Running
Hilly Course Specialist Marathon
Marathon plan tailored to hilly courses with downhill quad-prep. 18 weeks, six runs a week.
- Distance
- Marathon
- Length
- 18 weeks
- Runs per week
- 6
- Level
- Advanced
- Goal
- Time goal
Who it's for
You run most days and are used to structured workouts. It is built around a specific marathon time you want to hit.
Hill work is built in for a hilly course.
How the weeks work
It runs for 18 weeks with six runs in each.
If life gets in the way you can stretch it to 22 weeks, or tighten it to 16 if you are already fit.
The last 14 days are a taper: less running, a little intensity, so you start the race fresh.
- Hill repeats: run up at a strong effort, jog back down, repeat.
- Marathon-pace blocks inside some long runs, so goal pace feels routine by race day.
- One long run a week that grows slowly. Run it easy; the time on your feet is the point.
- Controlled downhill running, so your quads are ready for long descents.
Setting your paces
Start with a half-marathon time trial. Your result sets the paces for the rest of the plan, so run it honestly and on fresh legs.
Making it stick
- Protect the key sessions. The easy running around them can move.
- Compare each benchmark with the last one and adjust your paces, up or down.
- Practise your race-day fuelling on long runs, not on race day.
