Marathon Strength Hill Session
Workout - Marathon Strength Hill Session
- 10min @ 6'00''/km
- 8 lots of:
- 1min @ 4'30''/km
- 2min rest
- 20min @ 3'36''/km
- 4 lots of:
- 1min @ 3'30''/km
- 2min rest
- 10min @ 6'00''/km
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Intro
Ben Parkes covers “HILL REPS session.. for MARATHON RUNNING SUCCESS! Get STRONG!” in one of his videos, and we’ve pulled together a breakdown to help you get started with this workout. Watch the full video for the complete picture, but here’s what you need to know to run it today.
Key Points
- Hill reps, a type of Mastering Interval Training: Science-Backed Workouts and How a Smart App Can Personalize Them, strengthen your legs and condition you for the downhill stretches common in the second half of a marathon.
- Run 6-8 repeats uphill, holding a hard effort for roughly 60 seconds each. Jog back down at an easy pace. Between each rep, let your heart rate drop to around ~140 bpm (Zone 2) before you go again—this recovery window matters as much as the effort itself.
- Once the hill reps are done, shift to flat ground for a 20-minute steady run at a “comfortably uncomfortable” pace. This sustained segment builds the endurance you need for marathons, and it’s distinct from the race-specific work in training aimed at Mastering the 10K: Proven Training Plans, Pace Strategies, and How a Smart App Can Elevate Your Performance.
- Add downhill repeats to wrap up, then finish with a 5-minute easy jog to bring your HR back down.
- Push hard on the way up, but don’t neglect the recovery between repeats—that’s where the adaptation happens, not in the spike itself.
Workout Example
- Warm-up – Start with a 5-minute easy jog and add in some dynamic stretches.
- Hill Reps – 6-8 repeats:
- 60 seconds of hard uphill running (around 90-95% effort). The idea is near-maximal intensity for strength building, which sets this apart from the quicker, shorter reps you’d do when Mastering 5K Speed: Proven Interval Strategies to Cut Minutes off Your Time.
- Jog back down at an easy pace, allowing your HR to settle around 140 bpm for recovery.
- 20-minute steady run across flat terrain, aiming for roughly 3:32-3:40 min/km.
- Downhill repeats – Run 60 seconds of effort on a gentler downslope, then ease back up.
- Cool-down – Finish with a 5-minute easy jog to bring your heart rate down.
Closing Note
Try out this hill-repeat workout and adjust the paces to match your current fitness level with the Pacing app. You’ll build real strength for those marathon climbs—give it a shot.