Difference between revisions of "A Comparison of Marathon Training Plans"

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There are a vast number of training plans for the marathon distance, and choosing one can be daunting. This page gives an overview of several popular, proven plans. I have given a short textual description of the plan, then a list of the key attributes and a high level summary of each level of the plan. For the long runs, I start listing the lengths with the first run of 16 miles or longer and do not include the taper period. I've put the plans loosely in order of preference.
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:A comparison of the best marathon training plans}}
==Suitability Comparison==
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[[File:MarathonBookshelf.jpg|right|thumb|500px|What's on your bookshelf? I've looked at a many of the popular marathon training plans so you don't have to.]]
The table below gives some high level guidance as to the suitability for the different plans for different types of runner. In the table, the number 1-5 indicate suitability with 5 being more suitable. As always, I'd like to hear from anyone that disagrees ;}
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This comparison covers many of the most popular marathon training plans, and has a short description of the plan, a list of the key attributes and a high level summary of each level of the plan. For the [[Long Run]]s, I start listing the lengths with the first run of 16 miles or longer and do not include the taper period. You can find more details on each plan in these sub-pages:
{| {{table}}
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* [[FIRST| FIRST's Run Less, Run Faster]]
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|
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* [[Galloway| Jeff Galloway's Marathon - You Can Do It!]]
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''FIRST'''
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* [[Hanson| Hanson's Marathon Method]]
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Jack Daniels'''
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* [[Higdon| Hal Higdon's Ultimate Training Guide]]
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''SmartCoach'''
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* [[Jack Daniels| Jack Daniels' Running Formula]]
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Advanced Marathoning'''
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* [[Pfitzinger| Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning]]
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Jeff Galloway'''
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* [[Waitz| Waitz's Run your first marathon]]
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Hal Higdon'''
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If you've used a Marathon training plan in the past then please fill in the [[Marathon Survey]].
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Runners World'''
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=The purpose of this comparison=
|-
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This comparison should not be used to choose a plan by itself. The goal is to provide you with some guidance around which plans are candidates so you can do further research. The comparison is also based on the plans themselves, not any supporting information such as the training methodology or other advice. This comparison does not attempt to be comprehensive review of all plans, but to cover a few of the most popular plans.
| Beginner||2||3||3||1||4||3||2
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=Unique Aspects of the Plans=
|-
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This summary attempts to distill each of the plans into their unique points.
| Novice||4||3||3||2||2||3||2
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* [[Jack Daniels]]. These plans specify two runs per week, a long run and a speedwork, with the rest let up to the individual.
|-
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* [[FIRST]]. Three runs per week; [[Tempo Runs]], [[Interval Training]] and [[Long Run]]s, plus 2 days of cross training.
| Maintenance ||2||2||5||1||3||4||2
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* [[Galloway]]. All plans use [[Walking Breaks]] and some include training runs longer than the marathon distance.
|-
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* [[Hanson]]. The [[Long Run]]s are limited to 16 miles but they include shorter mid-week marathon paced running.
| Improver||5||4||3||2||1||2||3
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* [[Higdon]]. The easier plans are 'vanilla', while the harder ones include back to back long runs.
|-
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* [[Pfitzinger]]. Plans for experienced runners, including some high mileage plans with multiple runs per day.
| Enthusiast||5||4||3||3||1||2||2
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* [[Waitz]]. Only a single, simple plan for first time marathon runners.
|-
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* [[Lydiard]]. Created for elite runners, these plans have a lot of hard running.
| Elite||5||5||2||3||1||1||1
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=The Will to Win=
|}
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As Juma Ikangaa said, "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." The plans below can work, but they are not guaranteed to produce success, as long distance running requires a big commitment of time and effort. It is vital to count the cost that this training requires; none of these plans will help you if you don't follow them.
* Beginner: A first time marathon runner with no background in speedwork or hard racing at shorter distances
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=Mid Plan Adjustments and the Golden Rule of Training=
* Novice: A first time marathon runner, or someone who not run a marathon for some time, but has some experience of speedwork or racing at shorter distances.  
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The [[Golden Rule of Training]] is "to stay injury free so you can continue training". While this sounds obvious, it can be hard to follow. If you are struggling with a particular training plan, either unable to complete the workouts, or the workouts leave you feeling wiped out, then it's probably better to change your plan than to continue on. It's far better to arrive at the start line slightly undertrained than burned out or injured. You may have to find a different plan, or modify the workouts in your existing plan, though the latter can be tricky. Depending on how far through your training cycle you are, and how badly your suffering, the adjustment varies. Here are some possible modifications.  
* Maintenance: A regular marathon runner who is looking to keep their performance, but not intending to work hard on improving their time.
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* Drop cross training activities.
* Improver: A runner who has run several marathons and is hoping to improve their performance. An improver will have not trained hard in the past, so may have the ability to improve significantly.  
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* Reduce the length or skip entirely some of the shorter easy runs if your plan has those.
* Enthusiast: This is a runner who has trained hard for marathons in the past and is looking for ways of optimizing their performance.  
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* Reduce the length or decrease the pace of some of the speed work. If your plan has more than one speed work session per week, consider dropping one session.
* Elite: A runner who is prepared to work 'as hard as it takes' to improve performance.
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* Reduce the length of the [[Long Run]]s or add in [[Walking Breaks]].
 
