marathon training question - 3 weeks up/1 down? or take easy as needed

This largely depends on what kind of runner you are.

When you did 3 up 1 down before, were you tired getting to those down weeks? If so then keep taking down weeks. It means you need down time to handle the burden.

If you felt rested and felt like you could do another week, take a day off but cross train like swimming or biking.

I think a lot depends on the training macrocycle. For instance, if you follow a classic basebuilding phase with lots of miles (whatever that number is for that runner) each week and maybe the occasional hard run or strides or a race, then you probably can run for several weeks with that volume before needing to cut back.

However, if you do a hard 2 week block of threshold or VO2max training, then you might need a cut back week.

I suspect 3:1 is used because it fights into the monthly calendar format--the same reason microcycles are 7 days when 10 is probably better (especially for triathletes) in terms of spreading out workouts. A pro can do a 10 day schedule, but few age groupers can do long runs during the week as easily.

Daniels has a both a 4 week cycle and 5 week cycle marathon program with the last week being a down week. This is in his 3rd addition.

As far as base is concerned, following his general base program, you shouldn't need a down week during this phase, if you are truly running it properly. The most important thing with the way he structures his marathon schedules is that there are hard-hard days and easy-hard days and the workout placement reflects that. (i.e. two hard-hard days are never together)

One thing that I don't like about his program is that the marathon program doesn't follow the periodization structure that he outlines in his books, except for a decrease in mileage the last few weeks.

I train with a modified version of his schedules. I take his workouts and lay them out in a Lydiard periodization structure (which closely matches his periodization structure.)

This works for me. The most important thing is that you find what works for you and push yourself to the line but not over it. If that means you need every 4th week as a down week to recover, then do it. Just remember the training is not meant to be easy, it's hard.

Happy training.

Macrocycle, microcycle, threshold, Jack Daniels (not the drink)--this is pseudo-science wrapped in false precision. The very notion of a down week is unjustified. Run miles, listen to your body/mind, race some. Geoff Roes once said he got good when he started doing unstructured but enjoyable runs. Google him.

It's too hard to plan when your body needs a break or down week. It could be two weeks, it could be ten. But you shouldn't be redlining enough to have to take a down week every month. Train continuously and recover well, like the above poster suggested.