First marathon training question: confused (Read 1419 times)

How can having the marathon be your longest run ever be good? I see a lot of programs that have the longest run at 20 but then to turn around and run 26.2... Can the body really make that jump comfortably?

This was the same plan I used to train for my first marathon. I just wanted to let you know that it got me through the marathon and I met my goal time. So, while it does go against much of the common advice given on here, it can get you through the 26.2 miles. I don't really have any great advice on the Tuesday speed work... I did it and survived, but that doesn't mean it was a great idea. It feels good to mix things up a bit, so maybe do the hills every couple of weeks to break up the general aerobic runs.

How can having the marathon be your longest run ever be good? I see a lot of programs that have the longest run at 20 but then to turn around and run 26.2... Can the body really make that jump comfortably?

YES it can.... ---in perspecive..there is nothing comfortable about running 26 miles, but one 20 mile run placed properly within Hal's plan will get you to the finish line - standing - and proud.... and after you recover, you just might want to do it again....

I concur with most of the other posters ... drop the speed work and replace with a med-long mid-week run. In my opinion, you will gain more by getting in a 90 minute mid-week run versus killing yourself with speedwork (for your first 26.2). Good luck and keep us updated. BTW congrats on the weight loss ... keep up the good work!!

...since taking a few days off and then not doing speedwork I feel like I did before, bouncy! My joints stopped hurting completely, my form was better and I didn't feel sore at all until the last mile and a half. Even then it was just my exhausted muscles...

Excellent.

... I may do some speedwork or tempo runs in a month of two but only if I feel my body has energy for the rest of week after...

Take it easy when adding in speedwork. Remember the old dictum that "fast"/"hard" running should be no more than 3% - 5% of your weekly mileage. FWIW, I decided to do no speedwork of any kind this year, just run easy at my LHR training heart rate and log more miles. Improved last years marathon time by 22 minutes, and it felt great running 11-12 miles two days later.

... I am trying to figure out how long my midweek run should be. I heard a rule about running half the distance of your long run, is that right or is it more an 7-10 miles rule? The original plan peaks at 45 mpw but I am thinking I should be running more than that to really finish feeling strong and healthy.

This probably varies by the individual, but I like 75% for just one mid-week run or 66%-75% for two such runs. I.e for a 21 mile weekend run, I like one 15 mile mid-week or 2 13 to 15 mile runs. There's nothing wrong with running by how you feel on that day. If I do a 15 miler during the week and feel good that day, and my heartrate is good, and I've got the time, then I'll very likely do more mileage. Once this year I thought I'd try for 15, but at that point it felt so good I decided to go for 17, and at 17 decided to go for 18 (which would have been my longest mid-week run)... and then "hey, just 2 more miles and I'll have 20." Yes, running more mpw can let you finish stronger and feel better - just don't push your body into the extra mileage too fast. Some people use a run/walk method to increase max length of the "endurance building long run." Greg McMillan describes the "endurance" long run somewhere on his website www.mcmillanrunning.com (or something close to that)

I just wanted to thank everyone again. I was looking at my program and that jump from 12 to 15 miles just didn't sit right with me. So, I switched to the Hal Higdon intermediate 2 program. It matched well with the mileage I was already comfortable with. The program has occasional pace runs but no other speedwork and it seems to have a smoother slower ramp up ending in more mileage.