Dallas, TX · December
Dallas Marathon Training Plan
A free 5k, 10k, half marathon, and marathon plan for the BMW Dallas Marathon, built around the course and your current fitness. Answer four questions and you will see every week of it. No account, no email, no card.
- Distances
- 5K, 10K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Course
- Rolling
- Usually held
- Each December
The Dallas Marathon course
Starts downtown and runs out through Turtle Creek, Highland Park, and Lakewood before the marathon takes on the full 9.3-mile loop of White Rock Lake. From there it comes back down historic Swiss Avenue, which is a slight downhill lined with houses decorated for the holidays, through Deep Ellum to a finish at City Hall. Nothing here is steep, but very little of it is flat either.
Weather on race day
Mid-December in Dallas is usually cool and pleasant, in the 40s or 50s, but a north wind can drop it sharply and a warm year in the 60s is not unusual. Wind around White Rock Lake is the exposed part of the course.
What to train for
Steady rolling terrain at goal pace. This is a course where a lot of small climbs add up rather than any one hill mattering, so long runs on undulating routes at target effort are the right session. Plan for wind on the lake miles.
Registration and official details: Dallas Marathon official site
Dallas Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Dallas Marathon?
Most runners give a half marathon twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Dallas Marathon course hilly?
Rolling. Starts downtown and runs out through Turtle Creek, Highland Park, and Lakewood before the marathon takes on the full 9.3-mile loop of White Rock Lake. From there it comes back down historic Swiss Avenue, which is a slight downhill lined with houses decorated for the holidays, through Deep Ellum to a finish at City Hall. Nothing here is steep, but very little of it is flat either.
What is the weather usually like at the Dallas Marathon?
Mid-December in Dallas is usually cool and pleasant, in the 40s or 50s, but a north wind can drop it sharply and a warm year in the 60s is not unusual. Wind around White Rock Lake is the exposed part of the course.
Do I need an account to get a Dallas Marathon training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.
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