Baptista wrote:
Hello, great running community!
I registered in the forum just because of this thread. Really great insights about JD's 2Q training which I've been following for some weeks in preparation for the Seoul Marathon in March with the "up to 40 miles" training plan (my peak is precisely 40 miles), with 4 weekly runs. Everything has been running smoothly, but in the back of my head I've always been wondering about those 20-mile long runs which aren't there (only three 16-mile and two 17-mile runs).
I'm a VDOT 51 (PBs of 19:36 in the 5k and 1:30:14 in the HM) and I'm doing more or less as told, going one VDOT unit down for the first weeks. The training has been quite manageable at all intensities, but I can't picture myself running at 7:17/mile (3h10) for 26.2 miles (even though I ran a comfortable 6:52/mile HM PB recently with favourable weather). My friends, some of which are clearly stronger than I am and have sub-1h30 HMs struggled to run a sub-3h20, so I feel like JD's 3h10 projected potential for me is a bit wild. It'll be my first marathon too, so I'd like to be a bit conservative in the approach, but I wouldn't want to end the race feeling I could've done MUCH better...
From what I've read here, those few T miles in the end of quality MLRs prepare us for what we'll experience in the marathon, which is comforting for me (my longest run ever was 18.5 miles in 2h28, so everything beyond that distance/running time is a mystery). Should I still feel comfortable and confident? What about that crazy M pace? Finally, do you think the "up to 40 miles" might not really be enough for a good, solid performance?
Thanks so much for reading, and congrats to all of you who've been successful with the plan and taken your time to share your thoughts and experiences!
I'm sorry that you fell into the wrong hands with Daniels. Your intuition is correct. The plan does not adequately develop your aerobic system and at 40 mpw you will be unprepared for the marathon regardless of the distance of your long run. Please do yourself a favor and follow a different plan next time.