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.

1 FIRST (Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training)

The FIRST plan is my preferred training approach and is available in the book 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.

  • Key Characteristics
    • Run 3 days/week
    • Training pace based on fitness
    • Long runs are not at a slow pace, but between marathon pace and marathon pace + 30 seconds
    • Some runners find the workouts too hard, especially if they are not used to speedwork
    • Precise training paces and distances provided for all runs
  • Beginner Level (not covered in the book)
    • Duration: 18 weeks
    • Long Runs: 16, 13, 18, 10, 20
    • Quality Runs: Tempo and Interval session each week
  • Standard Level (no other variations)
    • Duration: 16 weeks
    • Long Runs: 17, 20, 18, 20, 13, 18, 20, 15, 20, 15, 20
    • Quality Runs: Tempo and Interval session each week
  • Source Run Less, Run Faster

2 Jack Daniels Running Formula

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.

  • Key Characteristics
    • Training pace based on fitness
    • Two key workouts; speedwork and long run, with other running left open
    • 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.
    • Precise training paces and distances provided for quality runs
  • Plan ‘Train to complete’
    • Duration: 18 weeks
    • Long Runs: Less prescriptive than most plans; 6 runs of 2.5 hours or 25% of weekly mileage (whichever is less)
    • Quality Runs: One tempo run or tempo paced intervals
  • Plan ‘A’
    • Duration: 24 weeks
    • 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)
    • Quality Runs: Tempo and Interval session each week
  • Plan ‘Elite’
    • Duration: 24 weeks
    • 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)
    • Quality Runs: One tempo run or tempo paced intervals
  • Source Jack Daniels Running Formula

3 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.)

  • 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

4 Hal Higdon

Hal Higdon has a number of plans freely available on the [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: 

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!
  • 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
  • Plan 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 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 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 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 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

5 Runners World Fixed Plans

Runners World has some plans available on their web site and I know people who have used them successfully.

  • Key Characteristics
    • A series of simple plans with nothing unusual; the ‘vanilla’ option
  • Plan Beginner
    • Duration: 16 weeks
    • Long Runs: 16, 18, 20
    • Quality Runs: Some basic intervals and uphill training
    • Run 3 or 4 days/week
  • Plan 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 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

6 Runners World SmartCoach

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.

  • Key Characteristics
    • A customizable plan, giving many options for those who like to tweak
    • Uses reduced mileage, easier weeks every fourth week unless a duration less than 16 weeks is selected
    • 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
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