Six Months Out from the London Marathon: What That Actually Looks Like
Written by Andy Hood · Ultra runner, cancer survivor and Runna ambassador
Published 23 October 2026
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I'm sitting writing this update mid-October, and glancing at the whiteboard hung on the wall next to my office desk I can see London Marathon in red pen on my 2027 timeline. Just six months away.
In training terms that may as well be tomorrow. When you enter a new block, week 12, 16 or even 20 seems impossibly far off, and then it comes round so fast. This is instalment two of my road to the 2027 TCS London Marathon, and what six months before a marathon actually looks like is nothing like most people imagine.
In This Article
Where I Am Right Now: Warm Weather Training and Trail Racing
Running has been going well since I last wrote. I flew back from Chamonix in late August and ten days later headed out to Club La Santa in Lanzarote for some warm weather training, though in fairness the UK was still serving up plenty of warm weather of its own.
The change of scenery, the new routes and a bit of downtime were all welcome.
Last weekend I ran the Maverick Jurassic Coast 24K, a trail half, and the first race I've ever run with my wife. She is definitely not a trail runner. I had to buy her trail shoes specifically for the event, which tells you everything.
In two weeks I'm heading to London for the Krispy Kreme London 50 on 7 November, my self-designed charity run to 20 of their shops, a run Krispy Kreme have taken to heart and support with open arms. I'm running it off the back of Runna's Run to Maintain programme rather than a dedicated 50K plan, a decision I took because I'm still rebuilding from emergency surgery earlier this year.
My Eight Week Gap Before London Marathon Training
Once I've consumed my body weight in doughnuts on 7 November, my thoughts turn to the gap. My London training block starts in early January, which leaves around eight weeks between the last race of the year and the first week of the plan.
I won't be racing again in 2026. So those eight weeks are downtime, and the only real decision is which programme fills them.
That decision is worth taking seriously, and I've written separately about how to approach the off-season properly, from how long it should be to the mistakes that undo a good season. What follows here is simply what I'm doing with mine.
Why I'm Choosing Speed Work Before My Marathon Block
The sensible answer would be Run to Maintain, and it very nearly is. It keeps the legs turning and gives some rest and recovery without losing any overall speed or distance.
Nothing especially spicy in terms of speed sessions, no particularly long long runs. It sits in the perfect middle ground: not losing fitness, not over-stressing the body, letting me recover before pressing start on the next block.
But I may go for Run Faster instead. The aim there is simple, pick up the pace, with lots of intervals, tempo and speed work balanced against recovery runs. I've completed it before and I know what it asks of me.
Here's my reasoning. The last few months have been gentle by necessity, rebuilding the engine post-surgery, lots of Zone 2 running. The legs have been looked after. Wrapping up the year and starting 2027 with a little extra speed in them feels like the right kind of appealing, and it means January's block starts with some sharpness rather than from flat.
And here's what makes that a low-risk call: if it doesn't feel right, I change it. I might pick Run Faster, get two or three weeks in and decide it was the wrong decision. I press the Plan button in Runna, select a new one, and carry on. It really is that simple, and it's the single biggest reason I stopped worrying about choosing the perfect plan.
What to Do Six Months Out from the London Marathon
Most of your answer depends on where you are right now rather than where you'd like to be, and that's the bit worth being honest about. A long hard season behind you points one way. A quiet year and a nagging sense that you've never really worked on speed points another.
That's the upside of the app for me. Set it up properly and it meets you where you are, then builds from there, rather than handing you a plan that assumes you're someone else.
One date worth knowing if London 2027 will be your first marathon: a 20-week plan starts the week of 7 December, which is only seven weeks away. I covered the 16 versus 20 week decision in last month's instalment if you're weighing that up.
Black Friday Running Deals: Shoes, and a Training Plan for Nothing
With Black Friday a little over a month away, I've a feeling my shoe rotation is about to expand again. There are usually some genuinely good deals to be had if you know where to look, and it's the one time of year I'll happily buy a pair I don't strictly need yet.
Run North West is worth checking around this time. I've no commercial relationship with them whatsoever, no code, no kickback, nothing. I've simply ordered from them for years and they're who I'd point a friend towards.
And if the deal you're after is on a training plan rather than shoes, let me save you the wait. Two full weeks of Runna Premium for zero pounds, euros or dollars, using my code ANDY2. That's the full app experience, and if you cancel before the trial ends there's nothing to pay.
It's how I started with Runna myself, and it's why I said yes when they asked me to be an ambassador. It remains the only training programme I have genuine confidence in, and the only company I've ever agreed to work with.
Claim your two weeks free here and set up the weeks before your block properly.
My 2027 Race Calendar
Here's what the whiteboard currently says:
February: half marathon, race to be confirmed
March: Colchester Half Marathon
April: London Marathon
End of July: Ultra Challenge North Downs 50
September to November: possibly another World Major, watch this space
There will be others that slip into the diary. Krispy Kreme is likely to feature again, as is another big fundraiser. My mind is always working on runs that get media attention and make a difference, so I have to stay fluid in my approach, and having a plan I can change whenever the calendar changes is what lets me do that.
Winter Training Starts Here: Storm Austen and the Treadmill
As I hit post on this article, Storm Austen is raging outside, the first named storm of the 2026 autumn and winter season, with the Met Office issuing an amber wind warning for parts of the south west. Which makes the timing of this week rather fitting, because it also marked my return to the treadmill: one easy run and one speed intervals session.
Outdoors is always my preference. But living rural means there are times when the lanes are flooded, buried under inches of mud, or 70mph winds are threatening to bring trees down. Safety comes first, and the treadmill stops being a compromise and starts being the sensible option.
I say that from a fair bit of experience. I've run multiple marathon efforts on a treadmill, a 50K for charity on one in the middle of a shopping centre, and a 24 hour non-stop charity run that clocked up around 100 miles. I wrote recently about treadmill running, whether it's cheating and why it feels harder, so have a read of that if the weather is making your decisions for you too.
Winter training is where a spring marathon is quietly won or lost, and there's far more to it than swapping the lanes for a belt. I'll be covering it properly in a separate article over the coming month.
Next month: five months out, and a doughnut-fuelled 50-mile race report from the Krispy Kreme London 50. See you here this time next month.
About the Author Andy Hood
Andy Hood is an ultra and endurance runner, testicular cancer survivor and proud Runna ambassador. After cancer knocked him off his feet in 2021, Andy laced his shoes back up and rebuilt his running with Runna's structured, personalised training plans, going on to complete multiple ultra marathons.
He now designs bold running challenges to raise awareness of testicular cancer and has raised over £28,000 for cancer and mental health charities. He is the founder of Check Ya Balls gear, menswear that saves lives. He will run the 2027 TCS London Marathon on Sunday 25 April for The Robin Cancer Trust.
As a Runna ambassador, Andy can offer new users an exclusive two-week free trial. Claim your free trial here or download the app and use promo code ANDY2.
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