Hanson's Marathon Project (Read 2149 times)

Venomized


Drink up moho's!!

    So has anybody tried the Hanson's method to train for a marathon?  I am looking to give it a try over the winter with an April race day target to see how it goes.

     

    I will likely put a hybrid plan together that will bridge the gap between the beginner and advanced plan.  I know the most gains would be seen with the advanced plan but I will fully admit to being weeknight time crunched to get the schedule in.

     

    Open to suggestions and thoughts for this endeavor

      I haven't followed it exactly but it looks fundamentally sound--probably better than most beginner plans out there. There have been a lot of threads on it.

       

      Have you run marathons before? What was your training like and what are your goals for your spring marathon?

      Runners run

        I followed the free one you can find online for a marathon a year ago. I tweaked it a bit to add some miles but I liked it and had a really good race. There are also a bunch of plans here:  http://hansonscoachingservices.com/coaching/marathon-training-program/

         

        I did purchase one of their higher mileage plans. Not sure it was worth the $15 but it was interesting to read more about the training philosophies that came with it.

         

         

         

        Venomized


        Drink up moho's!!

          Mikeymike, yeah I have ran a few marathons in the past, 15 marathons and a 50K to be exact.  Tried a Higdonesqe approach on a few, used a Pfitz 18-55 approach in 2009.  Can't remember what I did for 2010 but 2011 was a bust as I had a stress fracture during Sunburst marathon in June. 

           

          For 2012 I just ran without a lot of structure other than loosely planning out my long runs and running enough during the week for the long run.  The summer long run plan mostly followed a cross between the Higdon intermediate and advanced plan.  No formal structure though, just ran what I could given the constraints of my home life.  Somehow I completed 5 marathons in 2012 on 30 MPW average for the year.

           

          Looking for a different approach at the moment and the 16 mile max long run sounds inviting right now

          Docket_Rocket


            I would be interested to know of other's experiences with it.  Thinking of trying it out for my Fall marathon.

            Damaris

             

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            npaden


              Interesting plan.  That looks very appealing to me. 

               

              Not the lack of 20 milers (that part looks scary), but the solid mileage and the MP tempo run for the mid week workout would make it easier to get that run in for me time wise. 

               

              I might use that as the backbone of a plan for my first marathon coming up in May.

               

              Any thoughts on the rest day?  I've been working toward running 7 days a week instead of having the rest day.

              Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

              Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)

                Even though the long runs top out at 16 miles, I wouldn't call the Hanson's plan easy. More time-efficient for sure.

                 

                If you only focus on the long run you miss the point--there is a lot of MP running and long intervals. Their general premise (that I agree with) is that most beginner and intermediate plans tend to over-emphasize the long runs at the expense of everything else like weekly mileage, long tempos etc.

                 

                At the end of the day I think the single most important factor in marathon training is going to be weekly mileage.

                Runners run

                Venomized


                Drink up moho's!!

                  Agreed, the long run is only part of the equation.  Part of the plan is the week of cumulative fatigue.  The book talks about the 16 miler not being the first 16 miles of a marathon but the fatigue you go in with to simulate the last 16 miles of the race.

                   

                  After a year of trying to follow a plan I could not fit in to my life I am trying to find a plan that will fit in to my life.  Most of my weeknight runs have to fit into a 60 or 90 minute window so the substance runs seem like they should fit  I might need to shorten some of the easy runs.  Weekends I don't have too many constraints so I can keep the longer runs on the weekend in tact.

                    I bought the book a couple of weeks ago and am thinking about using the Hanson Plan for a marathon in May (Providence, RI).....but havent decided if I 'really' want to run a marathon.    I've read about 1/2 of the book and it all make a lot of sense to me...   


                    Even though the long run tops out at 16 miles there are other long'ish runs at Marathon Pace and the mileage is decent for running a Marathon so the idea is that you are tired and training toward the end of the marathon (not the beginnng) and like Mikeymike said, it seems better than most beginner marathon methods........In the book it states that there is little physological benefit to running more than 16 miles so it doesn't make sense to beat yourself up just to say you ran 20 or 22 miles......that kind of makes sense to me too..     