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* Change to a completely different plan. Consider
== [[FIRST]] (Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training) ==
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** The [[Galloway]] plan could reduce your training stress significantly, but if you're not used to [[Walking Breaks]] you will have to ease into this gently. While walking may seem trivial compared with running, the transition between the two states can cause some unexpected stress.
The FIRST plan is my preferred training approach and is available in the book [http://www.amazon.com/Runners-World-Less-Faster-Revolutionary/dp/159486649X Run Less, Run Faster]. The FIRST plan builds on the Jack Daniels approach of providing specific training paces based on fitness level, which provides clearly defined workouts. The unique attribute of FIRST is running only 3 days per week, with two days of cross training. This tends to make FIRST a tougher training plan, as every run is a hard workout.  
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** The [[Jack Daniels]] Plan A could be viable if you use it on three days a week, though the long runs are quite intense on this plan.
* My take: The best all round plan, but requires the ability to do speedwork. Though this plan is only 3 days/week, it is a tough plan.
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** The [[Hanson]] plan has found success with runners who have previously burned out on other plans, but it's unclear if it would be viable to swap that Hanson plan part way through a training cycle.
* Key Characteristics
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* Depending on the severity of your problem it may be better to give up on your chosen race, and restart your training cycle, targeting a later date.
** Run 3 days/week
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=Tweaking the Plans=
** Training pace based on fitness
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It is quite possible to use one of these plans as an initial basis and then tweak it to your particular needs. There are trivial tweaks, such as doing the [[Long Run]] on a different day, to major changes. Changes such as swapping out runs that are not key workouts for cross training or rest can be done quite easily. However, the more extensive the change, the more experience you need to understand the implications. I've added some notes on each plan where I believe modifications are advisable.
** Long runs are not at a slow pace, but between marathon pace and marathon pace + 30 seconds
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=Modifying the Plans for Continuous Training=
** Some runners find the workouts too hard, especially if they are not used to speedwork
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The vast majority of these plans assume you're starting off from a low level of training. One of my [[Top 10 Marathon Training Mistakes]] is detraining between marathons. If you race a marathon every six months and your training pattern is to have a two month gap between finishing one race and starting doing your [[Long Run]]s for the next race, you will lose a disproportionate amount of your fitness. Instead, I would recommend that after you have recovered from a race you quickly return to doing 16+ mile [[Long Run]]s. Most of the plans shown here can easily be adapted this way. Simply ignore the weeks leading up to the first 16 mile [[Long Run]], and start your training at that point for the next race.
** Precise training paces and distances provided for all runs
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=Difficulty and Benefit=
* Beginner Level (not covered in the book)
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Different people will respond differently to any given training plan. Some people will respond well and become fitter, some will not be stressed enough and won't improve, while others will be stressed too much and become injured or unable to [[Supercompensation| Supercompensate]]. A plan that has a higher level of training stress will produce a greater benefit in the subset of the population that can withstand the stress, but will have a larger number of people that become injured or unable to adapt. Thus, a harder plan may have strong advocates, but it may not be suitable for a wider population.  
** Duration: 18 weeks
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=Want to Look for in the Marathon Training Plan=
** Long Runs: 16, 13, 18, 10, 20
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Marathon training plans differ but at least partly because there is no consensus on what is best. I think however there are some key attributes to consider.
** Quality Runs: Tempo and Interval session each week
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* '''Length'''. The longer the plan, the more time you have to adjust to the training load. However, a longer plan also requires a greater time commitment.
* Standard Level (no other variations)
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* '''Starting Mileage'''. A marathon training plan needs to start with an initial mileage that matches your current fitness. However, you can skip the first few weeks of a plan if you are fitter than the initial few weeks call for. In fact, it can be important to skip these weeks, otherwise you may become detrained.
** Duration: 16 weeks
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* '''Ramp up'''. The quicker the plan ramps up the mileage, the less time you have to adapt and [[Supercompensation| Supercompensate]]. A faster ramp up generally indicates a higher risk of injury or burn out.
** Long Runs: 17, 20, 18, 20, 13, 18, 20, 15, 20, 15, 20
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* '''Rest'''. One of the most important, and often overlooked, aspects of marathon training plans is the amount of rest and recovery you get. Without sufficient rest, you won't be able to adapt and [[Supercompensation| Supercompensate]]. I believe that [[How Often To Run| running 3-4 days/week is optimal]].
** Quality Runs: Tempo and Interval session each week
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* '''Monotony'''. The ratio of training days to rest days, or easy to hard days, can be evaluated with {{TrainingMonotony}}. High values of monotony are associated with reduced fitness benefits and increased risks of [[Overtraining Syndrome]].
* Source [http://www.amazon.com/Runners-World-Less-Faster-Revolutionary/dp/159486649X Run Less, Run Faster]
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* '''[[How Often To Run| Days/Week]] and Easy Days. '''To keep {{TrainingMonotony}} low and get the best recovery, running 3-4 days/week is probably optimal. If you prefer to run more frequently, then it is critical to keep the easy days as easy as possible.
== [[Jack Daniels Running Formula]] ==
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* '''Longest Run'''. There is some controversy over the length of the longest [[Long Run]]. I believe that it is better to have a longer longest run as this provides better preparation. However, this is only true if you build up to these longer runs gradually enough that you can recover well. A [[Long Run]] that leaves you overly fatigued will not benefit you. It's better to reach the start line slightly undertrained, than injured or burned out.
This is the plan that I have used most, and is a close second behind [[FIRST]]. I believe that the [[FIRST]] plan is a natural evolution of Jack Daniels work. Jack Daniels introduced the concept of specifying training paces based on fitness, and measuring fitness based on race performance.  
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=Suitability Comparison=
* My take: A great training plan, though it requires some mental effort to read and understand how the plan works. Overall I prefer the FIRST plan, though the 'Elite' plan is one of the few I've seen that focuses on high performing runners who are prepared to put in a lot of effort.  
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The table below gives some high level guidance as to the suitability for the different plans for different types of runner. In the table, the numbers 0-5 indicate suitability with 5 being more suitable. There is a lot of individual variability, so a plan that is marked low for a particular type of runner does not mean it won't work for anyone in that category, but it's less likely to be a good candidate. Likewise, a rating of 5 does not mean it will work, just it's a better candidate. As always, I'd like to hear from anyone that disagrees ;}
* Key Characteristics
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{{:Comparison of marathon training plans-suitability-table}}
** Training pace based on fitness
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* '''Beginner''': A first time marathon runner with no background in speedwork or hard racing at shorter distances.
** Two key workouts; speedwork and long run, with other running left open
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* '''Novice''': A first time marathon runner, or someone who not run a marathon for some time, but has some experience of speedwork or racing at shorter distances.
** Beyond the ‘train to complete’ level, most long runs include speedwork. These plans are designed to improve performance and require a high degree of fortitude.  
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* '''Ringer''': A first time marathoner who has lots of experience and talent at racing shorter distances.
** Precise training paces and distances provided for quality runs
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* '''Maintenance''': A regular marathon runner who is looking to keep their performance, but not intending to work hard on improving their time.
* Plan ‘Train to complete’
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* '''Improver''': A runner who has run several marathons and is hoping to improve their performance. An improver will have not trained hard in the past, so may have the ability to improve significantly.
** Duration: 18 weeks
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* '''Enthusiast''': This is a runner who has trained hard for marathons in the past and is looking for ways of optimizing their performance.
** Long Runs: Less prescriptive than most plans; 6 runs of 2.5 hours or 25% of weekly mileage (whichever is less)
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* '''Elite''': A runner who is prepared to work 'as hard as it takes' to improve performance and typically is a faster marathon runner.
** Quality Runs: One tempo run or tempo paced intervals
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* '''Limited Training Time''': Here I'm thinking of time for training during the week, rather than the number of weeks to the race.
* Plan ‘A’
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* '''Traditionalist''': this is someone looking for an established, traditional plan with no particular innovation and novelty.
** Duration: 24 weeks
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* '''Triathlete/Multisport Athlete''': These athletes need to have time to dedicate to overtraining, so I plan that has days that can be used for other exercise methods is particularly applicable.
** Long Runs:  17 (15 @ MP), 2.5 hours, ~22 (~8 as intervals @Tempo), 19 (15 @ MP), 22 (or 2.5 hours), ~22 (~8 as intervals @Tempo), 22 (or 2.5 hours), 19 (15 @ MP)
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* '''Prior [[Overtraining]]'''. Some runners have trained for marathons on plans that have resulted in them feeling overtrained. This can be due to a lack of rest, or the training stress ramping up too quickly. The [[Overtraining]] could be [[Overuse]], [[Too Much Too Soon]], or full [[Overtraining Syndrome]]. These runners may benefit from a much lower intensity training plan, or one with much more rest, especially if they can carry some of their endurance forward from their prior training.
** Quality Runs: Tempo and Interval session each week
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* '''Time categories''': Some plans are better suited to faster or slower runners.
* Plan ‘Elite’
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* '''Like or hate speed work''': Some plans include a lot more speed work than others, and different runners either enjoy or hate doing speed work. Also some runners find themselves easily injured by speed work, and need to avoid it.
** Duration: 24 weeks
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{{:A Comparison of Marathon Training Plans-Include}}
** Long Runs:  18 (mix of easy, tempo, MP), 20+ (some @ Tempo), 18, 20 (14 @ MP, 2 @ Tempo), 21 (~7 as intervals @Tempo), 20, 22 (14 @ MP, 2 @ Tempo), ~22 (~8 as intervals @Tempo), 20, 22 (12 @ MP, 2 @ Tempo)
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=Best Plan for First Time Marathoners=
** Quality Runs: One tempo run or tempo paced intervals
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It is hard to recommend the best overall plans for first-time marathon runners because their situation and objectives can vary so widely. First-time marathon runners could be highly experienced at racing shorter distances, or completely new to structured training. They could be aiming for a competitive finish, or just hoping to survive. Therefore, I'd recommend you read the suitability comparison above, and understand how I've characterized each type of first-time runner.
* Source [http://www.amazon.com/Daniels-Running-Formula-2nd-Jack/dp/0736054928 Jack Daniels Running Formula]
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* If your predicted marathon finish time is 5:30 or longer then I believe [[Galloway]] or a similar [[Walking Breaks| run/walk]] approach is by far the best approach. If you can predict your marathon finish time from a shorter race using my [[VDOT Calculator]]. A 5:30 marathon finish is about a 35:00 5K.
==Runners World SmartCoach==
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* For those with a predicted finish time of 4:30-5:30 (28:30-35:00 5K time) then [[Galloway]] is still probably your best bet, but you could consider the [[Higdon]]'s Novice plan, or [[Jack Daniels]] Plan A.
Runners World also has an application that generates customized training plans. You input a race time, your weekly mileage, training effort, schedule length and when you want to start, then you get a plan based on that information. The approach is based around the work of Jack Daniels and other coaches, but does not use Jack Daniels specific formula. The flexible nature of the application makes it harder to provide specific characteristics, so I have used a few samples to give a sense of the style of the plan.  
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* If your predicted finish time is faster than 4:30, the best plan will depend on your objectives.
* My take: Some nice flexibility and customization with many permutations available depending on your needs.
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** If you just wish to finish, then yet again [[Galloway]] is a great option, or you could consider the [[Higdon]]'s novice plan.
* Key Characteristics
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** If you're hoping to perform well then look at [[Jack Daniels]] Plan A or [[FIRST]].
** A customizable plan, giving many options for those who like to tweak
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=Individualized Plans=
** Uses reduced mileage, easier weeks every fourth week unless a duration less than 16 weeks is selected
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I have not included any individualized plans. This approach allows you to input things like a race goal, your weekly mileage, training effort, schedule length and when you want to start. This is partly because these plans require a fee for each set of inputs, making them extremely expensive if you want to get an overview of different paces and weekly mileage. The other major problem is that because they are customized, the algorithm for generating the plans can also change without notice.
** A little speedwork and moderately hard long runs
 
