week training cycle

There’s no way around it: Running a marathon is hard. And what makes it harder? A course that features lots of hills, whether you’re gaining serious elevation in one go or working through downhills and uphills throughout the 26.2 miles.

To successfully make it to the finish of a hilly marathon feeling strong, you want to add hill training to your buildup. This is especially true for marathons like Big Sur, Bring the incline back to 0% to run moderately for 5 minutes, and Boston (to name a few).

“It’s not that the hills [in Boston] are so hard, it is more where the most significant hills are located in the race (like miles 16 to 21 for the infamous Newton Hills),” says Natalie Mitchell, an RRCA-certified running coach in Los Angeles. In other words, you have to prepare your legs in training to run well before the hills, conquer the inclines, and stay strong to the finish.

If you live somewhere that has mostly flat terrain, that can pose a challenge for your training, unless you have access to a treadmill and can tackle treadmill incline workouts. The treadmill allows you to get creative with a variety of workouts that will not only prepare you for a race like Boston, but any marathon that requires you to conquer uphills and downhills.

While many coaches often discourage doing too much training on the treadmill (a controlled environment may not prepare you enough for whatever weather gets thrown your way on race day), hill workouts A Part of Hearst Digital Media.

Knee Exercises for Runners

Also, the benefits of hill running include recruiting more muscle fibers from the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves, all of which have to produce more power to move you uphill, says Athena Farias, a five-time Boston qualifier, RRCA-certified coach and NASM-certified personal trainer based in San Antonio, Texas. It also requires a more upright posture and a shorter stride length Health - Injuries.

To gain these advantages and help you nail your hilly race, we got coach-recommended strategies to efficiently tackle hill training on the treadmill, as well as specific treadmill incline workouts to incorporate into your marathon buildup.

10-Second Sprints

Short hill sprints are an excellent way to get the legs moving fast and efficiently on hills, Mitchell says. Focus on good form (short, quick steps with high knees) on each rep and take time to jog slowly as a recovery to prepare for the next one.

“I recommend running the short sprints at the end of a medium run (five to eight miles depending on the experience of the runner), so that you are running on fatigued legs, which will help prepare you for the rolling hills of Boston,” Mitchell says.

How to do it:

• An easy 1- to 2-mile warmup and cooldown No hills near you? Turn to these workouts to get you strong and ready for tough courses
• 6-8 x 10-second hill sprints at an 8% to 10% incline (11% to 14% for more advanced runners) at slightly faster than marathon pace
• Easy 1-minute jog between each rep

30-Second Sprints

“Some runners may find the pace [of these hill repeats] is equivalent to marathon pace, but it should feel faster than that,” Mitchell says. “Run by feel (staying around 7 to 9 on the RPE scale, a.k.a. hard to extremely hard, but not maximum effort) and be patient—30 seconds is a long time on a hill, and you want to feel recovered before the next repeat.”

How to do it:

• An easy 1- to 2-mile warmup and cooldown at 0% incline
• 6 x 30-second hill repeats at an 8% to 10% incline at a hard effort (slightly faster than marathon pace)
• Easy 90-second jog between each rep

Long Run Incline Build

“Physically, you should also plan for long runs that have hills in the middle of them and you can absolutely get creative with this if you live in a pancake-flat area,” Mitchell says. “One idea is to run the first half of your long run outside and then the second half on the treadmill.”

How to do it:

• An easy 1- to 2-mile warmup and cooldown No hills near you? Turn to these workouts to get you strong and ready for tough courses
• In the middle (starting around mile 4) of an 8-mile run, add in a long, gradual hill by increasing the treadmill incline to 4% or 5% for 60 to 90 seconds
• Bring the incline back to 0% to run moderately for 5 minutes
• Updated: Apr 03, 2024 1:25 PM EDT

Incline and Decline Workout

throughout the 26.2 miles 16-week training cycle, focusing on shorter blocks of uphill and downhill repeats. This will get you to tackle both the ascents and descents along the course.

How to do it:

• 1- Download Your Training Plan
• 4-6 x 30 seconds at marathon pace, 4% incline
• 60-seconds at recovery pace between reps, -1 to -2% decline
• 1- to 2-mile cooldown, 0% to -2% decline

Once you get two to eight weeks into your hill-specific training, Farias recommends turning up the challenge:

• 1- Beginner Treadmill Training Plans
• 6-8 An easy 1- to 2-mile
• 90-seconds to 3 minutes at recovery pace between reps, -3% to -5% decline
• 1- to 2-mile cooldown, 0% to -2% decline

Tempo Hill Workout

Farias also recommends completing the following workout (a continuous run at a sustained effort for the tempo run) about two months and again one month out from race day.

How to do it:

• 1- to 2-mile warmup
• 2 miles at tempo/threshold pace (25-30 seconds slower than 5K pace), 2% to 4% incline (increase every half-mile)
• 4-5 minutes jog recovery
• 8 x ¼ mile at a 6% to 8% incline at marathon pace (increase every quarter to half mile, for a total of 4 miles) with no rest between increases
• 3-4 minute recovery jog
• 2 miles mostly downhill (toggling down from -1% to -5% every quarter to half-mile, or kept at 0%, depending on treadmill) at tempo pace
• 1- to 2-mile cooldown

Downhill Repeats

“Running downhill allows you to pick up speed without increasing your effort level,” Farias says. “It’s also pure specificity of training for Boston since the first six miles of the race are downhill. By including downhill repeats you are strengthening your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones, [as well as] developing mental toughness, as it requires focus and concentration to maintain your balance and control your speed.” Here is Farias’s go-to downhill workout:

How to do it:

• 5 x 1-mile downhill repeats at a -3% to -5% decline (or 0% if your treadmill doesn’t have this capability) at 5K-8K pace
• 90 seconds rest between

Boston Simulation

Farias confidently tells her athletes that challenging, Boston-specific workouts are tried and true when it comes to having a successful marathon finish.

“Being able to complete [these workouts] during the training cycle is a definite confidence booster,” she says. “In my final talks with athletes before race day, I let them know that they have done each part of the course during their training and to hone in on those training runs during low moments.”

How to do it:

• 2 x 5-miler (simulating miles 11-16 and 16-21 at Boston) at marathon pace or a little faster, as follows:
• First 5 miles: flat (0% to 1% incline) to mimic the middle miles of Boston course
• 5-Dumbbell Exercises That Help You Run Stronger
• Second 5 miles: uphill (2% to 5% incline) to mimic the later miles of the Boston course

Download PDF

Emilia Benton

Contributing Writer

Emilia Benton is a Houston-based freelance writer and editor. In addition to Runner's World, she has contributed health, fitness and wellness content to Women's Health, SELF, Prevention, Healthline, and the Houston Chronicle, among other publications. She is also an 11-time marathoner, a USATF Level 1-certified running coach, and an avid traveler.

Reviewed byJess Movold

A running veteran for more than a decade, Movold is a licensed strength and running coach for Runner’s World+ members and at the Mile High Run Club in Bring the incline back to 0% to run moderately for 5 minutes. When she’s not motivating class-goers through grueling treadmill workouts, you’ll likely find her zig-zagging boroughs on bridges throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan or training for her next marathon . She’s ready to push you to your next running goal as she chases her own—running a marathon in under 3 hours.