First-Time Marathoner How Many Times a Week Should I Run?

I first did a half marathon last year - I think it was in September. I have not run since then, I have now got a charity marathon place for the London Marathon. I started running straight away, I was very slow but now have got even slower.

When I did the half marathon last year my time was 2hrs and 20 minutes and the training had been very haphazard. I decided that I was going to train properly this time round, but wondering whether I am putting in a lot of junk miles.

I run 5 times a week. My time is even slower – I ran 14 miles on Sunday which took me 2 hours and 48 something minutes. Should I cut this down to 4 days?

– Croucher, Kent, United Kingdom

Answer by Dom: Hi Croucher, thanks for your question. Running five days a week isn't extreme – but the real question isn't "how many days?" It's whether those five days are each doing a different job, or all blurring into the same tired grind. My honest read of your 14-mile run at 2:48 is the latter. The good news: that's fixable without dropping a single day of running.

1. Why you're feeling slower, not weaker
2. The three marathon training fundamentals
3. Why four focused days can beat five junk-mile days
4. General guidelines for training frequency
5. Balancing running and cross-training

Why You're Feeling Slower, Not Weaker

Feeling slower during a heavy training build-up is completely normal — especially as your mileage increases. Your body is adapting to a workload it hasn't carried before, and that takes time. Don't mistake a slower pace for a lack of progress. It isn't one.

Marathon training is supposed to feel hard. If it felt easy, everyone would do it. My advice to you here is simple: prioritise recovery. Sleep well, rest well, eat well.

The Three Marathon Training Fundamentals

You can approach marathon training in many ways — and the right approach depends on your goal. Do you want to finish? Or are you chasing a specific time? How challenging is that time for you? Whatever your answers, three things remain constant.

The Power of Consistency
Consistency is more important than anything else. Getting out four or five times a week is brilliant — keep that up, week after week, month after month. It's fine if you occasionally drop to four runs instead of five because your body needs it. Just keep showing up.

The Importance of the Long Run
Long runs are the backbone of any marathon training plan. The 14-miler you mentioned is genuine progress — don't let the time on the clock tell you otherwise. In the lead-up to your race, your long runs will naturally be slower than race pace. That's correct. The focus is on building mileage, not setting personal records. You're at 14 miles — keep building towards the 20 miles that's widely advised for first-time marathoners.

Alternating Hard and Easy Days
A mistake I see creep into beginners' marathon schedules is that every single day ends up semi-hard. You might run 8 miles on Tuesday, 7 on Wednesday, 9 on Thursday. I'd rather see a clearer split: 9 miles on Tuesday, 5 on Wednesday, 10 on Thursday. Same total mileage — but Wednesday becomes a genuine recovery day, and Thursday's longer run benefits from it. That distinction matters.

Why Four Focused Days Can Beat Five Junk-Mile Days

Here's something worth sitting with, Croucher. A runner doing 40 miles across 3–4 well-structured sessions — one proper long run, one threshold effort, the rest easy — will often outperform a runner grinding out 55 miles a week at an undifferentiated moderate pace every day.

The 55-mile runner is never running truly easy, so they never fully recover. They're also never running purposefully hard, so they never sharpen. Steady moderate effort, day after day, piles up fatigue without producing much adaptation. Tired legs that never get a real rest day are exactly the legs that pick up niggles.

Your five semi-hard days are this exact trap — just at lower mileage. I'd rather see you run four days: one long run, one session with some structure — faster kilometres woven into an easy run, or a gentle threshold effort — and two purely easy, unhurried runs. Same or slightly less total mileage, but each run now has a clear job to do. That's the real answer to your question. It's not about the number of days. It's about giving each run a purpose.

General Guidelines for Training Frequency

I get genuinely uncomfortable when runners prepare for a marathon on only three days a week. I'm not saying it's impossible — but it isn't sensible as a default. You can compensate with extensive cross-training, but it needs to be extensive. Four or five runs a week, structured as above, is a much stronger foundation.

When it all feels like too much, drop to four days — but hold on to the three fundamentals: consistency, the long run, and alternating hard and easy days.

Balancing Running and Cross-Training

If the training is grinding you down, I'd recommend swapping one running day for a cross-training session. Cycling, swimming, or yoga all support recovery and strengthen muscles that running alone doesn't hit. They keep your training balanced without eating into your running build-up.

I'd also recommend adding some strength training. It will make you a stronger, more resilient runner — and that matters over a 26.2-mile race.

Beware of stripping too much running out of your schedule, though. The path to the start line of a marathon has many variations — but the combination of sensible recovery, clear training fundamentals, purposeful sessions, and well-placed cross-training is a solid one. Listen to your body, give each run a job, and keep pounding the pavement.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your London Marathon training.

All the best,
Dom

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