** Precise training paces and distances provided for all runs
 
* Example: 3 Hour marathon, 60 Miles/week, Moderate Effort
 
** Duration: 16 weeks
 
** Long Runs:  16, 18, 7, 20, 16, 20, 8, 16, 20, 16, 8, 20 (even pace, around MP+30, getting faster as the plan progresses)
 
** Quality Runs: A tempo or interval session once a week for most weeks
 
** Run 6 days/week
 
* Example: 4 Hour marathon, 30 Miles/week, Moderate Effort
 
** Duration: 16 weeks
 
** Long Runs: 16, 18, 20, 6, 16, 20, 16, 7, 20 (even pace, around MP+45, getting faster as the plan progresses)
 
** Quality Runs: A tempo or interval session once a week for most weeks
 
** Run 4 days/week
 
* Example: 4:30 Hour marathon, 25 Miles/week, Maintenance Effort (lowest)
 
** Duration: 16 weeks
 
** Long Runs:  No runs longer than 14 miles
 
** Quality Runs: A tempo or interval session once a week for most weeks
 
** Run 3 days/week
 
* Example: 3:30 Hour marathon, 50 Miles/week, Very Hard Effort (highest)
 
** Duration: 16 weeks
 
** Long Runs: 16, 18, 9, 20, 16, 20, 10, 16, 20, 16, 11, 20 (even pace, with initial runs MP+90 to MP+45)
 
** Quality Runs: A tempo or interval session once a week for most weeks
 
** Run 5 days/week
 
* Source http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/smartcoach/1,7148,,00.html
 
== Advanced Marathoning (Pfitzinger) ==
 
This plan is specifically for experienced marathon runners looking to improve their performance. There is no beginner or intermediate plans, but there are multiple plans depending on miles per week and number of weeks.  
 
{| {{table}}
 
| Up to 55 Miles/week||24 Weeks||18 Weeks||12 Weeks||Recovery
 
|-
 
| Up to 70 Miles/week||24 Weeks||18 Weeks||12 Weeks||Recovery
 
|-
 
| Over 70 Miles/week||24 Weeks||18 Weeks||12 Weeks||Recovery
 
|}
 
 
 
* My take: Some good plans with basic guidance around training plans, but not as sophisticated as Jack Daniels or FIRST. The plans involve a lot of long and medium long runs, and some speedwork. There is a note that the long runs should be 10% to 20% slower than goal marathon pace, but there is not advice on how to do the calculation, or tables to use.  
 
