Question for the marathoners

That's basically it. Daniels marathon plans as written require a very solid base, including some faster running, before you should even think about attempting. The 2Q plan for 41-55mpw calls for on week one: (a) 14 miler with 8M and 1T and (b) 15 with 5 T. Higher mileage plans include far more quality. The 56-70 plan I'm currently using calls for 12M week one. His other types of written plans aren't much different. My point is these plans are intended for more experienced runners that can understand the nuances behind his training philosophies because they are familiar with the paces and effort levels associated with the various workouts and can adjust as necessary. There are far better options for less experienced runners like OP who would be better off building mileage and intensity of workouts progressively over an 18 week period with a good mix of workouts throughout the week and may include much needed recovery weeks.

Well I'm not very fast, but I've read every word of Daniels and pfitzingers books. And run 21 marathons. So not totally a beginner.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'll take it to heart.

Got it. Not sure I totally agree but I appreciate the clarification.

I like this. I'll do a 5 mile or 10k time trial here in about a month or so to see where I am.

Okay, Have a 5 miler and 5k scheduled for next 8 weeks. Then a half and 10 miler during marathon training.

Good luck with the races and your BQ attempt. Out of curiosity, what do you plan to do differently from your other 21 marathon training cycles?

Well so much of what I've done already has been different. Half those races were training like shit and just jogging. A total joke. For the ones I've trained better, the biggest difference is more mileage before the start of the plan and more miles during including more long runs.

I've already had 3x as many weeks over 40mpw this year as I did all of last year. Also will have more 16+ mile runs done before start of marathon cycle as I did all of last year. Finally, I've dropped from 172-155 over the last 18 months (I'm 5'10") by cleaning up my diet and eating healthy about 95% of the time).

So those things for starters. Otherwise just keep working on mental toughness to prepare myself for the struggle of those last few miles.

Thoughts on that, Judge?

Judge Dredd wrote:

I think it's a very good sign but please be cautious. Don't start banging out long marathon goal pace runs because you'll get stale and likely burn out or peak too soon. Maybe focus on a half marathon for the fall, take a breather for a couple of weeks and just run easy, and then ramp back up for the marathon.

Right answer. It sounds like you started with good assumptions. Watch those aches and pains to be sure they don't turn into overuse injuries.

Keep updating the thread each week. Peak event prep is always fun to read.

GoingForIt wrote:

Thoughts on that, Judge?

Well I am definitely impressed by your motivation. Not everyone is willing to bump up mileage, eat healthy, and lose weight, especially all at the same time. Be reasonable about your mileage buildup and workouts. Decide which marathon plan you want to follow and lay down a nice base to get you to the start of it. Do you already have a plan you intend to follow?

Thank you, that means a lot. I am mid-30's with four young kids and own two businesses so this has taken major commitment from me as well as support from my wife. But I know I only have a few more years to really be my absolute best before age starts working against me, so I want to give it every single bit I have until then.

I have a friend who is a former elite (Sub 1:04 half) and coach who has been helping me out with training. He's been great.

What marathon are you running?

Houston

Then maybe Eugene next may. Then hopefully Boston in April 2019 🤞🏻

I've had training runs once in a while where I felt extremely strong, comfortably quicker than race pace for longer than I thought I'd hold, felt like I'd be able to run like that for hours on end

I've also had training runs where things fell apart from as soon as 20 or 30 minutes into the run, running significantly easier than race pace.

I don't read too much into the occasional bad run, but I also don't let the occasional good run let me get carried away.

Your goal could be too conservative, or it could just be that you had a good run on the day when everything fell into place.

You have some more time to asses as the weeks go by

I get that. This is actually the second time I've done a run like this in the last month. Which is what prompted my asking.

16 this AM at 80% max HR. Pace was goal marathon pace plus 15% (75 seconds). Freaking hot. Felt like 87 when I finished before 8.

I would say confident ... if you do the work and stay healthy.......but 6 miles... of pace isn't a marathon. (Saying I could have run 6 more) barely is a half. Run a 1/2 at that pace. Hopefully you feel aweoneZ

26.2 is a slightly different distance which most people fail at:) it is easy to screw up.

For me it isn't the fitness it's simply the concrete.

The fatigue at mile 17 isn't aerobic it's simply the impact.