getting a hundred different answers. This is the plan I wish I'd had: every run, every strength session, every rest day mapped out across 16 weeks, built from 20+ years of coaching runners as a sports scientist and coach. No guesswork. No second-guessing. Just tie up your shoes and follow the page.

What you're getting

A beautifully designed digital blueprint you can print or follow on any device. Each week sits on a single landscape page, so you always know exactly what today's session is at a glance. It's evergreen, meaning no fixed dates, so you can start any week of the year and slide the days to fit your life.

Inside:

• 16 weeks of complete training. Running, strength, mobility and recovery, structured across four phases: Base, Build, Peak and Taper, with your long run climbing to a peak of 22 miles before a smart taper to race day.
• Speed, tempo, hill and benchmark sessions written in plain English, with goal-pace guidance so you know exactly how fast to run.
• Full strength programming to build the resilient body that carries you to the finish, upper, lower and core, progressing week on week.
• "Niggle Watch" prehab tips every fortnight, targeting the classic runner trouble spots (calves, hip flexors, feet, knees, shins, Achilles) with exactly what to add to your warm-up before they become injuries.
• Mindset coaching woven through every week: goal-setting, positive self-talk, reframing, and my race-day chunking technique, because the marathon is won in the head as much as the legs.
• Optional cross-training sessions for the days you want more.

Plus the essentials most plans skip: how to nail your sleep, food and hydration; how to choose the right running shoe; and how to fuel your long runs so you never hit the wall.

Who it's for

Whether this is your first marathon or your eleventh, whether you're chasing a time or simply chasing the finish line, this blueprint meets you where you are. Every session scales to your level. And my biggest promise woven through all 16 weeks: walking is not failing. This is about getting you to that start line stronger, and over that finish line prouder than you've ever been.

Fewer than 2% of the world's population has run a marathon. You're about to join them.

Let's get after it together.

Emma Kirk-Odunubi
Sports scientist & coach