With September well on the way, Janel and I are in countdown mode until we run our winter races (a half marathon and marathon). Most training blocks for these events last for 16 weeks so it was time to get started…as of a couple weeks ago. Like most things in my life, I procrastinated and I am now tackling my training plan.

I had hoped to set a personal record in the marathon this spring for a time of 3:30 and came up short (40ish minutes short to be more accurate). The Irving Marathon tended to be way hotter than expected and the humidity did me in. Also, my lack of training was probably the biggest hurdle to setting a personal record that day and I was happy to have the high light of my running year be Janel finishing her first half marathon! Woohoo Queen!

My training this time around would include shooting for 2,000 feet of elevation gain each week and averaging about 30-40 miles of running. So far I started September at 25 miles of running for the week and I hit almost 2,500 feet of climbing. One of the goals has been reached! The amount of elevation I got in surprised me and I hope to continue to carry that positive momentum into the Fall miles.

Now, many people train for marathons in a variety of different ways. Some wing it (not recommended based off my personal experience), some hire a coach, some read a plan through a book or may listen to others who have done so. You may find a plan online. Tons of options out there and it may be hard to figure out which one is the way to go.

I’d probably do a combination of a few things above (in the most frugal way) but hopefully I could share some research I found here for others to follow.

Which Marathon Plan is Best for Me?

When I type that question into a search engine, my blog pops up as the number one hit which is pretty cool! Just kidding.

When you actually type it in, you may find Runner’s World with its recommendations or specific athletes and coaches who are well known for their plans. I decided to research a few out of the many and I began with the first one that popped up on my screen and dove into it. Howdy Hal!

Hal Higdon’s Plan – Search Spot One

• Why should you listen to this plan?
  • According to Hal, he has helped over half a million runners reach the end of a marathon. He is an accomplished runner himself with numerous championships in his youth, top finishes in several prestigious marathons, and he holds one of the longest lasting American master records from a Steeplechase event set in 1975. Might be someone to listen too.

• What makes this plan special?
  • He has plans for beginners all the way to advanced runners. Hal gives a great understanding of how to build up to the long run in a safe, low risk injury way with a focus on getting athletes across the finish line. His weekday runs and explanations are simple to understand (Doesn’t mean training is always easy!) and it fits well with everything else that may be going on in your life. Balance is key.

Pete Pfitzinger’s Plan – Search Spot Two

• Why should you listen to this plan?
  • Reddit was on the second search engine spot and one user posted about following the Pfitzinger Marathon plan. According to Reddit, Pfitz is similar to Hal in his background of exercise science and performance in the marathon distance. He has written several books on marathon training and was an Olympian in the 1980s for the marathon distance. Sounds like he is a little too fast to be a writer on this blog.

• What makes this plan special?
  • Known as Uncle Pete in the running world (I didn’t know this before so it looks like we all share an Uncle now!), he focuses on advanced marathon performance. He throws in a longer run during the week which may tell the runner aspiring to follow his plan to set aside extra time for training. Pete is more specific with a runner’s pace during training. You may be asked to go a little harder during ‘easy’ days and pick up the pace during some of the longer runs. The result of this is a faster performance!

Runner’s World Plan – Search Spot Three

• Why should you listen to this plan?
  • Runner’s World is one of the largest running-centered magazines in the world. It hosts the opinions of many contributing runners that have an enormous depth of knowledge of the sport. They have Olympic contributors, top notch coaches, health experts, and many more. Runner’s World has many plans for all individuals, regardless of talent or experience.

• What makes this plan special?
  • The vast amounts of plans available! There are plans for running specific times from 5:30 to 5:15 to 5:00 all the way into the 2 hour 30 minute time slots. Most of us are slowly improving in the marathon each attempt and knocking off 15 minutes at a time is more manageable than taking an hour plus off one’s time. Although, I wouldn’t be unhappy knocking an hour plus off my marathon personal best…

So Which is Best?

As of many things in life, it depends! It’s pretty much up to the runner themself. I don’t think Pfitz will work best for my schedule especially with two long runs and the advanced training required. In my mind, I think I have a strong base of running mileage and advanced running knowledge. My data says otherwise. I’ll probably use different pieces off all the plans and focus on the long run each week. That is often the most important run of the week because at the end of the day for a marathon, you do need to cover 26.2 miles. No way getting around that distance. I guess you could cheat via car but that’s less fun (although way less painful).

Let me know if you have a favorite marathon training plan and I would love to learn more! If you have done one in the past, have you been happy with it?