Walk/Ruck Marathon Training Plan: Beginner to 26.2 Miles
(Special Free Friday post) 12 weeks to rucking a half marathon, 22 weeks to rucking a full marathon—weight is optional
Friday Field Guides are normally for paid subscribers, but I’m making this training plan free and public. When I searched for a beginner-to-marathon walk/ruck plan, nothing existed—so I built one. If you use it to train for your goal, that’s what matters. And if you have feedback that makes it better, I’m all ears.
I’ve always loved the idea of a marathon.
The challenge of it. The way you experience highs and lows and hit the wall as a community. Everyone suffering through the same miles together.
I’ve run three full marathons in the “middle of the pack” (Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Chicago). Not fast, but for some reason every full marathon ended with severe gastro-intestinal distress. The belly and below would start complaining at mile 18, hollering around mile 20, and emergency evacuating right after the finish line. My guts were in red-alert mode for the next week or so. And that was secondary to the weeks of knee pain that made curbs feel like punishment.
So I switched to half marathons—which is where I found my stride. I finished front of the pack with sub-1:45 times (thanks to the Furman FIRST training program), feeling strong the whole way through.
Then the miles caught up with me.
Knee surgery. Then ankle surgery. Now at 44, my body just doesn’t tolerate the pavement anymore, no matter how soft and thick those Hoka soles get.
Trail running is different—softer surfaces, more forgiving terrain—but even that has its limits for my joints. Road or pavement, I don’t want to run a marathon anymore. But I’m interested in walking the distance of one. With a weighted pack.
So I’m training to “ruck” a marathon. It gives me everything I loved about running marathons (the endurance challenge, the community, the mental battle) without destroying my body. And it combines what I’ve learned from trail running and backpacking: steady pacing while carrying weight, and the simple power of putting one foot in front of the other.
Need a primer on rucking?
Why walk/ruck 26.2 miles?
When people ask why I do things like this, I say: “Because I haven’t done it before.” The most mileage I’ve ever done in a day of backpacking is 18 miles. So 26.2 miles—even walking—is uncharted territory.
There’s something else I’m testing too. My mental strength to not run.
I’ve always gone into races wanting to crush it. That’s my default. And at the start, when everyone else is running and people are passing me by, the desire to run is going to be strong. But I have to think about the long game. My body can’t handle 26.2 miles of running anymore. Walking is the way I finish this. That’s the real challenge—not the distance, but staying disciplined enough to walk it.
On Tuesday, I wrote about how walking is what our bodies were built for.
Today, I’m showing you how to train for something ambitious with it.
The plan in this post will take you from a 20-minute walking base to a half marathon distance. From there, you can continue building to the full 26.2 miles like I’m doing—or stop at 13.1 if that’s your goal.
Having a goal like this can be the motivation you need to change your fitness and body composition, maintain or even improve your conditioning during the backpacking off-season, or build a base for something bigger—like tackling a 14er, doing a rim-to-rim Grand Canyon hike, etc.
The distance goal gives you structure. The training builds real capacity. And what you gain extends far beyond race day.
How I built my training plan (and the philosophy behind it)
I couldn’t find a training plan that progressed from beginner (low base miles) to half marathon walk/ruck to full marathon walk/ruck, so I’m adapting Hal Higdon’s proven Half Marathon Walking Program as the foundation—with an optional weight component layered in from GORUCK’s training principles.
Why Higdon? He’s one of the most respected marathon training authorities in the world, with millions of runners and walkers using his programs successfully. His walker half marathon plan has been tested by thousands of people with a proven track record of getting beginners to the finish line safely.
Why blend it with GORUCK’s approach? Because I want to carry weight, but I also need the foundational consistency and habit-building that Higdon’s daily walking structure provides.
The philosophy behind this hybrid approach
Daily movement builds durability (Higdon’s principle). Walking nearly every day conditions your feet, hips, and back while preventing the “too much too soon” trap. It reinforces habit—you’re not guessing which days are “off.” This daily movement is the foundation.
Loaded specificity in focused doses (GORUCK’s principle). You don’t need weight every day—that risks injury and burnout. By adding weight on 3 focused days per week (typically Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday), you get progressive overload and event-specific training without sacrificing recovery.
The result: You build endurance through consistent daily walking, while developing load-bearing capacity through strategic weighted sessions. All other days remain unweighted, acting as recovery and aerobic conditioning.
What makes this work is showing up consistently. Walking becomes part of your routine, not an optional weekend activity. Some days will feel easy, some will feel hard, but you do the work regardless.
Training plan structure and tips
For the half marathon (13.1 miles): The 12-week program starts easy—just 20-30 minutes of walking on most weekdays in Week 1. Your longest walk begins at 3 miles and builds to 10 miles by Week 11.
