Newport Marathon Training - Week Seven - The FOD Runner

Aug 13, 2025

This is a quick summary of “Newport Marathon Training - Week Seven” from The FOD Runner. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points

Week 7 marks the halfway point of the marathon block, with a 20-mile tune-up race (Bourton 10 km PR 33 min) already completed and a 20-mile race coming up in two weeks.
The focus this week is a mix of quality speed work and a solid long run, while keeping overall mileage a little lower due to a schedule shift.
The featured mid-week workout uses 6-minute reps at roughly 10 K pace (≈5:30-5:40 min/mi) to keep the legs sharp, followed by a long steady-state run with short hard intervals for strength.

Workout Example Mid-Week Speed Session (≈30 min total effort)

6 min at 10 K pace (≈5:30-5:40 min/mi)
4 min at slightly faster than marathon pace (≈5:20-5:30 min/mi)
6 min at 10 K pace
2 min at a pace just a touch quicker than the 4-min pace
6 min at 10 K pace
4 min at marathon-pace effort
1 min easy jog to finish

These shorter, sharper efforts are fantastic for building leg speed that benefits all race distances. If you’re also looking to improve your top-end velocity for shorter races, you’ll find similar principles in our guide to Mastering 5K Speed: Proven Interval Strategies to Cut Minutes off Your Time.

Sunday Long Run (≈2 h 25 min total)

75 min steady run (easy-moderate pace, conversational)
6 × (3 min steady + 3 min hard) – the hard minutes should feel comfortably hard, not all-out.
Finish with a final 34 min steady run to bring the total to about 2 h 25 min, which should put you just over the 20-mile mark.

Practical Tips

Use the 6-minute reps to practice holding your 10 K pace in training; they’ll help you maintain speed after a race-day effort. For a deeper dive into race-specific preparation, explore our guide on Mastering the 10K: Proven Training Plans, Pace Strategies, and How a Smart App Can Elevate Your Performance.
Keep the hard intervals on the Sunday run short (3 min) and focus on staying steady for the rest—this builds strength without over-taxing the heart rate. To understand the science behind this type of session, check out our article on Mastering Interval Training: Science-Backed Workouts and How a Smart App Can Personalize Them.
If you’re feeling a little stiff, add mobility work before the mid-week session and keep the easy runs conversational to aid recovery.
Adjust the paces to match your own 10 K and marathon target paces using the Pacing app.

Closing Note Give this mix of speed and steady-state work a try this week, and feel free to tweak the interval lengths to suit your own paces in the Pacing app. You’ve got the tools—now go out and make this week count! 🚀