                     

                    I'm surely no expert but it seems like  a good plan and its easy to follow............if I decide to go to Povidence, Ill let you know how it works out for me sometime after May 12th....Big grin

                    Champions are made when no one is watching

                      Even though the long runs top out at 16 miles, I wouldn't call the Hanson's plan easy. More time-efficient for sure.

                       

                      If you only focus on the long run you miss the point--there is a lot of MP running and long intervals. Their general premise (that I agree with) is that most beginner and intermediate plans tend to over-emphasize the long runs at the expense of everything else like weekly mileage, long tempos etc.

                       

                      At the end of the day I think the single most important factor in marathon training is going to be weekly mileage.

                       

                       

                       

                      I agree with this assessment completely. I followed Pfitz for a couple of training cycles and was looking to change it up a little last year. This isn't an "easy" plan and the MP runs got to be challenge for me. But those last couple were nice confidence boosters. I'm a fan based on my results. Like I mentioned above I got one of their higher mileage plans recently and will use it for my next marathon. The differences are mainly, you guessed it, more miles on the easy days with some 20 milers instead of 16's.

                       

                       

                       


                      Canuck

                        I bought the book recently and have decided to use the Advanced Plan to train for my May marathon.  I'm striving for more consistency in my training - I tend to have weeks where I'll run 60 miles and then another week where I run 25, so I like the idea of a plan that has 6 days/week and less emphasis on the long run.  My last few months of training have been quite sporadic due to injury and post-marathon recovery, so I'm hoping to build back up the next 5 weeks and then start in January.

                         

                        npaden - in the book they talk about adding a 7th easy day if you want more miles, so you can eliminate the rest day if it suits you.

                        PRs: 47:54 (10K); 1:46:36 (HM); 3:50:52 (FM)

                        Recovering from injured knee (PCL/Lateral Meniscus)


                        Why is it sideways?

                          In general the Hanson approach fits my "running temperament." It was the template that I based my first couple of marathons on, as I had a lot of experience running weekly volume and steady runs and not much experience with the long run. The core principle of a large volume of steady high end aerobic running and building fatigue in the legs is shared with every marathon plan that's worth its salt. 

                           

                          The difference between running 16 and 20 as a long run in training is slight. 

                           

                          I'd say that the primary downside of the plan is that it could lead to staleness in runners that like more variety in their training. I liked the approach as a transition to the marathon for an experienced runners who knows how to train for 5k and 10k. And maybe as a way for more experienced marathoners to "get back to basics."

                           

                          Long term, I think that most runners would like a little more variety in their training, but some runners obviously thrive with the approach.

                           

                          MTA: I know that schneidr uses a Hansons approach (with guidance from the actual Hansons runner Luke something or other who wrote the recent book.) He has steadily chipped away at his PR. You can learn a lot about the approach by looking at his log. It's not for the feint of heart.

                          bhearn


                            The difference between running 16 and 20 as a long run in training is slight. 

                             

                            Really? Wow. My sense is that the long-run benefits don't even start until around 16. But I guess it depends on how fatigued you are going into it.


                            Why is it sideways?

                              Really? Wow. My sense is that the long-run benefits don't even start until around 16. But I guess it depends on how fatigued you are going into it.

                               

                              If you look at the entire context of training -- will 4 miles here or there make any difference in a weekly total? Maybe a little, but not a ton.

                               

                              Oh, and I think that the 16 mile long run of Hansons gets overblown as a key aspect of the plan. As you can see Ben does his share of 20 milers.

                                Yeah although I'm still firmly in the "long runs are overrated" camp, I have a new found respect for the long run and at the moment the difference between 16 and 20 seems pretty significant.

                                 

                                As I said to you (Jeff) as we were drinking Dos Perros and getting swarmed by yellow jackets 8 days ago, longs may be over rated but they're still pretty important.

                                Runners run