Advanced Marathoning

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currently trying to decide which Pfitz plan to do for Boston (I'll do an 18 week plan starting in mid-December). Hopefully an inside look at each method will help you select a plan not just to survive, but thrive during marathon training!

Advanced Marathoning has 18- and 12-week plans with different weekly distances, depending on your level. They recommend using the 18 week plan unless time truly doesn’t allow for it. The lowest weekly distance plan goes up to 55 miles per week. The other plans are 55 to 70 miles per week, 70 to 85, and 85+ miles. I used the lowest mileage plan to train for the 2018 Boston Marathon, and it was still more more advanced than other training plans I had used previously. (For reference, the next year when training for the 2019 Boston Marathon with a running coach, I ran 50-70 miles a week.) Maintenance: 0. This plan is far too intense for someone simply wishing to maintain an marathoning ability.

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They definitely are not beginner plans. They will not take you from couch to half marathon, and if you aren’t running consistently you shouldn’t even bother. Galloway. All plans use Walking Breaks and some include training runs longer than the marathon distance.

I did the 20-24-week Pfitzinger/Douglas program as set down in "Advanced Marathoning" twice, and switched to Daniels for my next marathon because I just couldn't face doing that same high-mileage build-up again-- emotionally. Those long plans (18+ weeks) can be grueling. I was bored and often felt a little over-trained. I felt older than I was. There’s also a chapter dedicated to diet. There are a lot of misconceptions around what and how much runners should eat, and this chapter does a great job of cutting through the non-sense. He clearly explains the role of glycogen as an energy source, and suggests a simple, well-rounded diet to keep yourself sufficiently fueled. For example, if this is your first marathon and you’re not very experienced as a runner, you should generally stay well away from advanced marathon training plans that feature high-mileage weeks and long runs that exceed the race distance. The Pfitzinger Marathon Plan is a highly structured program designed for experienced marathon runners looking to improve their performance. First athletes attempting Canova do get hurt much more than those on a Pfitzinger plan. Canova calls for a lot of very hard workouts and this increases the risk of injury. To reduce this risk Canova puts much greater modulation of effort into his schedules. So yes the hard days are much harder but the easy days and easy runs are much easier and much shorter.Walking breaks help to reduce the intensity of the effort and are key to increasing running endurance The final training schedule is 81 to 100 miles. This schedule includes seven days of running throughout, and many of the recovery and easy days include doubles.

It’s better to rest and recover than push through a potential injury that could sideline you from training alto Note: This post focuses on half marathon training. Here’s an overview of the Pfitz marathon plans. Where Can I Learn About Pete Pfitzinger Half Marathon Training?If, on the other hand, you’re an experienced runner who wants to run better and set a PR than merely finish the next marathon, you should opt for an intermediate or advanced plan. Yeah, different things work for different people, but the key is the application of the core concepts. My approach is too take Daniels' plan, put the quality days on a calendar in a spreadsheet. Look at what races I will run during the 18 weeks of the plan. Sub in those races for applicable workouts. I drop a few of the workouts that I know that I don't like and adjust the last two weeks to give myself more of a taper and a touch more work at marathon pace (shorter distances just to get some muscle memory at race pace). Figure out what social events/family obligations I might have and rearrange the key workouts to align with those events. Try to find half marathons to use for my 13 milers at marathon pace and further rearrange the calendar to fit those in. Then I try to adjust my mileage climbs and drops to maintain a relatively total effort when viewing the combination of intensity and volume. Then I fill in the calendar with what I will do for every day of those 18 weeks. The end result is a customized plan that has 126 days of specific running laid out. As a practical matter, what I actually do and what the plan looks like end up being modestly different, as life and fatigue tend to get in the way, but I agree that having a very specific plan to use as a road map is really helpful. It is also worth noting that triathletes preparing for the Boston Marathon may find this plan beneficial due to its focus on endurance. 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. The Pfitz marathon plan, also known as Pfitzinger’s Advanced Marathoning, was born out of the meticulous knowledge and experience of Pete Pfitzinger. As an accomplished marathon runner himself, with noteworthy performances in strenuous competitions like the Olympics, he knew precisely what this demanding race required from its participants.

Depending on the severity of your problem it may be better to give up on your chosen race, and restart your training cycle, targeting a later date. One or two medium Long Runs per week in addition to the Long Run. The higher mileage plans require you to run 13-15 miles midweek, with the highest mileage plans having two runs totaling over 20 miles midweek. The third training schedule is 61 to 84 miles. This plan starts with six days of running for the first two weeks, after which it increases to seven days of running. It also doubles on a handful of the recovery days. Essentially they are both saying you should be doing high mileage for you but that mileage is different for different people and that it should not be the major focus of your training.Min/Max Days/week. The minimum and maximum number of days per week that the plan prescribes for running. For the Galloway plans are considered any day the prescribes walking as part of the running days and was Galloway is using a run/walk approach.