# SF Marathon Sub-5 Training Plan

Created April 23, 2026.

This plan is aligned to the official 2026 San Francisco Marathon full-marathon date: **Sunday, July 26, 2026**. The event weekend starts on **Saturday, July 25, 2026**, but the full marathon itself is on July 26.

## Starting point and constraints

- I treated your Sunday, April 19 run of 3.2 miles at about 9:45/mi as a sign that your current limiter is endurance and consistency, not raw leg speed.
- Goal: finish the San Francisco Marathon under 5:00:00. That requires about **11:27/mi average**.
- Time available: **13 weeks** from Monday, April 27, 2026 to race day.
- This is a compressed build. Standard beginner marathon plans from Hal Higdon, Hansons, and the B.A.A. are typically **18 to 20 weeks**, not 13. Because of that, this is the most conservative version of a plausible sub-5 attempt, not an ideal first-marathon build.

## What makes this plan realistic

- It keeps you at **4 runs per week**, which is closer to the lower-frequency structure used in beginner plans.
- It uses **step-back weeks** so your long-run progression is not a straight climb.
- It introduces **marathon-pace work only after the first month**, once basic volume is in place.
- It adds **hill work and downhill tolerance** because San Francisco is meaningfully hillier than a flat-course marathon.
- It caps the longest run at **18 miles**, then uses race-pace work and consistency to bridge the gap.

## Weekly rhythm

- Monday: off + 10 to 15 minutes of mobility.
- Tuesday: easy run or light marathon-specific work.
- Wednesday: 20 to 30 minutes of strength, or 30 to 45 minutes easy bike/walk.
- Thursday: primary workout.
- Friday: off.
- Saturday: easy run.
- Sunday: long run.

## Pace guide

These ranges matter more than exact splits. Your recent 9:45 "easy" run was probably too fast for this block.

| Run type | Target |
| --- | --- |
| Easy / recovery | 12:00 to 13:30/mi, fully conversational |
| Long run | 12:15 to 13:30/mi; slower on hills, wind, or warm days |
| Steady / aerobic | 11:40 to 12:00/mi |
| Marathon-pace blocks | 11:20 to 11:25/mi on flatter roads |
| Hill reps | Strong but controlled effort, never sprinting |

## Execution rules

- If you cannot keep an easy run conversational, slow down.
- If you feel beat up, keep the Sunday long run and convert the Thursday workout to an easy run.
- On runs longer than 90 minutes, practice fueling early and consistently.
- Walking is allowed. Aid-station walks or a structured 9:1 run-walk are better than blowing up.
- If pain changes your stride, stop the workout and swap in walking or cross-training.

## Week 0 bridge: Apr 23 to Apr 26

This is the short on-ramp before the formal 13-week plan starts on Monday, April 27, 2026.

- Thu, Apr 23: **3 mi easy** at about 12:00 to 13:15/mi. If that still does not feel conversational, run-walk it.
- Fri, Apr 24: off or 30 to 40 min brisk walk.
- Sat, Apr 25: **2 mi easy**.
- Sun, Apr 26: **4 mi easy**.

Why this is the right call for Thursday, April 23, 2026: your last run was Sunday, April 19, and your recent base is low enough that today should be about re-establishing frequency, not adding intensity.

## The 13-week plan

### Week 1: Apr 27 to May 3 (15 miles)

- Tue: 3 mi easy + 4 x 20 sec strides
- Thu: 3 mi easy
- Sat: 3 mi easy
- Sun: 6 mi long easy

### Week 2: May 4 to May 10 (18 miles)

- Tue: 3 mi easy
- Thu: 4 mi easy + 6 x 20 sec hill strides
- Sat: 3 mi easy
- Sun: 8 mi long easy

### Week 3: May 11 to May 17 (20 miles)

- Tue: 4 mi easy
- Thu: 4 mi steady, with the last mile at steady effort
- Sat: 3 mi easy
- Sun: 9 mi long easy

### Week 4: May 18 to May 24 (17 miles, step-back)

- Tue: 3 mi easy + 4 x 20 sec strides
- Thu: 4 mi easy
- Sat: 3 mi easy
- Sun: 7 mi long easy

### Week 5: May 25 to May 31 (23 miles)

- Tue: 4 mi easy
- Thu: 5 mi total with 4 x 2 min uphill at strong controlled effort, jog down recovery
- Sat: 4 mi easy
- Sun: 10 mi long easy

### Week 6: Jun 1 to Jun 7 (25 miles)

- Tue: 4 mi easy + 4 x 20 sec strides
- Thu: 5 mi total with 2 x 1.5 mi at marathon pace, 3 min easy jog between
- Sat: 4 mi easy
- Sun: 12 mi long easy

### Week 7: Jun 8 to Jun 14 (18 miles, step-back)

- Tue: 3 mi easy
- Thu: 4 mi steady
- Sat: 3 mi easy
- Sun: 8 mi long easy

### Week 8: Jun 15 to Jun 21 (28 miles)

- Tue: 5 mi easy
- Thu: 5 mi total with 6 x 90 sec uphill, jog down recovery
- Sat: 4 mi easy
- Sun: 14 mi long easy, last 2 mi at steady effort