* Key Characteristics
 
** Training pace based on fitness
 
** Two key workouts; speedwork and long run, with other running left open
 
** Guidance for training paces and distances provided
 
* "up to 55 mile" plans  
 
** 4-5 days/week of running
 
** One medium long run per week (11-13 miles) in addition to the long run
 
** Occasional, once per week speedwork sessions
 
* "up to 70 mile" plans
 
** 6 days/week of running
 
** One or two medium long runs per week (11-15 miles) in addition to the long run
 
** One session per week
 
* "Over 70 mile" plans
 
** 7 days/week of running with running twice a day on some days
 
** One or two medium long runs per week (11-15 miles) in addition to the long run
 
** One speedwork session per week
 
* Long runs are shown in the table below
 
{| {{table}}
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 24'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 23'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 22'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 21'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 20'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 19'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 18'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 17'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 16'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 15'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 14'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 13'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 12'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 11'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 10'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 9'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 8'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 7'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 6'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 5'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 4'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 3'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 2'''
 
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''week 1'''
 
|-
 
| Up to 55 Miles/week||24 Week Plan||||||||||||||||16||17||18||13||17||18||20||16(12@MP)||13||20||17||17(14@ MP)||15||21||17||16||12
 
|-
 
| ||18 Week Plan||||||||||||||||||||||||17||12||18||20||15(12@MP)||14||20||17||17 (14@MP)||17||20||16||12
 
|-
 
| ||12 Week Plan||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||16||17||18||15(12@MP)||20||17||20||16||12
 
|-
 
| Up to 70 Miles/week||24 Week Plan||||||||16||17||13||17||18||19||20||14||20||21||18||16(12@MP)||14||23||20||17(14@MP)||18||21||20||17||13
 
|-
 
| ||18 Week Plan||||||||||||||||||17||15||18||20||14||21||20||15(12@MP)||15||22||18||17(14@MP)||18||20||17||13
 
|-
 
| ||12 Week Plan||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||17||18||17||20||16(12@MP)||21||18||20||17||13
 
|-
 
| Over 70 Miles/week||24 Week Plan||||||16||17||18||15||18||19||20||21||15||20||22||18||17(12@MP)||16||24||20||18(15@MP)||18||22||20||17||13
 
|-
 
| ||18 Week Plan||||||||||||||||17||18||16||19||20||16||20||22||16(12@MP)||16||24||18||18(15@MP)||20||22||17||13
 
|-
 
| ||12 Week Plan||||||||||||||||||||||||||||17||18||19||17||20||17(12@MP)||22||18||20||17||13
 
|}
 
 
 
* Source [http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Marathoning-2nd-Peter-Pfitzinger/dp/0736074600 Advanced Marathoning]
 
==Jeff Galloway==
 
The Jeff Galloway training program is based around taking walking breaks to increase the distance that can be covered, and to run as slowly. (I have not used the Galloway approach and I will add more details about this plan in the future.) 
 
* My take: A good approach for people who's base fitness or injury history makes running the marathon distance continuously problematic.
 
* Key Characteristics
 
** Walk/run pattern to cover the distance
 
** Some longer long runs, including 26 miles in training
 
* Plan ‘to finish’
 
** Duration: 32 weeks
 
** Long Runs:  17, 5, 6, 23, 6, 7, '''26''' (followed by four week taper)
 
** Quality Runs: No speedwork
 
** Run 3 days/week plus a walk only day
 
==Hal Higdon==
 
Hal Higdon has a number of plans freely available on the [[http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Mar00index.htm web]] as well as more detailed plans that can be purchased for between $20 and $100. The $100 plan gets you the workouts emailed to you daily, access to a private forum and a 3 month subscription to trainingpeaks.com. The plans on the web have more details than most, with each workout including some tips and guidance for the particular run. Here is an example from the long run on week 13 of the advanced 2 plan:
 
<pre>
 
Saturday: Ten miles at your marathon pace. In the early weeks of the program when I asked you to do "pace runs,"
 
you probably thought, "This is not a workout. This is a stroll in the park." But running 10 miles at marathon
 
pace is serious business, particularly when it serves as a prelude to tomorrow's 20-miler. The cumulative effect
 
of 30 miles stacked back-to-back will get you in shape to succeed in the marathon itself a half dozen weeks from
 
now. Is the marathon only six weeks away? Oh my!
 
</pre>
 
* My take: A solid set of plans, with a wide variety to chose from. The advice and tips that go with each run may suit some runners, otherwise rather 'vanilla'.
 
* Key Characteristics
 
** Detailed plans at five different levels, with tips and advice for each run
 
** More advanced plans use a marathon pace run followed by a long run the next day.
 
*** My friend Troy notes that this is a problem as you either need to be able to run both Saturday and Sunday, or be able to run a longish run on Friday and the long run Saturday. 
 
*** Another friend Christa said she liked having the MP run the day before the long run, as the experience of going long on tired legs helped prepare her for the race.
 
* Plan [http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/novices.html Novice 1]
 
** Duration: 18 weeks
 
** Long Runs:  16, 12, 18, 14, 20
 
** Quality Runs: No speedwork, but advice on picking up the pace on some runs
 
** Run 4 days/week + one day of cross training
 
* Plan [http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/inter1.html Intermediate 1]
 
** Duration: 18 weeks
 
** Long Runs:  17, 18, 13, 20, 12, 20
 
** Quality Runs: Some shorter runs at marathon pace
 
** Run 5 days/week + one day of cross training
 
* Plan [http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/inter2.html Intermediate 2]
 
** Duration: 18 weeks
 
** Long Runs:  16, 17, 12, 19, 20, 12, 20, 12, 20
 
** Quality Runs: Some runs at marathon pace the day before the long runs. Example, 10 @ MP followed by 20 easy the next day.
 
** Run 5 days/week + one day of cross training
 
* Plan [http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/advanced1/advanced1.htm Advanced 1]
 
** Duration: 18 weeks
 
** Long Runs:  16, 17, 12, 19, 20, 12, 20, 12, 20
 
** Quality Runs: Intervals or Tempo one day per week, plus some runs at marathon pace the day before the long runs.
 
** Run 5 days/week + one day of cross training
 
* Plan [http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/advanced2/advancedII.htm Advanced 2]
 
** As Advanced 1, but with two interval or tempo runs, plus marathon pace followed by a long run
 
* Source http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Mar00index.htm
 
 
 
==Runners World Fixed Plans==
 
Runners World has some plans available on their web site and I know people who have used them successfully.
 
* My take: A reasonable set of plans, but nothing to differentiate them from other plans.
 
