There are a vast number {{DISPLAYTITLE:A comparison of the best marathon training plans for }}[[File:MarathonBookshelf.jpg|right|thumb|500px|What's on your bookshelf? I've looked at a many of the popular marathon distance, and choosing one can be dauntingtraining plans so you don't have to. ]]This page gives an overview comparison covers many of several the most popularmarathon training plans, proven plans. I have given and has 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[[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:== * [[FIRST]] (Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training) ==| FIRST's Run Less, Run Faster]]The FIRST plan is my preferred training approach and is available in the book * [[http://www.amazon.com/RunnersGalloway| Jeff Galloway's Marathon -World-Less-Faster-Revolutionary/dp/159486649X Run Less, Run FasterYou Can Do It!]]. The FIRST plan builds on the * [[Hanson| Hanson's Marathon Method]]* [[Higdon| Hal Higdon's Ultimate Training Guide]]* [[Jack Daniels| 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 ' Running Formula]]* [[Pfitzinger| Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning]]* [[Waitz| Waitz's Run your first marathon]]If you've used a Marathon trainingplan in the past then please fill in the [[Marathon Survey]]. =The purpose of this comparison=This tends comparison should not be used to make FIRST choose a tougher training plan, as every run by itself. The goal is a hard workoutto provide you with some guidance around which plans are candidates so you can do further research. * Key Characteristics** Run 3 days/week** Training pace based on fitness** Long runs are 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 at a slow paceattempt to be comprehensive review of all plans, but between marathon pace and marathon pace + 30 secondsto cover a few of the most popular plans. ** Some runners find =Unique Aspects of the workouts too hard, especially if they are not used Plans=This summary attempts to speedwork* Beginner Level (not covered in distill each of the book)plans into their unique points. ** Duration: 18 weeks** Long Runs: 16[[Jack Daniels]]. These plans specify two runs per week, 13a long run and a speedwork, 18, 10, 20 with the rest let up to the individual. ** Quality [[FIRST]]. Three runs per week; [[Tempo Runs: Tempo and ]], [[Interval session each weekTraining]] and [[Long Run]]s, plus 2 days of cross training. * Standard Level (no other variations)[[Galloway]]. All plans use [[Walking Breaks]] and some include training runs longer than the marathon distance. ** Duration: 16 weeks** [[Hanson]]. The [[Long Runs: 17, 20, 18, 20, 13, 18, 20, 15, 20, 15, 20 ** Quality Runs: Tempo and Interval session each Run]]s are limited to 16 miles but they include shorter mid-weekmarathon paced running. * Source [http://www[Higdon]].amazon.com/Runners-World-Less-Faster-Revolutionary/dp/159486649X Run LessThe easier plans are 'vanilla', Run Faster]while the harder ones include back to back long runs.== * [[Jack Daniels Running FormulaPfitzinger]] ==. Plans for experienced runners, including some high mileage plans with multiple runs per day. This is the * [[Waitz]]. Only a single, simple plan that I have used most, and is a close second behind [FIRST]]for first time marathon runners. I believe that the * [[FIRSTLydiard]] plan is a natural evolution of Jack Daniels work. Jack Daniels introduced the concept Created for elite runners, these plans have a lot of specifying training paces based on fitness, and measuring fitness based on race performancehard running. * Key Characteristics=The Will to Win=** Training pace based on fitness** Two key workouts; speedwork and long runAs Juma Ikangaa said, with other running left open** Beyond "The will to win means nothing without the ‘train will to complete’ level, most long runs include speedworkprepare. These " The plans below can work, but they are designed not guaranteed to improve performance and require produce success, as long distance running requires a high degree big commitment of fortitudetime and effort. * Plan ‘Train It is vital to complete’** Duration: 18 weeks** Long Runs: Less prescriptive than most planscount the cost that this training requires; 6 runs none of 2.5 hours or 25% of weekly mileage (whichever is less)these plans will help you if you don't follow them. ** Quality Runs: One tempo run or tempo paced intervals* =Mid Plan ‘A’Adjustments and the Golden Rule of Training=** Duration: 24 weeks** Long Runs: 17 (15 @ MP), 2The [[Golden Rule of Training]] is "to stay injury free so you can continue training".5 hoursWhile this sounds obvious, ~22 (~8 as intervals @Tempo)it can be hard to follow. If you are struggling with a particular training plan, 19 (15 @ MP)either unable to complete the workouts, 22 (or 2.5 hours)the workouts leave you feeling wiped out, ~22 (~8 as intervals @Tempo), 22 (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 2injured.5 hours)You may have to find a different plan, or modify the workouts in your existing plan, 19 (15 @ MP)** Quality Runs: Tempo and Interval session each weekthough 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. * Plan ‘Elite’Drop cross training activities.*Reduce the length or skip entirely some of the shorter easy runs if your plan has those.