Race Day Sharpener: Hill Tempo + Marathon Pace
Workout - Race Day Sharpener: Hill Tempo + Marathon Pace
- 7min @ 8'45''/mi
- 20min @ 6'38''/mi
- 0.0mi @ 6'46''/mi
- 7min @ 10'00''/mi
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Intro: Grab a seat and watch Trail Marathon Training #6 | The Week Before The Race from The FOD Runner—it’s worth your time. We’ve extracted the core takeaways so you can implement this workout this week. For the full context and coaching cues, watch the complete video.
Key Points:
- This week sharpens hill strength through a 20‑minute tempo run on rolling ground (expect roughly 5‑600 ft of climbing).
- A “double‑header” push sandwiches two miles at marathon pace right after, keeping your body accustomed to race speed.
- Thursday brings an 8‑mile outing: easy start, then half‑marathon pace for several miles to build pre-race confidence.
- Weekly volume lands around 40 mi, with the runner reporting better hip stability throughout.
Workout Example:
- Tuesday – Hill Tempo
- Ease into 5 minutes on trail.
- Hold 20 minutes at threshold pace on rolling terrain (target 6:30–6:45 min/mi).
- Close out with 5 minutes easy. Comes to roughly 3.6 mi.
- Tuesday – Marathon‑Pace Block
- Following the tempo, complete 2 mi at marathon pace (aim for 6:42–6:50 min/mi). Keep the effort conversational.
- Thursday – Long Run
- Cover 8 mi total: first 3 mi at easy effort, 4‑5 mi at half‑marathon pace (around 6:00–6:10 min/mi) on course, then 1 mi easy to finish.
Closing Note: Work these sessions into your week, dial in the paces using your Pacing app to match where you are now, and keep developing hill strength and mental readiness. You’ll be primed and feeling confident on race day—get out there and crush it!