* Key Characteristics
 
** A series of simple plans with nothing unusual; the ‘vanilla’ option
 
* Plan [http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--6946-2-3X5X7-4,00.html Beginner]
 
** Duration: 16 weeks
 
** Long Runs:  16, 18, 20
 
** Quality Runs: Some basic intervals and uphill training
 
** Run 3 or 4 days/week
 
* Plan [http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--6946-3-3X5X7-4,00.html Intermediate]
 
** Duration: 16 weeks
 
** Long Runs:  16, 16, 17, 8, 18, 19, 20
 
** Quality Runs: Most weeks include 3 runs with some basic speedwork
 
** Run 5 days/week
 
* Plan [http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--6946-4-3X5X7-4,00.html Advanced]
 
** Duration: 16 weeks
 
** Long Runs:  18, 18, 20, 10, 20, 22, 20 (some with hills, some with last 15 minutes @ tempo)
 
** Quality Runs: Most weeks include 3 runs with speedwork including intervals and tempo
 
** Run 5 days/week
 
* Source http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-255-6946-0,00.html
 

Latest revision as of 16:10, 7 January 2016

What's on your bookshelf? I've looked at a many of the popular marathon training plans so you don't have to.

This comparison covers many of the most popular marathon training plans, and has a short description of the plan, a list of the key attributes and a high level summary of each level of the plan. For the Long Runs, I start listing the lengths with the first run of 16 miles or longer and do not include the taper period. You can find more details on each plan in these sub-pages:

If you've used a Marathon training plan in the past then please fill in the Marathon Survey.

1 The purpose of this comparison

This comparison should not be used to choose a plan by itself. The goal is to provide you with some guidance around which plans are candidates so you can do further research. The comparison is also based on the plans themselves, not any supporting information such as the training methodology or other advice. This comparison does not attempt to be comprehensive review of all plans, but to cover a few of the most popular plans.

2 Unique Aspects of the Plans

This summary attempts to distill each of the plans into their unique points.

  • Jack Daniels. These plans specify two runs per week, a long run and a speedwork, with the rest let up to the individual.
  • FIRST. Three runs per week; Tempo Runs, Interval Training and Long Runs, plus 2 days of cross training.
  • Galloway. All plans use Walking Breaks and some include training runs longer than the marathon distance.
  • Hanson. The Long Runs are limited to 16 miles but they include shorter mid-week marathon paced running.
  • Higdon. The easier plans are 'vanilla', while the harder ones include back to back long runs.
  • Pfitzinger. Plans for experienced runners, including some high mileage plans with multiple runs per day.
  • Waitz. Only a single, simple plan for first time marathon runners.
  • Lydiard. Created for elite runners, these plans have a lot of hard running.

3 The Will to Win

As Juma Ikangaa said, "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." The plans below can work, but they are not guaranteed to produce success, as long distance running requires a big commitment of time and effort. It is vital to count the cost that this training requires; none of these plans will help you if you don't follow them.

4 Mid Plan Adjustments and the Golden Rule of Training

The Golden Rule of Training is "to stay injury free so you can continue training". While this sounds obvious, it can be hard to follow. If you are struggling with a particular training plan, either unable to complete the workouts, or the workouts leave you feeling wiped out, then it's probably better to change your plan than to continue on. It's far better to arrive at the start line slightly undertrained than burned out or injured. You may have to find a different plan, or modify the workouts in your existing plan, though the latter can be tricky. Depending on how far through your training cycle you are, and how badly your suffering, the adjustment varies. Here are some possible modifications.

  • Drop cross training activities.
  • Reduce the length or skip entirely some of the shorter easy runs if your plan has those.
  • Reduce the length or decrease the pace of some of the speed work. If your plan has more than one speed work session per week, consider dropping one session.
  • Reduce the length of the Long Runs or add in Walking Breaks.
  • Change to a completely different plan. Consider
    • The Galloway plan could reduce your training stress significantly, but if you're not used to Walking Breaks you will have to ease into this gently. While walking may seem trivial compared with running, the transition between the two states can cause some unexpected stress.
    • The Jack Daniels Plan A could be viable if you use it on three days a week, though the long runs are quite intense on this plan.
    • The Hanson plan has found success with runners who have previously burned out on other plans, but it's unclear if it would be viable to swap that Hanson plan part way through a training cycle.
  • Depending on the severity of your problem it may be better to give up on your chosen race, and restart your training cycle, targeting a later date.

5 Tweaking the Plans

It is quite possible to use one of these plans as an initial basis and then tweak it to your particular needs. There are trivial tweaks, such as doing the Long Run on a different day, to major changes. Changes such as swapping out runs that are not key workouts for cross training or rest can be done quite easily. However, the more extensive the change, the more experience you need to understand the implications. I've added some notes on each plan where I believe modifications are advisable.

6 Modifying the Plans for Continuous Training

The vast majority of these plans assume you're starting off from a low level of training. One of my Top 10 Marathon Training Mistakes is detraining between marathons. If you race a marathon every six months and your training pattern is to have a two month gap between finishing one race and starting doing your Long Runs for the next race, you will lose a disproportionate amount of your fitness. Instead, I would recommend that after you have recovered from a race you quickly return to doing 16+ mile Long Runs. Most of the plans shown here can easily be adapted this way. Simply ignore the weeks leading up to the first 16 mile Long Run, and start your training at that point for the next race.

7 Difficulty and Benefit

Different people will respond differently to any given training plan. Some people will respond well and become fitter, some will not be stressed enough and won't improve, while others will be stressed too much and become injured or unable to Supercompensate. A plan that has a higher level of training stress will produce a greater benefit in the subset of the population that can withstand the stress, but will have a larger number of people that become injured or unable to adapt. Thus, a harder plan may have strong advocates, but it may not be suitable for a wider population.

8 Want to Look for in the Marathon Training Plan

Marathon training plans differ but at least partly because there is no consensus on what is best. I think however there are some key attributes to consider.

  • Length. The longer the plan, the more time you have to adjust to the training load. However, a longer plan also requires a greater time commitment.
  • Starting Mileage. A marathon training plan needs to start with an initial mileage that matches your current fitness. However, you can skip the first few weeks of a plan if you are fitter than the initial few weeks call for. In fact, it can be important to skip these weeks, otherwise you may become detrained.
  • Ramp up. The quicker the plan ramps up the mileage, the less time you have to adapt and Supercompensate. A faster ramp up generally indicates a higher risk of injury or burn out.
  • Rest. One of the most important, and often overlooked, aspects of marathon training plans is the amount of rest and recovery you get. Without sufficient rest, you won't be able to adapt and Supercompensate. I believe that running 3-4 days/week is optimal.
  • Monotony. The ratio of training days to rest days, or easy to hard days, can be evaluated with Training Monotony. High values of monotony are associated with reduced fitness benefits and increased risks of Overtraining Syndrome.
  • Days/Week and Easy Days. To keep Training Monotony low and get the best recovery, running 3-4 days/week is probably optimal. If you prefer to run more frequently, then it is critical to keep the easy days as easy as possible.
  • Longest Run. There is some controversy over the length of the longest Long Run. I believe that it is better to have a longer longest run as this provides better preparation. However, this is only true if you build up to these longer runs gradually enough that you can recover well. A Long Run that leaves you overly fatigued will not benefit you. It's better to reach the start line slightly undertrained, than injured or burned out.

