Marathon Excellence Tornado – 18 Weeks
John Davis
About the plan
A 18-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
- 18 weeks
- Runs per week
- 10
- Weekly volume
- 56 mi · 41 min → 88 mi · 47 min
- Longest run
- 22 mi
Week 1 starts at 56 mi · 41 min and volume builds to 88 mi · 47 min in week 11, the heaviest of the plan.
A typical week has 10 runs, and the longest session reaches 22 mi (Marathon, week 15).
Over the final 7 weeks volume drops from 88 mi · 47 min to 38 mi · 44 min so you arrive at the race rested.
Race day (26 mi) falls on Sunday of week 18; the week holds 38 mi · 44 min of running before it.
Key workouts
The quality sessions that come up most in this plan:
- Threshold27 sessions across 17 weeks
- Repetition18 sessions across 14 weeks
- Interval17 sessions across 13 weeks
- Marathon13 sessions across 12 weeks
Who it's for
Advanced level. To start safely you should already be running about 56 mi · 41 min per week and be comfortable with a 13 mi session — that is what week 1 asks for.
Week 1 — workout preview
56 mi · 41 min this week
8.1 mi
8.1 mi · 7 min
5.6 mi · 34 min
8.1 mi
8.7 mi
13 mi
4.3 mi
Week 11 — the heaviest of the plan
88 mi · 47 min this week
8.7 mi · 7 min
4.3 mi
6.2 mi
5 mi
16 mi
8.7 mi
5 mi · 40 min
5.6 mi
20 mi
4.3 mi
3.7 mi
Plan Structure
18 weeks · 124 workouts · 2 rest days
See the full plan
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