Choosing My Fall 2015 Marathon Training Plan

For the past three years, my goal fall marathon was either the New York City Marathon (“NYCM”) or Marine Corps Marathon (“MCM”).  Training for a marathon in the heat and humidity of Washington, D.C. was miserable.  Runs that started comfortable turned into slow slogs where I felt completely defeated.  Last year, I swore I wouldn’t do that again.  I thought I should target a race in late November/early December, which would allow me to skip a few weeks of the dog days of summer.  Back in March, I registered for the California International Marathon (“CIM”), which is on December 6th.  Having raced a lot of difficult marathons, CIM’s net downhill looked like a good course for another shot at sub-3:20.

For each of my marathons, I followed the plans in Pfitzinger Advanced Marathoning, 2nd Edition (“Pfitz”, Amazon) either to the letter or with some slight modifications.  I could probably sketch out the 18 week, 85 miles/week program from memory.  Generally, it’s a long and medium run each week with some tempo work in the beginning of the plan and some speedwork at the end.  There are also some two-a-days at the higher mileage levels.

In the last year or so, I’ve had serious thoughts that perhaps Pfitz isn’t working for me anymore and I should probably try something else.  Most of my marathons since setting my PR two years ago have been in the 3:23-3:30 range, so it’s been looking as if I’ve plateaued.  But, it’s been hard leaving a plan that I’ve felt has been working for me in so many ways for years.

Well, I’m finally ready to make a break with Pfitz.  I want to make another attempt at sub-3:20 at CIM.  And, as Albert Einstein pointed out, it’s insane to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.  Looking back at the last couple of marathon training cycles, these are the things that I think I need in my next plan:

• High Mileage.  I’ve been able to handle high mileage without injury.  But, in the last couple of years, I cut my training mileage a little out of concern that I was running too much for a non-elite.  During the marathon cycle where I set my PR, I averaged 70 miles/week (including my one and only 100 mile week and a 132 day running streak).  I’d like to get back up to 70-80 miles/week.
• More Uptempo Running.  I think one of the problems with my training has been that a lot of my mileage has been slow.  The Pfitz plans don’t have a lot of regular speedwork.  I think I need to do more running at goal marathon pace or slightly faster.
• More Hills.  Hills are a huge weakness of mine and I want to work on it.  Last training cycle, I did more hill-specific workouts and I think it really helped fix my uphill slow downs on race day.  (Although I also credit it for my current hamstring injury).  Plus, CIM is a net downhill and my quads need to be ready for the downhill running.

Here are the plans I considered…

Hanson’s Marathon Method/Hanson’s Coaching Services.  (Amazon for the book.  Website for coaching services).  The Hanson’s plans are very popular – particularly with those who feel like they don’t have a lot of time.  They also feature a lot of marathon paced running.

The Advanced Program from the book is 18 weeks.  It starts at 26 miles/week in Week 1 and peaks at 63 miles/week in Week 15.  The long run is capped at 16 miles and is only scheduled every other week in order to emphasize other workouts during the week.  There is a speed/strength and tempo workout every week.  There aren’t any races in the plan but there is a chapter on making modifications.

The online programs are $19.95.  Buyers can choose a 12, 16, or 20-week program with mileage in the 50-60 to the 85-105 level.  I bought the 20 week, 60-85 miles/week plan.  The structure of the plan seems very similar to the book except there might be more variety in the mid-week tempo runs and the long runs are longer – plenty of 18 and 20 milers.

Assessment: The online training plans have the mileage I want and two uptempo workouts every week.  There are also some hill sprints early in the plan.  However, I wonder if I’ll find the plan a bit boring.  I’m doing the 10K program this summer and it’s a little repetitive.

Run Faster by Brad Hudson and Matt Fitzgerald.  (Amazon).  Over the years, I almost switched to this plan several times.  The training plans are supposed to be adaptive.  There are schedules in the book but after reading about the training philosophy, runners are encouraged to change the workouts to suit their individual needs.

The Level 3 program is 20 weeks long, starts with 57 miles/week, and maxes out at 87 miles/week.  The long runs are progression runs of 12-16 miles for the first 6 weeks and then get longer as the program goes on, capping at 24 miles during Week 17.  There are also weekly fartlek runs, intervals, progression runs, threshold runs, hill repeats, marathon paced run…  There is a lot of variety in the plan.

Assessment: I like the mileage level, the variety, and the idea of tailoring the program based on what I think I might need.  But, I’m not sure I’ll have the time or concentration to do a lot of adjusting week after week.

Daniels’ Running Formula, 2nd and 3rd Editions.  (Amazon – 2nd Edition and 3rd Edition).  I keep coming back to Daniels since it was one of the first training programs I followed.

In the 2nd edition, the marathon plan has two quality workouts a week – a longer run (based on mileage or time) and a tempo run – and the rest of the mileage is easy.  I was curious about changes in the 3rd edition so, I finally purchased it.  It has six different approaches to marathon training.  The 5-week cycle plan appealed to me most in that it’s for runners who are interested in regular long and marathon-paced runs but integrates some speedwork and is customizable based on mileage levels.  It features a long run, a tempo run, and speedwork session every week.  Distances for each workout is based on the overall mileage level.

Assessment: It doesn’t seem that much different from Pfitz except the tempo and  are throughout the plan and not in phases.  Mostly, I’m not sure I want to build a training program almost from scratch.

WINNER: Hansons!  I’m excited at the prospect of trying another plan.  I’m looking to start the week of July 26th or August 2nd.  Right now, I’m thinking my fall races will be the Parks Half Marathon, Army Ten Miler, and NYCM (as a long run).