Why run in Dubai
Dubai is one of the flattest, fastest marathon courses in the world, and the January date puts race day in the only cool window of the year. The catch is that most of your preparation happens in October, November and December, when the mornings are still warm. A plan written for Berlin or London breaks here. This guide is written for here.
[Preview note for Mathias: this is a condensed version of your existing guide. In the live version the full guide is published on this page, section by section, so Google and AI search engines can read it and send runners to your domain and your Instagram.]
Training plans: how long do you need?
| Goal | Duration | Runs per week | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5K / 10K | 12 weeks | 4–5 | New to structured training, or building back |
| Half marathon | 16 weeks | 5–6 | Comfortable with 10K, ready for long runs |
| Marathon | 20 weeks | 6–7 | At least one half marathon done; consistent base |
If you are reading this in November for a January marathon, you are inside the window: enough time for a solid specific block, not enough to waste a week.
The four training phases
Heart-rate zones and intensity
Most amateur runners run their easy days too fast and their hard days too slow. Roughly 80% of your weekly time should be in zones 1–2.
Training in the heat
Heat raises heart rate at any given pace. Train by effort and heart rate, not by the pace on your watch. Run early, run shaded routes, and expect your easy pace to be 20–40 seconds per kilometre slower in October than it will be in January. That is not lost fitness; that is physics.
Hydration: water alone is not hydration. For runs over 60 minutes in warm conditions you need electrolytes, and you should start the run already hydrated. Weigh yourself before and after a long run once to learn your sweat rate.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates are your race fuel; protein repairs; fats keep the engine healthy. Before a long run: a familiar, carb-based breakfast two to three hours out. During: 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour after the first hour. After: protein and carbs within an hour. Practise all of it in training. Nothing new on race day.
Metrics worth tracking
Resting heart rate (trend, not single days), cadence (most runners land best around 170–180 steps per minute), and how your easy pace at a fixed heart rate changes across the block. VO2 max estimates from a watch are fun; the three above are useful.
Race day: 17 January 2027
Start near Umm Suqeim Road, early. Cool at the start, warming through the morning. Pacing: the first 10 km should feel too easy. The pacing plan in the PDF gives you kilometre splits for your goal time and a plan B if the morning is warmer than expected.
Take the guide with you.
The full guide as a PDF, plus the race-day pacing plan with splits for your goal time. Then four short emails from me about training in Dubai.