The Beginner’s Guide to Boston Marathon Training

Complete with a training schedule, diet tips, gear suggestions, and more.

Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon photo by Olga Khvan

Running any marathon is a daunting task. Running the Boston Marathon—with its notoriously difficult course, wintertime training window, and a little something called Heartbreak Hill—is, frankly, sort of terrifying.

If you’re embarking on your first Boston Marathon this year, you may need some help to do your best on April 17. Lucky for you, we went to the pros. In this beginner’s guide to marathon training, you’ll find:

  • A 20-week training schedule, gear list, and plenty of pro tips from Dan Fitzgerald. He’s the cofounder of Heartbreak Hill Running Company (HHRC), a prolific marathon coach, a former Boston College runner, and a seasoned marathoner himself.
  • Diet advice from registered dietitian Elizabeth Avery.
  • Post-marathon recovery tricks from Ali Baldassarea four-time Boston Marathoner and Equinox Franklin Street’s group fitness manager.
  • 10 gorgeous running routes in Boston.

Good luck, and happy running.