Turn your race date into a safe, week-by-week plan — mileage ramp, long runs, cutback weeks & taper
Leave blank to auto-estimate as ~35% of your weekly mileage, so the long run starts safely relative to your training load.
Leave blank for auto by level (beginner 3, intermediate 4, advanced 5). Under 3 days is below the safe minimum for distance progression.
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Race Training Plan Generator — guide & how to use
What it does
This race training plan generator turns your race distance, race date, current weekly
mileage, and experience level into a complete, progressive plan: a week-by-week table of target mileage,
a scheduled long run that grows safely, automatic cutback weeks (the
3-up-1-down pattern), and a taper into race day. It enforces the 10% rule
as a ceiling, caps the marathon long run at ~20 miles, and warns you if your timeline is too tight. Everything
is computed privately in your browser, free.
How to use it
Pick your race distance and experience level.
Set today's date (pre-filled) and your race date — the gap between them is the hard constraint.
Enter your current weekly mileage and longest run so the plan starts from your real base, not zero.
Optionally set your running days per week and switch units (mi/km).
Read the week-by-week table, mileage chart, and milestones, then Copy plan or sign in to download a PDF.
Worked example
A beginner targeting a half marathon who currently runs 8 mi/week,
longest run 4 mi, with 14 weeks until race day. The plan length is 14 weeks
(half-marathon default) with a 2-week taper, leaving 12 build weeks. Because the
target peak (~28 mi) is reachable inside those weeks at ≤10%/week, the plan starts you around
13 mi/week — a realistic early-build load — rather than flagging the timeline as tight. Weekly
volume then ramps about 10% per week but every 4th week cuts back to ~80% of the prior week, so
the line saw-tooths upward instead of climbing relentlessly. Peak weekly mileage lands near 28 mi
and the longest run climbs to about 10 mi — it never grows more than 10% per week (so it can't leap
straight to the ~11 mi half-marathon cap from a 4 mi base) and never exceeds ~40% of that week's volume on peak
weeks. The final two weeks taper down, with race week at roughly 40–50% of peak.
The numbers behind it
Weeks available = floor((race date − today) ÷ 7). Race date must be in the future.
Plan length: 5K=8, 10K=10, half=14, marathon=16 weeks (beginner +2, advanced −2), clamped to your weeks available and a safe minimum (5K=4, 10K=6, half=8, marathon=12).
Peak long run (cap): 5K≈3, 10K≈6, half≈11, marathon≈20 mi (an upper limit — not 26.2). Because the long run never grows more than 10%/week, you only reach the cap if your current longest run and timeline allow it; otherwise it lands a little lower.
Peak weekly mileage: 5K≈12–16, 10K≈18–24, half≈28–34, marathon≈40–50, picked by experience and kept ≥ 1.4× the peak long run.
10% rule + cutback: each build week ≈ previous × 1.10, but every 4th week = 0.80 × prior (3-up-1-down); the long run cuts back the same ~20%.
Taper: 5K/10K=1 week, half=2, marathon=3, at the END of the plan; ~25% reduction per week, race week ~40–50% of peak.
Accuracy & safety notes
This is an educational planning tool, not medical advice. Get a doctor's check-up before starting — especially if you are a true beginner, over 40, or have any health condition.
The 10% rule is a heuristic, not a validated law. Research (including a study where injury-free runners averaged ~22% weekly increases) shows it is conservative and imperfect. We use it as a safe default ceiling, paired with cutback weeks — not a guarantee against injury.
Mileage and long-run numbers are templates calibrated to common coaching plans (Hal Higdon, Marathon Handbook, Couch-to-X). Individual response varies with age, history, sleep, and life stress.
"Easy" runs must be genuinely easy (conversational pace). This tool plans volume, not pace zones — over-running easy days is the most common way these plans cause injury.
Adaptation happens on rest days. The plan deliberately schedules rest and cutback weeks — don't "make up" missed runs by piling on mileage.
The marathon long run caps at ~20 mi by design (diminishing returns and injury risk above that). The taper is a feature, not lost fitness — reduced mileage before race day improves performance.
Frequently asked questions
How many weeks do I need to train for a half marathon or marathon?
Common plan lengths: 5K=8, 10K=10, half=14, marathon=16 weeks (beginners +2, advanced −2). Safe minimums are roughly 5K=4, 10K=6, half=8, marathon=12. This tool fits the plan inside the weeks you actually have and warns you if it's too tight.
What is the 10% rule and does this plan use it?
It's a heuristic: don't raise weekly mileage more than ~10% week to week. We use it as a conservative ceiling and pair it with 3-up-1-down cutback weeks. It's a coaching default, not a scientific law, so treat it as a guardrail rather than a guarantee.
What are cutback weeks and why are they here?
A cutback week drops mileage to ~80% of the prior week, usually every 4th week. This 3-up-1-down pattern lets your body adapt — which is when fitness is built — and stops a relentless ramp from compounding past 130% over a block.
How long should my longest run be before a marathon?
This plan caps the marathon long run at ~20 miles (not 26.2) because runs beyond that cost more in injury and recovery than they add in fitness. The long run also stays roughly a third of weekly volume (up to ~40–45% on peak weeks), so one session never dominates the week.
When should I start tapering?
The taper is the final phase: ~1 week (5K/10K), 2 (half), or 3 (marathon). Mileage drops ~25% per week, with race week at ~40–50% of peak. Cutting the taper short is a common mistake — it's not lost fitness.
Is this generator free?
Yes. 100% free, computed in your browser, nothing stored or sold.
No account, no coding. Copy the embed code and paste it where you want it to appear:
<iframe src="https://snaptoolsuite.com/race-training-plan-generator/?embed=1"
style="width:100%;max-width:620px;height:1200px;border:0;"
title="Race Training Plan Generator" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p>Free <a href="https://snaptoolsuite.com/race-training-plan-generator/">Race Training Plan Generator</a> by Snap Tool Suite</p>
2 Paste it on your page
3 It just works
Tip: a full marathon plan is taller than a 5K plan — bump height to 1400–1600px if the table is cut off, or lower it for shorter races. See it live: view a real embed example →
Everything is calculated in your browser. We don't store or sell your data. Educational planning tool — not medical advice.