There are lots of training plans out there -- see the Resources post earlier on this blog for several suggestions. That lists a comparatively small number of books, websites, Facebook groups, etc. There are so many different plans nowadays, it's amazing. If you search online for "marathon training", you'll get an endless amount of results. So, how do you decide which one is right for you? Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet for determining which plan is right for which person. Like so much else about marathon training, it's very personalized.
- How much time are you willing to devote during the week and on any given day?
- How much will you be running indoors on the treadmill and how much outdoors on the street and/or trails?
- Where is your fitness level as of the start of the plan?
- What is your goal for the marathon: finishing within the time limit (a great first goal) or a specific time?
- Do you work better with groups or solo?
- Are you comfortable finding and implementing a plan yourself, or do you want a coach providing you a personalized plan?
My training plan has evolved over time. My first several marathons, I ran several days a week, making sure that my long run on the weekend gradually increased over time until I hit about 20 or 22 miles before tapering 2-3 weeks before race day. But having always hit the Wall, I decided to implement at least some variant of Galloway's Run/Walk plan -- this enabled me to not only not hit the Wall, but allowed me to break 4 hours. Shifting to Hanson's Marathon Method enabled me to BQ (run a Boston Qualifier time). And then taking on a personal coach with a customized plan (that was very similar to Hanson's) allowed my to not only shatter my previous BQ PR (personal record) by nearly 10 minutes, but to set a Guinness World Record in the process. (More on that later in the blog)
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