Your plan in four answers
Set for February 20, 2027, about 17 weeks out.
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Taper starts
- February 2, 2027
Course
The Mississippi Blues Marathon course
Every race starts and finishes at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on North State Street, with the finish line on the 50-yard line. The marathon is two laps of the USATF-certified half marathon course, so you see every stretch twice and know exactly what is coming on the second lap.
Read the full course notes
The roads roll through Jackson for about 588 feet of cumulative climbing over the full marathon. Blues musicians play at several points along the route, and aid stations come roughly every 2 miles, then every mile for the last five. A seven-hour limit makes it friendly to walkers holding a 15-minute mile, and 2027 is the 20th anniversary edition.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Weather on race day
- The organizers list typical February temperatures in Jackson as lows around 40 °F and highs around 60 °F, so the 7:30 a.m. start is usually cool. Some years bring a warm, humid morning or rain instead, so dress for the first miles and plan to drink more if it warms up.
What to train for
Train on rolling routes so the 588 feet of climbing feels routine: a weekly long run on hilly roads building to 20 to 22 miles, plus short hill repeats midweek.
The double loop is a pacing test, so run your long runs as two halves with the second at least as fast as the first.
Marathon-pace segments of 8 to 12 miles inside your long runs teach you to hold rhythm over the rollers when the second lap gets lonely.
Sample week
A sample Mississippi Blues 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
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Mississippi Blues 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 rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on February 20, 2027, your taper starts around February 2, 2027.
Also in Claude
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Build me a training plan for the Mississippi Blues Marathon on February 20, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Mississippi Blues Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Mississippi Blues 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 Mississippi Blues Marathon course hilly?
Rolling. Every race starts and finishes at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on North State Street, with the finish line on the 50-yard line.
What is the weather usually like at the Mississippi Blues Marathon?
The organizers list typical February temperatures in Jackson as lows around 40 °F and highs around 60 °F, so the 7:30 a.m. start is usually cool. Some years bring a warm, humid morning or rain instead, so dress for the first miles and plan to drink more if it warms up.
When should I start tapering for the Mississippi Blues 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 rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on February 20, 2027, your taper starts around February 2, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Mississippi Blues 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.