Settle
Weeks 1–2
Sep 14, 2026–Sep 27, 2026
Hold close to your current volume, establish the weekly rhythm, and make sure the opening load is honest.
San Antonio, TXDecember 6, 2026
Start around September 13, 2026. The calendar below gives each phase a real date, then the course guidance shows where to make the build specific to San Antonio Marathon.
The San Antonio Marathon climbs 909 feet. That's a lot of climbing for a race most people file under flat because it's Texas. It descends 902 feet as well, so you finish where you started at Hemisfair with a net elevation change of about seven feet, upward.
Use this window when your recent training is steady and the opening week will not be a mileage jump. If you are returning after a long break, twelve weeks is too little room to rebuild and peak at the same time.
These dates define the job of each phase. Your current mileage, recent longest run, experience, goal, and available days still decide the actual workouts inside them.
Weeks 1–2
Sep 14, 2026–Sep 27, 2026
Hold close to your current volume, establish the weekly rhythm, and make sure the opening load is honest.
Weeks 3–7
Sep 28, 2026–Nov 1, 2026
Grow the long run and weekly work with step-back weeks intact. There is no room to repay missed mileage.
Weeks 8–10
Nov 2, 2026–Nov 22, 2026
Complete the most race-specific long runs, rehearse fueling, and practice the terrain that will decide the final 10K.
Weeks 11–12
Nov 23, 2026–Dec 6, 2026
Reduce volume, keep the routine familiar, and arrive on race day without trying to squeeze in one more big week.
Course-specific work starts early in a 12-week build. Put the race's terrain and expected conditions into long runs once the opening weeks feel controlled, without adding extra hard days.
Read the full race guideHumidity is the first thing to train for. A December start near 61F with 86% humidity sounds mild and doesn't run mild, because sweat won't evaporate and your effort at any given pace sits higher than the thermometer suggests. Rehearse your fluid and sodium plan in humid conditions, not just warm ones.
Then train rollers in both directions. 909 feet of climbing across a loop means the same amount of descending, most of it arriving in short pieces. Run long runs on rolling ground and specifically practice controlled downhills after two hours, when your quads have already been working.
Last, resist the early pace. On a loop with no net drop, whatever you gain in the first ten miles gets repaid with interest. Run negative split long runs until holding back for an hour feels normal instead of feeling like you're leaving something behind.
Current mileage, recent longest run, marathon experience, goal, and available days determine which plans rank first. After you choose and subscribe, Stride dates every workout through December 6, 2026.
The 2026 San Antonio Marathon is scheduled for December 6, 2026, so the 12-week window opens around September 13, 2026. Treat that as the outside edge of the window, then line week one up with the plan's normal weekly rhythm.
Use this window when your recent training is steady and the opening week will not be a mileage jump. If you are returning after a long break, twelve weeks is too little room to rebuild and peak at the same time. The course does not change the opening load you can handle, so choose from your current mileage and recent longest run before adding race-specific terrain.
Course-specific work starts early in a 12-week build. Put the race's terrain and expected conditions into long runs once the opening weeks feel controlled, without adding extra hard days. Humidity is the first thing to train for. A December start near 61F with 86% humidity sounds mild and doesn't run mild, because sweat won't evaporate and your effort at any given pace sits higher than the thermometer suggests. Rehearse your fluid and sodium plan in humid conditions, not just warm ones.
Do not double weeks or cram missed mileage into the remaining calendar. Use your current mileage, recent longest run, experience, goal, and available days to choose a plan that can enter at an appropriate point while preserving the taper.
No, and that's the most common mistake runners make about it. The loop climbs 909 feet and descends 902, running between 622 and 814 feet, for a net change of about seven feet. Nothing is steep, but the constant rolling adds up and the bill arrives after mile 20.
Warmer and much stickier than most winter marathons. Race morning norms are near 61F with 86% humidity, an average high of 66F and an average low of 44F. Humidity rather than temperature is what slows people here, because sweat stops evaporating and perceived effort climbs at any given pace.
Each page counts back from race day, maps the 4 phases to real dates, and applies the window to that course and its typical conditions.