* Duration: 24 weeks** Long Runs: 18 (mix Reduce the length or decrease the pace of easy, tempo, MP), 20+ (some @ Tempo)of the speed work. If your plan has more than one speed work session per week, 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)consider dropping one session.* Reduce the length of the [[Long Run]]s or add in [[Walking Breaks]].* Change to a completely different plan. Consider** Quality Runs: One tempo run or tempo paced intervals* Source The [[http://www.amazon.com/Daniels-Running-Formula-2nd-Jack/dp/0736054928 Jack Daniels Running FormulaGalloway]]==Jeff Galloway==The Jeff Galloway training program is based around taking 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 breaks to increase may seem trivial compared with running, the distance that transition between the two states can cause some unexpected stress.** The [[Jack Daniels]] Plan A could be coveredviable if you use it on three days a week, and to run as slowly. (I have not used the Galloway approach and I will add more details about though the long runs are quite intense on this plan in the future.) * Key Characteristics** Walk/run pattern 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 cover the distance*swap that Hanson plan part way through a training cycle.* Some longer long runsDepending on the severity of your problem it may be better to give up on your chosen race, including 26 miles in and restart your trainingcycle, targeting a later date.* Plan ‘to finish’=Tweaking the Plans=** Duration: 32 weeks** Long Runs: 17, 5It 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, 6such as doing the [[Long Run]] on a different day, 23, 6, 7, '''26to 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''' (followed by four week taper)** Quality Runs: No speedwork** Run 3 days/week plus a walk only dayve added some notes on each plan where I believe modifications are advisable.==Hal Higdon=Modifying the Plans for Continuous Training=Hal Higdon has The vast majority of these plans assume you're starting off from a number low level of training. One of plans freely available on the my [[http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Mar00index.htm webTop 10 Marathon Training Mistakes]]] as well as more detailed plans that can be purchased for is detraining between $20 and $100marathons. The $100 plan gets If you the workouts emailed to you daily, access to race a private forum marathon every six months and your training pattern is to have a 3 two month subscription to trainingpeaks.com. The plans on gap between finishing one race and starting doing your [[Long Run]]s for the web have more details than mostnext race, with each workout including some tips and guidance for the particular runyou will lose a disproportionate amount of your fitness. Here is an example Instead, I would recommend that after you have recovered from the long run on week 13 a race you quickly return to doing 16+ mile [[Long Run]]s. Most of the advanced 2 plan:<pre>Saturday: Ten miles at your marathon paceplans shown here can easily be adapted this way. In Simply ignore the early weeks of leading up to the program when I asked you to do "pace runsfirst 16 mile [[Long Run]]," you probably thought, "This is not a workout. This is a stroll in and start your training at that point for the parknext race." 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 =Difficulty and Benefit=of 30 miles stacked back-to-back Different people will get you in shape respond differently to succeed in the marathon itself a half dozen weeks from nowany given training plan. Is the marathon only six weeks away? Oh my!</pre>* Key Characteristics** Detailed plans at five different levelsSome people will respond well and become fitter, some will not be stressed enough and won't improve, with tips while others will be stressed too much and advice for each run** More advanced plans use become injured or unable to [[Supercompensation| Supercompensate]]. A plan that has a marathon pace run followed by higher level of training stress will produce a long run greater benefit in the subset of the population that can withstand the next day* Plan [http://wwwstress, but will have a larger number of people that become injured or unable to adapt.halhigdonThus, a harder plan may have strong advocates, but it may not be suitable for a wider population.com/marathon/novices=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.html Novice 1]** Duration: 18 weeks'''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.** Long Runs: 16'''Starting Mileage'''. A marathon training plan needs to start with an initial mileage that matches your current fitness. However, 12, 18, 14you can skip the first few weeks of a plan if you are fitter than the initial few weeks call for. In fact, 20it can be important to skip these weeks, otherwise you may become detrained.