I''m new to RA. What are you doing up so late? .

Did you see Superman Returns? Mikey's kind of like the updated version of Superman. He hangs out up in the stratosphere semi-lucid while monitoring the airwaves et al for signs of trouble. When he hears something, he responds.

My last marathon was done on training 5 days a week. Will there be a benefit to adding a 6th day of training or should I stick to 5 since that worked pretty well the last time?

Adding a 6th comfortable day of running is recommended and will have benefits and make you stronger. Also, another important thing to do (other than increasing your total miles) to enhance your marathon time is to focus on incorporating two big work outs a week - these are two semi long runs with quality within them or one session and then adding some moderate quality within your long run. One day could be adding 10 -15K paced reps, another day some sustained faster running like at marathon pace with striders at end of these work outs. This will enhance your results (on the same miles per week) for a marathon. It certainly will enhance half marathon training times also. It has worked for me on my low miles and also on the runners I coach. The results are quite strong. Push the pace two times per week without hammering and all other days are pretty comfortable running. http://www.therunzone.com/ntrz/?page_id=65

It all depends of what you do in you 6 days. Personally, I've gone from 5 days to 3 days and since, I am running my the fastest HM and marathon times. I'm following the FIRST plan. That plan focuses on quality over quantity. I try to do an interval run, a tempo run and a long run each week. Also, most importantly, I usually do 3-5 hours of non-impact aerobic cross-training a week. Mainly cycling and swimming. I used to get injured regularly and haven't gotten an injury since I started that that approach about a year and a half ago. What's interesting is that when I was running 5 times a week and increasing my mileage, I would usually be taxing my legs and trying not to get injured because they didn't have time to recover. Now, I feel I work harder on the 3 runs but I can rest my legs a rest day between workouts yet still can go hard on the cardio swimming, cycling or both.The limiting factor for my training now is more often my cardio (I feel drained at the end of a hard week) than my legs being sore. I know this is a sensitive topic because coaches have repeated the sacred rule that the more you run the faster you'll run. This has worked for athletes that are blessed with the biomechanics to withstand 100+ miles a week and can still include some high quality workouts in. But there currently is a quality over quantity trend. And for those that tend to get injured after the hit a certain number of miles per week I find that this approach makes wonders.

I keep easy days easy.

Thanks. Just needed a reminder. After running for over 20 years the brain sometimes freezes up.

Thanks. Just needed a reminder. After running for over 20 years the brain sometimes freezes up.

Nobby 415 I guess you missed this post.

I'm kind of a low mileage runner... ... but I've found that my body LIKES a short run every day much more than it likes a moderate-length one several times a week. Wish I'd discovered that a few years ago... And almost every run is "easy" for me.

But there currently is a quality over quantity trend.

Interesting that you should say this. Maybe among a certain portion of recreational runners there is currently a quality over quantity trend. But among elite American runners, they've already been there, done that. And coincidentally, the quality over quantity trend at the elite level seemed to line up surprisingly well with the decline of American runners' competitiveness on the world scene. In the last few years, the top American runners are focusing on quantity again (not to the exclusion of quality, mind you), and guess what? We've got guys placing in the top 10 in major marathons again.