trainning plan

hi

been looking at doffernt plans and trying to work out which is the best way to train for a marathron.  is it best to do less days but longer distance or shorter runs and more days? ive added uo.p the miles and they add up the same for each plan each week (been looking at hal and runners world) and is it better to do a run the day before your long run?

Comments

  • i will watch this thread shenz. You are asking similar questions that i have been asking myself.
  • i actually find it intresting how it works, as for a marathron is is better to fit in more long runs? does hills, speed, tempo session matter? or is it more about he distance?

    do you need to train 6x aweek?

    also to fit it all in is it good to do a moring session after an evenng session?

  • absolutely. I am unsure whether longer runs and one rest day would prepare me for the longer distances. Scheduled for 6 but maybe 4 or 5 longer runs(or a couple longer) would be better. I would have thought after an evening, a lighter recoverry run next morning would be better.
  • Unfortunately the true answer is longer runs and more days!  Preferably twice a day at least 5 days a week.

    But that aside the answer for most people is which fits around your life better.  I would say that for the same mileage 5 runs of higher average length would be better than 6 - as it's slightly more specific and you get an extra day of rest.

    You also have the flexibility to add in an extra day 's run when you are feeling motivated - and you can usually ramp up mileage a bit more aggressively by eliminating a rest day than just adding on to existing days.

    As for quality, if you don't have a strong running background I would focus on mileage and time on your feet primarily.  Once you've reached the maximum weekly duration to which you are willing to commit and have proved to yourself you can handle that duration, then start to gradually add in some quality work into the sessions.

    Ultimately for a relative novice marathoner I think "speed" sessions are a poor return on investment and time is better spent at marathon pace or thereabouts as a quality workout.

  • Well as a semi-novice marathoner mid-packer...

    #1 important thing is the long run - at least one of 18-20 miles is needed (OK, recommended if you want to finish "comfortably")

    #2 I would say the "sorta-long run" or "mid-week semi-long run" - physically & psychologically it makes a tremendous (positive) difference during the race, because once you are past the 16-18 mile mark (i.e. almost at the end of your longest long run pre-race), you are only looking at a distance you've done on a wet Wednesday after work.

    Beyond that, Arcelli & Canova make the point that plodders like me who don't like being made to go fast but will cheerfully chug along until they drop are the ones who will benefit from and should do things like intervals, fartlek (roughly, any session where hard effort & rest is interleaved), whereas, OTOH, the naturally speedy ones who just die after a certain point should do more endurance/plod type workouts.

    I take this to mean, very roughly, the sessions you dread are the ones doing you good! In my experience (experiment of 1) this is true - best race result ever was my first, a half marathon which I'd prepared for (in my innocence) by doing 2 intervals (0.5 to 1 mile) sessions a week plus long run & a 5k womble.

     Outwith running, a day for core stability work (glutes, abs, yadda yadda) is a good thing to stave off injury.

     So that leaves you with

    1 x long run

    1x mid long run

    1x session you don't like (going faster / longer )

    1x core stability work

    - and then on top of that, 1 or 2 extra runs of an hour or so when & where you can fit them in.

    However I reckon if you grab a Hal Higdon plan and make sure you fit in the 3 most taxing runs from each week, that's enough to get a body round image

  • yes but if you look at hals plan it is 6runs a week and 3 are 3m increasing! i did a marathrom 2yrs ago hadnt have ever run but this time want to improve so my frist was about learning to run a endurence, i trainned on my own a nd did most runs in the moring, ive just joint aclub which makes it harder as they are evening so im thinking of!

    sun long run

    mon cross train and weights

    tues pilates am club speed session pm

    weds am 3-5easy (if i can) pm body pump

    thurs pm club 7miles

    fri rest

    sat alternates weeks hills with club or easy run

    but not sure how sat and weds will be and also the distance of the thurs runs are always about 7m

     my other issue is ive been exhursted and havent been able to get back into trainning, did a half marathron on the 13 dec which took me 40mins longer as my legs didnt want to move decided to take a weeks rest but into second week now and have a chesty cought plus icy everywhere, so finding it hard to get started!

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