Your plan in four answers
Holly Jolly Marathon has not announced its next date, so we have estimated December. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Flat
Course
The Holly Jolly Marathon course
The Holly Jolly Marathon starts and finishes at Pleasant Valley Fields Park, at the Village at the Park sports complex in Camarillo, and runs on the city's mostly flat bike path, away from car traffic. The half marathon covers a loop of about 6.55 miles twice and the marathon four times, while the 10K and 5K have their own routes.
Read the full course notes
Each lap rises very gradually from about 145 feet at the start to about 210 feet at the far end near mile 4, then drifts back down to the park, roughly 95 feet of gentle climbing per lap on the race's map. The course is USATF certified, the marathon limit is 7 hours, and the race runs rain or shine. Aid stations sit about every 1.5 miles with hands-free dispensers but no disposable cups, so carry your own.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- Late December in Camarillo is usually mild, with the start around 45–55 °F and afternoon highs in the upper 60s. It is the start of the rainy season and the race goes on rain or shine, so pack a light shell and a dry change of clothes; on clear mornings the cool air is ideal for a fast time.
What to train for
Four laps of a flat bike path make this a pacing race: the risk is going out too fast on fresh legs, not the terrain.
Do some long runs on a short repeating loop to rehearse the mental side, and lock in goal pace with workouts such as 3 x 3 miles at marathon pace with 1 mile easy between.
The gentle rise toward each lap's far end costs a few seconds per mile, so run it by effort and use the slight downhill back to settle. With race day just before Christmas, plan your biggest training weeks for mid to late November and protect them from holiday busyness.
Sample week
A sample Holly Jolly Marathon training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Intervals: 5 × 1 mile at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 6–7 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 10 mi with 6 mi at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 4 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 16–18 mi, the last 4 mi at race pace
- Sunday
- Easy run, 4 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Taper
Tapering for the Holly Jolly Marathon
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week.
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Build me a training plan for the Holly Jolly Marathon in December. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Holly Jolly Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Holly Jolly Marathon?
Most runners give a marathon sixteen to twenty 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 Holly Jolly Marathon course hilly?
Flat. The Holly Jolly Marathon starts and finishes at Pleasant Valley Fields Park, at the Village at the Park sports complex in Camarillo, and runs on the city's mostly flat bike path, away from car traffic.
What is the weather usually like at the Holly Jolly Marathon?
Late December in Camarillo is usually mild, with the start around 45–55 °F and afternoon highs in the upper 60s. It is the start of the rainy season and the race goes on rain or shine, so pack a light shell and a dry change of clothes; on clear mornings the cool air is ideal for a fast time.
When should I start tapering for the Holly Jolly Marathon?
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week.
Do I need an account to get a Holly Jolly 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.