Forums >General Running>What training plan is better?
Mmmm Bop
Buy a used copy of Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger. You can get one for around $5 or less than a burger meal. It's filled with very good and easy to follow training schedules as well as lots of training and racing advice. That will be good for you for many years to come. After you've had a dozen marathons under your belt, you can try Hansons plans or just stick with the Pfitzinger plans..
I agree - that is a good book and don’t be put off by the word “Advanced ”in the title as I’d say it’s more of a step up from Hal Higdon. Very informative and explains the purpose of each run which is better than just blindly following a plan. He also has another book for shorter distances...5k to Half which is also a well respected book.. https://www.amazon.com/Faster-Road-Racing-Half-Marathon/dp/1450470459
5k - 17:53 (4/19) 10k - 37:53 (11/18) Half - 1:23:18 (4/19) Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)
Don't those cost money? I usually glance at Higdon's simply for them being Free. PS- I love the idea of following a training plan to a T. but given my schedule of late, that simply would not work, I do sometimes wonder, if runners, read the training plans vs. learning them... Good luck! let us know what you decide and how it ends up!
Don't those cost money?
I usually glance at Higdon's simply for them being Free.
PS- I love the idea of following a training plan to a T.
but given my schedule of late, that simply would not work, I do sometimes wonder, if runners, read the training plans vs. learning them...
Good luck! let us know what you decide and how it ends up!
You glance at a Higdon plan because it’s free? Very sad.
As for following a training “canned” plan to a T....well most running authors wouldn’t really expect you to do that and would assume that the reader uses them as a guideline and not do anything stupid.
My personal recommendation is https://www.amazon.com/Run-Faster-5K-Marathon-Coach/dp/0767928229.
Be your own coach. 👍
Problem Child
2 hours is my current time and I want to improve the result in that distance. But I can only choose between training plans by Polar, Strava or McMillan. Does Jack Daniels provide automatic workout plans?
2 hours is my current time and I want to improve the result in that distance. But I can only choose between training plans by Polar, Strava or McMillan.
Does Jack Daniels provide automatic workout plans?
Yes Jack Daniels has "automatic" workout plans. He covers a variety of training distances (sprints to full marathons) and has training plans for a variety of mileage. You might have to sacrifice some bike riding time to follow them. Acquire the book along with others and read them to come up with your own decision. I like Hason's personally because I have benefited from it, it is marathon focused (my current goal) and I can do almost all of the training on my lunch break.
Picking a plan because it is free and someone hasn't looked at it could be horrible. It could be great.
The best training plan is the one you'll stick to. If you'll skip workouts because you just don't want to do them you're not going to perform well under ANY plan. Free or not. Hanson's, Jack Daniels Running Formula, Pete;s Advanced Marathoning and Hal Higdon's book are all under $20 on Amazon. Some have newer versions for more, but the originals worked for years and I don't think there is much difference in the Hanson's book other than a new "Just Finish" marathon training plan. For less than a price of shoes you can have all four, or borrow three of them from a local library. You'd be surprised what you find there. Read them. Educate yourself. See what training "coach" you prefer. Most of them will be marathon specific for their training plan, but their explanation of what they base their training on is what you're looking for.
Many of us aren't sure what the hell point you are trying to make and no matter how we guess, it always seems to be something else. Which usually means a person is doing it on purpose.
VDOT 53.37
5k18:xx | Marathon 2:55:22
Running to eat
I don't know which plan is better/best, but I can say that I've gotten good results using Pfitzinger. As some have said, I think almost any marathon plan "works" if it helps you stay disciplined and put in the miles. Of course, the hard part is knowing which one is challenging enough or not challenging enough for your goals/abilities. So I think the fun/interesting aspect of using any plan is modifying them to suit your purposes, your abilities, your situation--perhaps not the very first time you're running a marathon, but after you gain some experience. All that to say that the best plan is one that you (learn to) modify to fit you.
Marathon PR: 2:52 (2006 Chicago)
Ultra #1: DNF at The North Face Thailand 100K (Feb 4, 2017)
Ultra #2: Finished in 6:53:03 at the Des Plaines River Trail Races 50M (Oct 14, 2017)
Ultra #3: Finished in 12:55:04 at The North Face Thailand 100k (Feb 1, 2020)
Ultra #4: Finished self-organized 100-miler in 19:28:53 (Oct 3, 2020)