Many advanced training plans can have up to 6 days of running each week with very little cross training and that’s great if it excites you! It’s also a plan that requires you to know your body, your capabilities and to truly understand what it means to run in a state of constant fatigue. Here’s a sample of what the beginner-advanced marathon plan looks like, along with notes I made throughout training. Min/Max Cross Training days. This is the minimum and maximum number of days per week that the plan prescribes for cross training, rather than the number of days that the plan would allow for cross training.

With an endurance-based approach, the Pfitzinger Marathon Plan recognizes that endurance is a critical factor in reaching peak performance on race day. Initial Ramp (mileage increase/week from start to 16): You need to be doing 16+ mile plans regularly before considering this plan. Pfitzinger. Plans for experienced runners, including some high mileage plans with multiple runs per day. Second Pfitzinger calls for a lot of workouts in the specific phase that are VO2 max or lactate threshold workouts, five and six respectively, in the 12 week schedule. Many of these are in the last 8 weeks which would be the specific phase in a Canova schedule. To my mind this almost makes the training schedule more of a 5k schedule than a marathon schedule. I mean if you have done one real marathon workout and five 5k workouts which event do you think you'll be more adapted for? If you’re prone to injuries as a runner, look for lower mileage plans that incorporate low-impact cross-training to lessen injury risk. And if dread speed work, choose a plan that involves longer runs a couple of times a week but less emphasis on intensity. #3 Training Timeline

How to Pick the Best Marathon Plan?

Marathon training plans differ but at least partly because there is no consensus on what is best. I think however there are some key attributes to consider. While there is no speedwork per se in the Long Runs, a number of the Long Runs include segments at marathon pace. Offering a ton of basic free online marathon training plans, this is a phenomenal place to start for many runners. This comparison should not be used to choose a plan by itself. The goal is to provide you with some guidance around which plans are candidates so you can do further research. The comparison is also based on the plans themselves, not any supporting information such as the training methodology or other advice. This comparison does not attempt to be comprehensive review of all plans, but to cover a few of the most popular plans.

In the book, Pete lays out some of the exercise science behind running and adaptations. He discusses the role of lactate threshold, VO2 max, and running economy in determining running performance. Sausage, I'm no expert. I would recommend trying both plans. They both have their strengths, I guess. Mileage should progress slowly to allow your body time to adapt (read how long does marathon training take)Later in this article we’ll look at the questions you need to ask yourself to choose the right marathon training plan. But when looking at the overall structure of a marathon plan it should follow some key principles. Recent best efforts: 20km in 1:17:10, 10M in 1:00:51 (none were in perfect conditions. Both felt like longer would be ok, faster would be very difficult) He brought his remarkable understanding into play to design a unique training regimen specifically for experienced runners who wished to improve their performance. Limited Training Time: Here I'm thinking of time for training during the week, rather than the number of weeks to the race.

The Hanson plan has found success with runners who have previously burned out on other plans, but it's unclear if it would be viable to swap that Hanson plan part way through a training cycle. Runs 16+. I consider that the 16 mile mark defines the beginning of "the long run". While this is somewhat arbitrary on my part, I believe that counting the number of long runs that are 16 miles or more is a useful metric. The first run the diesel 16 miles or more is highlighted in green in the weekly section.The remainder of the mileage is made up of recovery runs. If you’re looking to mix some trail running into your half marathon training, these are good days to incorporate easy trail runs.

No one specific way of training will lead to a Boston Marathon Qualifying time. But certainly you’re going to find that more likely with enough interval training, specific goal pace work and usually higher weekly mileage.His RunDisney training plans do not emphasize enough weekday miles and over emphasize a 26 mile long run Week 3 of 12: difficulty 5/10. Weather was again troublesome on sunday 70F w/ 100% humidity which led to 6:55 MP miles (7:29 overall average). midweek long run pace ~7:55 Longest Run. There is some controversy over the length of the longest Long Run. I believe that it is better to have a longer longest run as this provides better preparation. However, this is only true if you build up to these longer runs gradually enough that you can recover well. A Long Run that leaves you overly fatigued will not benefit you. It's better to reach the start line slightly undertrained, than injured or burned out.