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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Hanson's Marathon Method (second edition) }}
[[File:Hanson.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937715485 Hanson's Marathon Method (second edition) ].]]
The Hanson's Marathon Method has gained attention because it limits the longest [[Long Run]] to 16 miles for most of their plans. While I disagree with the Hanson approach to long runs[[Long Run]]s, they do include marathon paced midweek running, and many runners have had success with Hanson. Of courseHowever, we tend to only hear about people's successes, so it's hard to systematically evaluate the actual success rate results of the [[Marathon Survey]] suggest that relatively few uses of any the Hanson planactually limit their long run to the recommended 16 miles. The book includes three fully documented plans ("Just Finish", "Beginner", and "Advanced") plus an example list of workouts from an Elite runner. (This article should be read in conjunction with my [[A Comparison of Marathon Training Plans| Comparison of Marathon Training Plans]].)
{{BuyAmazon|AZID=1937715485 |AZN=Hanson's Marathon Method}}
=Marathon Survey=
The [[Marathon Survey]] shows that users of the Hanson plan rate it about four out of five, which is about average (most runners like their plan). Runners improved their time over their previous run by an average of about 11 minutes, which is a little less than many other plans. About a quarter of the runners Hit The Wall, which is also about average for the survey. Respondents also indicated they felt that the long runs were too short, but the speed work was about right. The average Long Run distance was 18.65 miles, which is the lowest of any of the plans, but still significantly longer than the recommended 16 miles. Only about a third of the runners using the Hanson plan actually limited the distance to the 16 miles.
=The Long Run Controversy=
The Hanson's limit of 16 miles for a [[Long Run]] is based around a number of concerns, which I've listed below, along with my thoughts on their concerns.
=The Beginner & Advanced Plans=
* Key Characteristics
** The [[Long Run]]s are limited to 16 miles, but it has more Marathon Paced shorter runs. (Most runners using this plan actually run longer than this.)
** Three key workouts; interval, tempo and [[Long Run]]. While called tempo runs, these are actually done at marathon pace. The beginners plan has 5 to 10 miles at marathon pace runs during the week and the advanced has 6 to 10 miles.
** For the first half of the plan the interval training is at around 5K pace, and for the second half is at 10 seconds faster than marathon pace.