9 Suitability Comparison

The table below gives some high level guidance as to the suitability for the different plans for different types of runner. In the table, the numbers 0-5 indicate suitability with 5 being more suitable. There is a lot of individual variability, so a plan that is marked low for a particular type of runner does not mean it won't work for anyone in that category, but it's less likely to be a good candidate. Likewise, a rating of 5 does not mean it will work, just it's a better candidate. As always, I'd like to hear from anyone that disagrees ;}

  FIRST
Marathon
FIRST

Novice

Jeff Galloway's
You Can Do It!
Hanson's
Marathon Method
Just Finish
Hanson's
Marathon Method
Beginner/Advanced
Hanson's
Marathon Method
Elite
Jack Daniels
4Week
Jack Daniels
2Q
Jack Daniels
Plan A
Jack Daniels
Elite (AKA 12 Week)
Pfitzinger's
Advanced Marathoning
Hal Higdon's
Ultimate Training Guide
Waitz's Run
your first marathon
Running With Lydiard
Beginner 0 2 5 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 2 0
Novice 1 3 4 1 1 0 3 1 2 0 0 3 1 0
Ringger 2 4 2 0 2 2 3 3 4 1 1 2 0 2
Maintenance 2 2 3 2 2 0 3 2 2 0 0 4 0 0
Improver 4 3 3 0 3 0 3 4 4 3 3 2 0 1
Enthusiast 4 2 3 0 2 1 3 5 5 4 3 2 0 2
Elite 3 0 1 0 1 3 1 3 3 4 3 0 0 3
Limited Training Time 4 4 0 3 2 0 5 5 5 4 0 2 2 0
Traditionalist 2 2 2 0 0 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 1
Triathlete/Multisport 5 5 4 0 0 0 5 5 5 3 0 2 3 0
Prior Overtraining 3 3 4 1 4 1 5 4 4 0 0 0 0 0
Sub 3:00 5 5 2 1 2 3 4 5 5 5 4 2 0 3
3:00-4:30 5 5 4 2 3 0 5 4 5 3 3 3 2 1
4:30-5:30 3 3 5 1 2 0 2 2 3 0 0 2 2 0
5:30+ 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Like Speedwork 5 5 0 0 3 3 5 5 5 5 3 1 0 5
Hate Speedwork 0 0 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 5 0
  • Beginner: A first time marathon runner with no background in speedwork or hard racing at shorter distances.
  • Novice: A first time marathon runner, or someone who not run a marathon for some time, but has some experience of speedwork or racing at shorter distances.
  • Ringer: A first time marathoner who has lots of experience and talent at racing shorter distances.
  • Maintenance: A regular marathon runner who is looking to keep their performance, but not intending to work hard on improving their time.
  • Improver: A runner who has run several marathons and is hoping to improve their performance. An improver will have not trained hard in the past, so may have the ability to improve significantly.
  • Enthusiast: This is a runner who has trained hard for marathons in the past and is looking for ways of optimizing their performance.
  • Elite: A runner who is prepared to work 'as hard as it takes' to improve performance and typically is a faster marathon runner.
  • Limited Training Time: Here I'm thinking of time for training during the week, rather than the number of weeks to the race.
  • Traditionalist: this is someone looking for an established, traditional plan with no particular innovation and novelty.
  • Triathlete/Multisport Athlete: These athletes need to have time to dedicate to overtraining, so I plan that has days that can be used for other exercise methods is particularly applicable.
  • Prior Overtraining. Some runners have trained for marathons on plans that have resulted in them feeling overtrained. This can be due to a lack of rest, or the training stress ramping up too quickly. The Overtraining could be Overuse, Too Much Too Soon, or full Overtraining Syndrome. These runners may benefit from a much lower intensity training plan, or one with much more rest, especially if they can carry some of their endurance forward from their prior training.
  • Time categories: Some plans are better suited to faster or slower runners.
  • Like or hate speed work: Some plans include a lot more speed work than others, and different runners either enjoy or hate doing speed work. Also some runners find themselves easily injured by speed work, and need to avoid it.

10 Characteristics

The table below looks at the general characteristics of the various plans.

Plan name Duration Min Days/week Max Days/week Min Cross Training days Max Cross Training Days Speedwork Long Run Pace Long Run Speedwork
FIRST's Run Less, Run Faster Novice, Marathon 16 3 3 2 2 2 MP+15 to MP+45 Yes
Galloway You Can Do It Beginner, To Finish 26 6 6 0 0 0 Not Specified No
Galloway You Can Do It Fat Burning 26 5 5 2 2 0 MP+120 No
Galloway You Can Do It Goal based plans 26 4 4 2 2 0 MP+120 No
Galloway's Book On Running Goal based plans 32 4 7 0 0 1 MP+120 No
Hanson's Marathon Method Beginner and Advanced 18 6 6 0 0 2 Scaled (MP+50 to MP+30) No
Hal Higdon's Ultimate Training Guide Novice 18 4 4 1 1 0 NS (MP+30 to MP+90) No
Hal Higdon's Ultimate Training Guide Intermediate 1/2 18 5 5 1 1 0 NS (MP+30 to MP+90) No
Hal Higdon's Ultimate Training Guide Advanced 1/2 18 6 6 0 0 1 (Ad1), 2 (Ad2) NS (MP+30 to MP+90) No
Jack Daniels Running Formula To Finish, Novice 18 3 7 0 0 1 MP+90 to MP+120 Yes
Jack Daniels Running Formula Plan A 24 3 7 0 0 1 MP+90 to MP+120 Yes
Jack Daniels Running Formula Elite, 12 Week 24 3 7 0 0 1 MP+90 to MP+120 Yes
Jack Daniels Running Formula 2Q 18 2 7 0 0 1 MP+90 to MP+120 Yes
Jack Daniels Running Formula 4Weeks 26 2 7 0 0 1 MP+90 to MP+120 Yes
Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning <55/18 week 18 5 5 0 1 1 MP+10% to MP+20% Yes
Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning <55/12 week 12 5 5 0 1 1 MP+10% to MP+20% Yes
Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning 55-70/18 week 18 6 6 0 1 1 MP+10% to MP+20% Yes
Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning 55-70/12 week 12 6 6 0 1 1 MP+10% to MP+20% Yes
Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning 70-85/18 week 18 7 7 0 0 1 MP+10% to MP+20% Yes
Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning 70-85/12 week 12 7 7 0 0 1 MP+10% to MP+20% Yes
Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning >85 (105)/18 week 18 7 7 0 0 1 MP+10% to MP+20% Yes
Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning >85 (105)/12 week 12 7 7 0 0 1 MP+10% to MP+20% Yes
Waitz's Run your first marathon RYFM 16 4 4 0 0 0 Not Specified No
  • Plan. I have generally used the last name of the primary author of the plan, except where the plan is better known by another name.
  • Name. This is the name of the plan with the in the book, or in the case of Jack Daniels the parameters used to generate the plan.
  • Min/Max Days/week. The minimum and maximum number of days per week that the plan prescribes for running. For the Galloway plans are considered any day the prescribes walking as part of the running days and was Galloway is using a run/walk approach.
  • Min/Max Cross Training days. This is the minimum and maximum number of days per week that the plan prescribes for cross training, rather than the number of days that the plan would allow for cross training.
  • Speedwork. This is the number of days where the plan prescribes speed work such as intervals or at tempo runs. Any speed work performed as part of the long run is not included in this total.
  • Fitness Based Paces. Both Jack Daniels and FIRST define all training paces based on your current fitness level, but other plans do not. (Note that the Hanson plans do prescribe training paces, but this is based on your goal rather than your proven fitness.)
  • Long Run Pace. While only Jack Daniels and FIRST give fitness based Paces, most of the plans give at least a broad guidelines as to the appropriate long run pace. These training paces are specified as a number of seconds per mile slower than marathon pace, or occasionally as a percentage slower. (For example, MP+10% for a 6:00 min/mile marathoner: 6:00 pace is 360 seconds per mile, 10% of 360 is 36, so the pace would be 6:36 min/mile.)

