Your plan in four answers
Set for March 7, 2027, about 19 weeks out.
- Distances
- 5K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Taper starts
- February 17, 2027
Course
The Napa Valley Marathon course
A point-to-point run down the Napa Valley on the Silverado Trail, starting in Calistoga at Brannan Street and finishing at Vintage High School in Napa. The half starts at the marathon's halfway point, at Conn Creek near the Highway 128 junction.
Read the full course notes
Vineyards line nearly the whole route, and on a quiet rural road with very few turns it is a calm, focused race. The marathon drops a net 303 feet, with gentle rolling hills along the way and a handful of turns in the final miles into Napa. There is a strict 6-hour cutoff, and the race is a popular Boston qualifier.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- 5K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Weather on race day
- Early March in the Napa Valley usually means a cool start in the 40s °F and afternoon highs in the low to mid 60s °F. Rain is possible at this time of year, though mild, dry mornings are common. Cool air and a net downhill make for fast conditions, so the main risk is starting too quickly.
What to train for
Rolling hills on a net-downhill course mean steady pounding, so prepare your quads with downhill segments in your weekly long run and a few sets of relaxed downhill strides.
Practice holding rhythm on long, gentle grades: run some long runs on rolling routes with goal-pace blocks of 6 to 10 miles.
Keep the first half at or slightly slower than goal pace, because the final miles into Napa reward runners with legs left.
Sample week
A sample Napa Valley 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 Napa Valley 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 March 7, 2027, your taper starts around February 17, 2027.
Also in Claude
Ask Claude for this plan
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Build me a training plan for the Napa Valley Marathon on March 7, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Napa Valley Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Napa Valley 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 Napa Valley Marathon course hilly?
Rolling. A point-to-point run down the Napa Valley on the Silverado Trail, starting in Calistoga at Brannan Street and finishing at Vintage High School in Napa.
What is the weather usually like at the Napa Valley Marathon?
Early March in the Napa Valley usually means a cool start in the 40s °F and afternoon highs in the low to mid 60s °F. Rain is possible at this time of year, though mild, dry mornings are common. Cool air and a net downhill make for fast conditions, so the main risk is starting too quickly.
When should I start tapering for the Napa Valley 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 March 7, 2027, your taper starts around February 17, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Napa Valley 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.