** Quality Runs: No speedwork'''Ramp up'''. The quicker the plan ramps up the mileage, but advice on picking up the pace on some runs** Run 4 days/week + one day of cross training* Plan less time you have to adapt and [[http://wwwSupercompensation| Supercompensate]].halhigdonA faster ramp up generally indicates a higher risk of injury or burn out.com/marathon/inter1.html Intermediate 1]** Duration: 18 weeks** Long Runs: 17'''Rest'''. One of the most important, 18and often overlooked, 13, 20, 12, 20** Quality Runs: Some shorter runs at marathon pace** Run 5 days/week + one day aspects of marathon training plans is the amount of cross training* Plan rest and recovery you get. Without sufficient rest, you won't be able to adapt and [[http://wwwSupercompensation| Supercompensate]].halhigdon.comI believe that [[How Often To Run| running 3-4 days/marathon/inter2week is optimal]].html Intermediate 2]** Duration: 18 weeks** Long Runs: 16'''Monotony'''. The ratio of training days to rest days, 17or easy to hard days, 12, 19, 20, 12, 20, 12, 20can be evaluated with {{TrainingMonotony}}. High values of monotony are associated with reduced fitness benefits and increased risks of [[Overtraining Syndrome]]. ** Quality Runs: Some runs at marathon pace the day before '''[[How Often To Run| Days/Week]] and Easy Days. '''To keep {{TrainingMonotony}} low and get the long runs. Examplebest recovery, 10 @ MP followed by 20 easy running 3-4 days/week is probably optimal. If you prefer to run more frequently, then it is critical to keep the next dayeasy days as easy as possible. ** '''Longest Run 5 days/week + one day '''. There is some controversy over the length of cross training* Plan the longest [[http://wwwLong Run]].halhigdonI believe that it is better to have a longer longest run as this provides better preparation.com/marathon/advanced1/advanced1.htm Advanced 1]** Duration: 18 weeks** However, this is only true if you build up to these longer runs gradually enough that you can recover well. A [[Long Runs: 16, 17, 12, 19Run]] that leaves you overly fatigued will not benefit you. It's better to reach the start line slightly undertrained, 20, 12, 20, 12, 20than injured or burned out.=Suitability Comparison=** Quality Runs: Intervals or Tempo one day per week, plus some runs at marathon pace The table below gives some high level guidance as to the day before suitability for the long runsdifferent plans for different types of runner. ** Run In the table, the numbers 0-5 indicate suitability with 5 days/week + one day being more suitable. There is a lot of cross training* Plan [http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/advanced2/advancedII.htm Advanced 2]** As Advanced 1individual 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 with two interval or tempo runsit's less likely to be a good candidate. Likewise, plus marathon pace followed by a long run* Source http://www.halhigdonrating of 5 does not mean it will work, just it's a better candidate.com/As always, I'd like to hear from anyone that disagrees ;} {{:Comparison of marathon/Mar00index.htmtraining plans-suitability-table}}==Runners World==* '''Beginner''': A first time marathon runner with no background in speedwork or hard racing at shorter distances.Runners World has some plans available on their web site and I know people * '''Novice''': A first time marathon runner, or someone who have used them successfully. * Key Characteristics** A series of simple plans with nothing unusual; the ‘vanilla’ optionnot run a marathon for some time, but has some experience of speedwork or racing at shorter distances. * Plan [http'''Ringer'''://www.runnersworldA first time marathoner who has lots of experience and talent at racing shorter distances.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--6946-2-3X5X7-4,00.html Beginner]** Duration'''Maintenance''': 16 weeks** Long Runs: 16A regular marathon runner who is looking to keep their performance, 18, 20but not intending to work hard on improving their time. ** Quality Runs'''Improver''': Some basic intervals A runner who has run several marathons and uphill training** Run 3 or 4 days/weekis hoping to improve their performance. An improver will have not trained hard in the past, so may have the ability to improve significantly. * Plan [http'''Enthusiast'''://www.runnersworldThis is a runner who has trained hard for marathons in the past and is looking for ways of optimizing their performance.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244--6946-3-3X5X7-4,00.html Intermediate]** Duration'''Elite''': 16 weeksA runner who is prepared to work 'as hard as it takes' to improve performance and typically is a faster marathon runner.** Long Runs'''Limited Training Time''': 16Here I'm thinking of time for training during the week, 16, 17, 8, 18, 19, 20rather than the number of weeks to the race. ** Quality Runs'''Traditionalist''': Most weeks include 3 runs this is someone looking for an established, traditional plan with some basic speedworkno particular innovation and novelty.** Run 5 days'''Triathlete/week* Plan [httpMultisport Athlete'''://www.runnersworld.com/article/0These athletes need to have time to dedicate to overtraining,7120,s6-238-244--6946-4-3X5X7-4,00so I plan that has days that can be used for other exercise methods is particularly applicable.html Advanced]** Duration: 16 weeks** Long Runs: 18, 18, 20, 10, 20, 22'''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, 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://wwwor the training stress ramping up too quickly. The [[Overtraining]] could be [[Overuse]], [[Too Much Too Soon]], or full [[Overtraining Syndrome]].runnersworld.com/article/0These runners may benefit from a much lower intensity training plan,7120or one with much more rest,s6-238-244-255-6946-0especially 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.{{:A Comparison of Marathon Training Plans-Include}}=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 [[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 35:005K.* 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]]. =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.html