Some of the plans have different number of days assigned to different activities as the plan progresses, in which case I've used a rough approximation.

11 Long Run Analysis

This section provides some detailed analysis of the long runs in each of the training plans. While some of the information is self-explanatory, some may require you to read the notes below the table. Only a subset of the plans for lower mileage, 4 hour marathoners is include'd'. For a complete table, see Full Characteristics Table

Plan name # Runs
16+
# Runs
20+
Total Miles
Over 16
Starting
Mileage
Weeks
To 16
Weeks 16
To Max
16 To
Race
Max To
Race
Initial Ramp
(First To 16)
Core Ramp
(16 To Max)
Overall Ramp
(first to max)
FIRST's Run Less, Run Faster Novice 3 1 6 8 8 4 7 3 0.88 0.90 0.75
FIRST's Run Less, Run Faster Marathon 8 5 25 13 2 1 13 12 2.00 3.00 2.30
Galloway You Can Do It Beginner 4 3 22 3 14 8 11 3 0.60 0.52 0.51
Galloway You Can Do It To Finish 4 3 22 3 14 8 11 3 0.66 0.47 0.53
Galloway You Can Do It Fat Burning 4 3 22 3 14 8 11 3 0.58 0.53 0.49
Galloway You Can Do It Goal 4:00 5 4 34 7 11 11 14 3 0.51 0.54 0.44
Galloway's Book On Running To Finish 6 4 30 2 16 10 13 3 0.61 0.82 0.64
Galloway's Book On Running Goal 4:00 6 4 30 4 18 10 13 3 0.34 0.83 0.32
Hanson's Marathon Method Beginner 3 0 0 4 10 0 7 7 1.16 0.00 1.16
Hanson's Marathon Method Advanced 3 0 0 8 10 0 7 7 0.63 0.00 0.63
Hal Higdon's Ultimate Training Guide Novice 3 1 6 6 10 4 7 3 0.97 1.00 0.89
Hal Higdon's Ultimate Training Guide Intermediate 1 4 2 11 6 9 3 8 5 0.99 0.40 0.96
Hal Higdon's Ultimate Training Guide Intermediate 2 6 3 16 10 6 4 11 7 0.79 1.00 0.95
Hal Higdon's Ultimate Training Guide Advanced 1 6 3 16 10 6 4 11 7 0.79 1.00 0.95
Hal Higdon's Ultimate Training Guide Advanced 2 6 3 16 10 6 4 11 7 0.79 1.00 0.95
Jack Daniels Running Formula To Complete (4hours, 50miles/week) 0 0 0 3 - - - 9 No 16+ miler No 16+ miler 0.96
Jack Daniels Running Formula To Complete (4hours, 90miles/week) 0 0 0 3 - - - 15 No 16+ miler No 16+ miler 3.30
Jack Daniels Running Formula 2Q (4hours, 35miles/56Km) 3 0 1 11 10 5 8 3 0.48 0.07 0.39
Jack Daniels Running Formula 4Week (4hours, 35miles/56Km) 0 0 0 8 - - - 8 No 16+ miler No 16+ miler 0.15
Jack Daniels Running Formula Plan A (4hours, 35miles/56Km) 4 0 5 3 16 5 7 2 0.74 0.19 0.71
Jack Daniels Running Formula Elite (4hours, 35miles/56Km) 16 12 74 3 6 12 18 6 1.98 0.51 1.26
Jack Daniels Running Formula Scaled Elite (4hours, 35miles/56Km) 0 0 0 3 - - - 11 No 16+ miler No 16+ miler 0.85
Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning <55/18 week 10 3 18 12 4 3 13 10 1.00 1.80 0.90
Waitz's Run your first marathon 3 1 6 5 11 2 5 3 0.96 2.00 1.11

Notes on the columns

  • # Runs 16+. I consider that the 16 mile mark defines the beginning of "the long run". While this is somewhat arbitrary on my part, I believe that counting the number of long runs that are 16 miles or more is a useful metric. The first run the diesel 16 miles or more is highlighted in green in the weekly section.
  • # Runs 20+. There is some limited evidence that suggests that runs over 20 miles provide important adaptations for marathon running, and help prevent "hitting the wall". This column gives account of the number of runs that of 20 miles or more.
  • Total Miles Over 16. Another way of evaluating a training plan is to look at the number of miles run in excess of 16 miles. For example an 18 mile long run would count as 2 miles in excess of the 16 mile Mark. This metric reveals some dramatic differences between some of the advanced plans.
  • Starting Mileage. This column shows the mileage of the first long run, and may be useful in selecting a plan based on your current fitness.
  • Weeks To 16. This is the number of weeks from the start of the plan to the first 16 mile long run. This section of the training plan I've called the "initial ramp up" that brings a runner from their initial level of fitness to what I consider the threshold of performing long runs.
  • Weeks 16 To Max. This is the number of weeks from the first run of 16 miles or more to the longest run in the plan. If the longest run is repeated more than once, I use the first instance, which is highlighted in red in the weekly section.
  • 16 To Race. The number of weeks from the first run of 16 miles or more to the race itself.
  • Max To Race. The number of weeks from the longest long run to the race itself.
  • Ramps. One key aspect of any marathon training plan is how quickly it increases the mileage. It seems likely that one of the biggest factors behind excessive fatigue and injury from the long run is at this rate of mileage increase. Therefore I have attempted to quantify this rate of increase as a "ramp", which is approximately the number of miles per week the long run is increased by. (For those interested in the details I use the least squares approach to calculate an approximate slope between the two points on the training plan. This approach has some obvious limitations when the training plans have cut back weeks.)
    • Initial Ramp (First To 16). This is the ramp from the first run to the first 16 mile or longer run.
    • Core Ramp (16 To Max).This is the ramp from the first 16 mile or longer run to the longest run.
    • Overall Ramp (first to max). The ramp from the first run to the longest run.

