abc6173 wrote:
Also, forgot to add that Daniels says you can use marathon pace instead of easy pace for regular runs - same benefits. But M pace is only a bit slower than LT pace - 10-15 secs/km. Yet Farrell's moderate/steady-state pace is also a bit slower than LT pace. Which means Farrell's plan is basically identical to Daniels, with all regular runs at M pace rather than E pace, and minus a long run. Hardly any difference.
I am almost at the point of saying, "Science be damned"-- or at least science as it applies to other people. Everyone is different. Certainly, mileage is necessary. But in other areas, people respomd differently to different types of training. I did two years of the Daniels-ish dogma, and never really felt that good. I made some gains, but was disappointed greatly in the marathon.
To me, a program of running much be much more "custom-tailored," much more runner-specific, than the lock-step, closed, structured approach of Daniels. That type of training mostly left me burned out and miserable. I much rather train hard when the time is right, and log the big miles when it is appropriate. I need a much more open-ended program. Trying to do higher mileage and higher intensity over the summer just left me tired and angry, with no pot of gold in the fall marathon. Summertime weather is just flat-out limiting. There is no way around it.
I just attained my highest week of mileage ever using a moderate/open-ended approach--basically run by feel--and I feel great, both physically and mentally. Not only did I surpass my previous weekly high, but I did it in fewer days, six instead seven. With decent weather, I exploded in my last run of the week today, going 17.25 miles at an overall 6:54 pace, finishing fast and feeling good throughout. For reference, my pace in my marathon PR was 6:57.
I now run by feel and weather, and it mostly ends up being moderate running, with some fast finishes. As the article states, it can be done day after day. I love it.