Opinions on different marathon plans

Training Advice/Discussion Marathon

9 years ago 07/19/2014 8:30am EDT

Hello everyone,

I would like to focus more on marathon training even if I'm still quite new to running.

I train with the Daniels' "To complete" Marathon plan for now and will do my first marathon in some weeks. I am wondering what are my options for the next one, since I want to be more prepared and run at higher pace (hopefully around 3:15-3:30).

I found that those plans/authors are the most recommended (no order) :

- Hansons

- Higdon

- Lydiard

- Daniels

- Pfitzinger

- Mac Millan

1. Did I forget someone?

2. How do you choose a plan usually?

3. Is there anything I need to know about one of those plans?

Thanks in advance

9 years ago 07/19/2014 2:15pm EDT

re: Marathon_noob

1. You've covered the current popular training plans. I would add Galloway for a new runner/marathon runner. There are others. Lydiard has been gone a while, but most training systems follow what he developed in the 60's and later. I would read one of his books as a reference companion to another marathon training plan.

2. Choose a plan that you understand, makes sense for you, and that will be easy to follow. Of Hansons, Daniels, and Pfitzinger, Pfitzinger seemed easiest to follow. I'm not as acquainted with Higdon or MacMillan, and I commented on Lydiard above.

3. The Hansons plan seems to be good for someone who has already run a few marathons, and they want to try something different to see if they can show improvement versus continuing to follow a training plan they know with better fitness (from a previous marathon training cycle). There seems to be a lot of long mileage runs day in and day out as a tradeoff to a progressively longer run once a week in a more common plan (like Galloway). Not everyone will have the time or the motivation to follow this.

9 years ago 07/21/2014 12:42pm EDT

re: Carl Spackler

Thank you very much for your answer

I forgot Galloway indeed, but I hope I will be past his plans after my marathon and would benefit more of other training plans.

When you say that Pfitzinger seems easiest to follow you mean that the intensity/difficulty to follow the plan is lower than the others or that everything is written and you don't have any interpretation to do ?

9 years ago 07/21/2014 12:50pm EDT

re: Marathon_noob

I wouldn't recommend any of those plans for a newbie, based on my own experiences. You may want to head over to Runners' World and check in with people in the same position as you to see what worked for them.

9 years ago 07/21/2014 12:55pm EDT

re: Hobbyist

Runner's World LOVES the Pfitzinger plans. That place has more 3:00-3:30 runners than anywhere on the internet so that's my recommendation.

9 years ago 07/21/2014 1:14pm EDT

re: Marathon_noob

9 years ago 07/21/2014 1:16pm EDT

re: Marathon_noob

For my first 2-3 marathons I used a Galloway-inspired plan (modified by the coach of the running club I joined). I have to say that worked very well for me, but keep in mind I was a non-runner with a few extra lbs when I started. Later on, I switched to the Pfitzinger plan. I've run a 2:38 using the 18w/70M option.

After that I switched to a more Daniels-inspired approach with more interval workouts (Pfitz is bigger on the threshold runs) and that improved my 5K, 10K and Half Marathon times, but on the marathon I never got below 2:45 on that plan. Some will probably say I did it wrong and maybe they're right, but my strong recommendation for marathon training is always going to be Pfitzinger.

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