Below is the list of the long runs for a sample of the plans. Only a subset of the plans for lower mileage, 4 hour marathoners is include'd'. For a complete table, see Full Long Runs Table

Plan name W:32 W:31 W:30 W:29 W:28 W:27 W:26 W:25 W:24 W:23 W:22 W:21 W:20 W:19 W:18 W:17 W:16 W:15 W:14 W:13 W:12 W:11 W:10 W:9 W:8 W:7 W:6 W:5 W:4 W:3 W:2 W:1
FIRST's Run Less, Run Faster Novice 8 9 10 11 12 14 10 15 16 12 18 13 20 13 8 race
FIRST's Run Less, Run Faster Marathon 13 15 17 20 18 20 13 18 20 15 20 15 20 13 10 race
Galloway You Can Do It Beginner 3 5 3 6 8 3 9 3 11 4 13 4 15 4 17 4 20 6 6 23 6 6 26 6 6 race
Galloway You Can Do It To Finish 3 5 3 6 8 4 9 4 11 5 13 5 15 6 17 6 20 6 7 23 6 7 26 6 7 race
Galloway You Can Do It Fat Burning 3 5 6 3 8 4 9 4 11 4 13 4 15 4 17 4 20 5 6 23 6 6 26 6 7 race
Galloway You Can Do It Goal 4:00 7 7 8 9 4 11 5 13 5 15 5 17 4 20 6 6 23 8 6 26 10 6 28 12 7 race
Galloway's Book On Running To Finish 2 3 4 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 6 12 6 14 7 16 8 18 9 20 10 22 11 24 12 26 13 12 race
Galloway's Book On Running Goal 4:00 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 4 14 6 16 2 18 4 20 6 22 6 24 6 26 6 12 race
Hanson's Marathon Method Beginner 4 4 5 5 6 8 10 10 15 10 16 10 16 10 16 10 8 race
Hanson's Marathon Method Advanced 8 8 10 8 12 8 14 10 15 10 16 10 16 10 16 10 8 race
Hal Higdon's Ultimate Training Guide Novice 6 7 5 9 10 7 12 13 10 15 16 12 18 14 20 12 8 race
Hal Higdon's Ultimate Training Guide Intermediate 1 6 9 6 11 12 9 14 15 11 17 18 13 20 12 20 12 8 race
Hal Higdon's Ultimate Training Guide Intermediate 2 10 11 8 13 14 10 16 17 12 19 20 12 20 12 20 12 8 race
Hal Higdon's Ultimate Training Guide Advanced 1 10 11 8 13 14 10 16 17 12 19 20 12 20 12 20 12 8 race
Hal Higdon's Ultimate Training Guide Advanced 2 10 11 8 13 14 10 16 17 12 19 20 12 20 12 20 12 8 race
Jack Daniels Running Formula To Complete (4hours, 50miles/week) 3 3 3 12 12 12 12 12 5 14 14 11 10 14 12 10 11 5 race
Jack Daniels Running Formula To Complete (4hours, 90miles/week) 3 3 3 14 14 14 14 14 10 14 14 11 10 14 14 10 11 10 race
Jack Daniels Running Formula 2Q (4hours, 35miles/56Km) 11 11 10 11 11 11 12 13 12 15 16 14 16 14 14 17 11 8 race
Jack Daniels Running Formula 4Week (4hours, 35miles/56Km) 8 9 8 0 8 11 8 0 11 13 4 0 11 14 6 0 12 15 9 0 12 14 13 0 8 race
Jack Daniels Running Formula Plan A (4hours, 35miles/56Km) 3 3 3 6 6 6 7 6 11 8 10 12 9 15 15 9 17 17 14 17 14 19 10 race
Jack Daniels Running Formula Elite (4hours, 35miles/56Km) 3 3 3 6 6 6 18 16 18 20 17 20 22 22 20 22 22 22 23 22 22 22 19 8 race
Jack Daniels Running Formula Scaled Elite (4hours, 35miles/56Km) 3 3 3 6 6 6 10 11 10 11 12 11 12 13 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 8 race
Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning <55/18 week 12 13 14 15 16 12 18 20 16 14 20 17 18 17 20 16 12 race
Waitz's Run your first marathon 5 5 6 8 6 9 10 12 13 10 14 16 18 20 13 10 race

12 Best Plan for First Time Marathoners

It is hard to recommend the best overall plans for first-time marathon runners because their situation and objectives can vary so widely. First-time marathon runners could be highly experienced at racing shorter distances, or completely new to structured training. They could be aiming for a competitive finish, or just hoping to survive. Therefore, I'd recommend you read the suitability comparison above, and understand how I've characterized each type of first-time runner.

  • If your predicted marathon finish time is 5:30 or longer then I believe Galloway or a similar run/walk approach is by far the best approach. If you can predict your marathon finish time from a shorter race using my VDOT Calculator. A 5:30 marathon finish is about a 35:00 5K.
  • For those with a predicted finish time of 4:30-5:30 (28:30-35:00 5K time) then Galloway is still probably your best bet, but you could consider the Higdon's Novice plan, or Jack Daniels Plan A.
  • If your predicted finish time is faster than 4:30, the best plan will depend on your objectives.
    • If you just wish to finish, then yet again Galloway is a great option, or you could consider the Higdon's novice plan.
    • If you're hoping to perform well then look at Jack Daniels Plan A or FIRST.

13 Individualized Plans

I have not included any individualized plans. This approach allows you to input things like a race goal, your weekly mileage, training effort, schedule length and when you want to start. This is partly because these plans require a fee for each set of inputs, making them extremely expensive if you want to get an overview of different paces and weekly mileage. The other major problem is that because they are customized, the algorithm for generating the plans can also change without notice.