A Comparison of Marathon Training Plans-Include
From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
1 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.
2 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 |
