Marathon Excellence Tornado – 12 Weeks
John Davis
About the plan
A 12-week plan adapted from the book "Marathon Excellence for Everyone" by John Davis, aimed at experienced runners with four or more years of practice and an excellent ability to absorb high volume. Recommended for those seeking a breakthrough, a significant PR, a podium finish or elite-level competition.
The plan in numbers
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Runs per week
- 9
- Weekly volume
- 62 mi · 38 min → 88 mi · 7 min
- Longest run
- 22 mi
Week 1 starts at 62 mi · 38 min and volume builds to 88 mi · 7 min in week 6, the heaviest of the plan.
A typical week has 9 runs, and the longest session reaches 22 mi (Marathon, week 9).
Race day (26 mi) falls on Sunday of week 12; the week holds 38 mi · 44 min of running before it.
Key workouts
The quality sessions that come up most in this plan:
- Threshold13 sessions across 11 weeks
- Interval11 sessions across 9 weeks
- Repetition10 sessions across 9 weeks
- Marathon9 sessions across 8 weeks
Who it's for
Advanced level. To start safely you should already be running about 62 mi · 38 min per week and be comfortable with a 16 mi session — that is what week 1 asks for.
Week 1 — workout preview
62 mi · 38 min this week
8.1 mi
8.1 mi
3.7 mi
5 mi · 31 min
8.1 mi
8.1 mi · 7 min
16 mi
5 mi
Week 6 — the heaviest of the plan
88 mi · 7 min this week
8.7 mi · 7 min
4.3 mi
11 mi
9.3 mi
6.8 mi
5.6 mi
8.7 mi
4.3 mi
15 mi
7.5 mi
6.8 mi
Plan Structure
12 weeks · 82 workouts · 2 rest days
See the full plan
Create your account to unlock every week, sync with your watch and get personalized paces.