For the full marathon (26.2 miles): If you choose to continue after completing the half marathon plan, you’ll walk the same progressive structure for an additional 10 weeks, building your long walks from 10 miles to 22 miles. It is a significant time commitment.
The increases in both phases are gradual enough that you can accommodate them without excessive strain.
Rest is part of training
You’ll walk/ruck better—and limit injury risk—if you rest before and after long sessions. The plan includes 2 rest days (or optional strength) per week.
Time over distance
Most weekday workouts are prescribed in minutes, not miles. Don’t worry about how far you walk; just walk for the prescribed time. This takes the pressure off and lets you focus on building the habit.
Three paces
Recovery: Easy effort, normal breathing, very light. Loosen legs, active recovery.
Steady: Comfortable, conversational, “all-day” pace. Core aerobic training.
Brisk: Purposeful, quicker than normal, harder breathing but still talkable. Practice closer to race pace
⚠️ Note: Brisk is not full race pace — it’s practice. Race day is the only time you sustain true event pace for the full distance
IMPORTANT - How to set your race pace:
Check your target race’s cutoff time
Plan to finish 30-60 minutes BEFORE the cutoff (sweep buffer)
Divide 26.2 miles (or 13.1 if you’re doing a half marathon) by (time limit - your buffer) = goal race pace
Example: (1) 9 hour cutoff, (2) buffer = 1 hour, (3) 26.2 miles ÷ 8 hours = ~3.3 mph (~18:20 min/mi race pace)
Optional load guidance (if rucking)
Baseline weight: whatever you start with comfortably (hydration pack, light ruck, etc.)
Add +5 lbs every 3 weeks on the 3 focused ruck days (Tue/Thu/Sun)
Optional Strength Training (recommended if rucking)
2–3x per week (20–30 minutes)
Marked as Rest/Strength in the plan, but you can add a third day if you want to double-up on your workouts
Focus on compound lifts that build total-body strength and resilience. Stick to big movements that train multiple muscle groups at once.
Examples:
Lower body: squats, lunges, deadlifts
Upper body: bench press, rows (or barbell/dumbbell or Pendlay rows), push-ups
Core: planks, ab wheel rollouts, Russian twists
The training plan
Access via Google Sheets
If you prefer to use Google Sheets so you can add/edit fields (i.e. adding a “Date” column can be helpful), click here, go to File → Make Copy.
*DISCLAIMER* I’m learning in real-time
I created this plan for myself using Hal Higdon’s and GORUCK’s training plans as building blocks. I’m learning in real-time, which means I might adjust the plan as I progress in my mileage.
*IMPORTANT* Your health is your #1 priority
I’m a personal trainer on the internet who loves fitness. I’m NOT a physician or a physical therapist. This training plan is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Before beginning any new exercise program, especially one as demanding as half-marathon or full-marathon training, consult with your physician or qualified healthcare provider. This is particularly important if you have any pre-existing medical conditions or have a history of injuries.
Listen to your body throughout training. If you experience pain, excessive fatigue, or any concerning symptoms, stop training and seek medical attention.
What’s next
If you’re using this plan:
I’d love to hear how it goes. Share your progress, your struggles, your adjustments—whatever you’re experiencing. Comment below, message me directly, or tag me on social media. This plan gets better when real people pressure-test it with their real goals and real bodies. Your feedback makes it more useful for the next person who finds it.
If you need personalized help:
This plan is a starting point, but everyone’s situation is different. Maybe you’re working around an injury. Maybe your schedule only allows certain training days. Maybe you need the plan scaled differently for your goal distance. I’m building custom training plans and offering one-on-one coaching for people who need something more tailored to their specific circumstances. If that’s you, reach out and let’s talk about what you’re trying to accomplish.
Join the Marathon Ruckers Club (coming soon):
I’m building a community for people training to walk or ruck long distances—whether that’s a 10K, half marathon, or full marathon. The club will include ongoing training tips, accountability check-ins, walker-friendly race recommendations, and a place to connect with others who are doing the same thing you’re doing. It’s for people who want the challenge without the pressure of crushing it. If you’re interested, reply to this email or leave a comment below and I’ll add you to the early access list.
Follow along with my training:
I’m documenting my own training journey in Tuesday’s Lab Notes posts—the good weeks, the hard weeks, the adjustments I’m making along the way. It’s the unfiltered version of what it actually looks like to follow this plan. If you want to see how this works (or doesn’t work) in real practice, that’s where the honest stuff lives.
The most mileage I’ve done in a single day is 18 miles. So getting to 26.2—even walking—is genuinely uncharted territory for me too. We’re figuring this out together.
Thanks for reading,
-Marek
