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Successful marathon preparation typically spans sixteen to twenty weeks and follows a structured progression rather than simply accumulating distance. Training plans generally combine long, slow runs that build aerobic endurance with shorter sessions of tempo running and interval work that improve lactate threshold and running economy. Crucially, most plans incorporate a taper period during the final two to three weeks, in which weekly mileage is deliberately reduced by thirty to fifty percent while intensity is largely maintained. This reduction allows muscle glycogen stores to replenish and accumulated microscopic muscle damage to repair, so runners arrive at the start line rested rather than fatigued. Skipping the taper, even when a runner feels capable of maintaining peak mileage, is one of the most common reasons recreational marathoners underperform relative to their training.