### Week 9: Jun 22 to Jun 28 (31 miles)

- Tue: 5 mi easy
- Thu: 6 mi total with 3 x 1 mi at marathon pace, 3 min easy jog between
- Sat: 4 mi easy
- Sun: 16 mi long easy

### Week 10: Jun 29 to Jul 5 (25 miles, step-back)

- Tue: 4 mi easy + 4 x 20 sec strides
- Thu: 5 mi total with 20 to 25 min steady
- Sat: 4 mi easy
- Sun: 12 mi long run, last 3 mi at marathon pace only if fully under control

### Week 11: Jul 6 to Jul 12 (33 miles, peak)

- Tue: 5 mi easy
- Thu: 6 mi total with 4 mi continuous at marathon pace in the middle
- Sat: 4 mi easy
- Sun: 18 mi long easy, last 2 mi at steady effort only

### Week 12: Jul 13 to Jul 19 (21 miles, taper)

- Tue: 4 mi easy
- Thu: 4 mi total with 2 mi at marathon pace
- Sat: 3 mi easy
- Sun: 10 mi long easy

### Week 13: Jul 20 to Jul 26 (race week)

- Tue: 3 mi easy
- Thu: 3 mi easy + 4 x 20 sec strides
- Sat: 2 mi shakeout or off
- Sun: **Race day - 26.2 miles**

## Simple strength template for Wednesdays

Keep it short and leave the gym feeling fresher than when you walked in.

- 2 rounds of 8 to 10 split squats per side
- 2 rounds of 8 single-leg RDLs per side
- 2 rounds of 12 calf raises per side
- 2 rounds of 8 dead bugs per side
- 2 rounds of 30 to 45 sec side planks per side

## Race-execution notes for sub-5

- Required average pace is about 11:27/mi, but do not force that pace uphill early.
- In San Francisco, the bigger climbs are around miles 7, 12, and 16, so the first half can punish an aggressive start.
- Let the climbs cost what they cost, then get time back on flatter and downhill sections without surging.
- If you are still smooth at mile 20, keep pressing. If not, switch to aid-station walks and protect the finish.

## Why I designed it this way

1. Your current base matches the entry point of a beginner half-marathon plan better than the entry point of a classic beginner marathon build. Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Half assumes you can already handle 3-mile runs three to four times per week. That is much closer to where you are right now than an 18-week marathon plan.
2. Classic beginner marathon plans are longer than the time you have. Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Marathon is 18 weeks with long runs from 6 to 20 miles and step-back weeks; the B.A.A. Level One marathon plan is 20 weeks, averages 4 running days per week, and peaks around 40 miles per week with 16 to 18 mile long runs. You do not have enough runway to copy either plan directly.
3. I borrowed Hansons' idea that you can prepare without a 20-mile long run if you combine moderate long runs with regular marathon-specific running, but I scaled the total volume way down because the free Hansons beginner plan ramps to about 40 miles by Week 6 and into the high 40s to high 50s later. That would be too aggressive from your current base.
4. I kept the hill work because the official SFM pacing guide says the course has major climbs around miles 7, 12, and 16 and specifically recommends training at marathon pace a few seconds faster on flatter roads than you would for a flat marathon. That is why your marathon-pace blocks are slightly faster than bare-minimum sub-5 pace.

## Sources

- [The San Francisco Marathon 2026 Full Marathon page](https://www.thesfmarathon.com/full-marathon) - official race date, start time, course limit.
- [The San Francisco Marathon elevation and pacing guide](https://www.thesfmarathon.com/blog/2025/04/15/your-updated-san-francisco-marathon-elevation-pacing-guide/) - official hill and pacing guidance for the course.
- [Hal Higdon Novice 1 Marathon](https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/marathon-training/novice-1-marathon/) - 18-week low-mileage beginner structure, step-back weeks, long-run emphasis.
- [Hal Higdon Novice 1 Half Marathon](https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/half-marathon-training/novice-1-half-marathon/) - baseline assumption that a beginner can already handle 3-mile runs three to four times per week.
- [B.A.A. Boston Marathon Level One](https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/boston-marathon-training) - official beginner framework built around about 4 running days per week, 25 to 40 mpw, and 16 to 18 mile long runs.
- [Hansons Beginner Marathon Plan PDF](https://s3.us-central-1.wasabisys.com/hansons/Beginner_Marathon_-_new.pdf) - moderate long-run cap with regular marathon-pace work.

## Decision point

This plan gives you a real shot at sub-5 only if you can complete the long runs from Week 8 onward and stay healthy through the peak 18-miler. If you miss multiple long runs or marathon-pace work starts feeling like threshold work instead of controlled effort, the smart move is to keep the same plan but change race day from "sub-5" to "strong finish."