Week 4 – Strength, Hills & Thresholds

Fourth week of marathon training done! This week was all about endurance, power, and intensity, with a mix of running, strength training, and cross-training.

Tuesday: 1h30 endurance run & upper body strength
A steady endurance run to build aerobic capacity, followed by an upper body strength session. Keeping a strong upper body is key for maintaining good posture, especially in the later stages of a marathon.

Thursday: Hill reps in Biel – near the Macolin funicular
A serious strength-building session: 3 sets of 6 hill reps. Short but intense, these climbs force you to engage your glutes and drive with your arms. The hills don’t get easier—you just get stronger!

Friday: Strength training & immersive spinning class
Another upper body workout, then a 45-minute spinning session with my running club at Let’s Go Fitness Lausanne Flon. The immersive experience made the session fly by—a great way to build endurance while breaking the routine.

Sunday: 18km from Moudon to Payerne with Footing Club Lausanne
A long run with a twist: inside the 18km, we included 3 x 6-minute efforts at threshold pace. This intensity improves endurance and teaches the legs to hold effort longer before fatigue kicks in. In a marathon, this translates to being able to sustain pace more comfortably in the later kilometers. Running with the group made the effort feel smoother, and the route through the countryside added to the enjoyment.

Weekly recap: A solid mix of endurance, strength, hills, and speed variation—everything to keep progressing towards Milan!

What’s your favorite way to break the monotony of marathon training?