I’m looking for advice on a marathon training plan.  I’m considering paying for a McMillan plan, but am unsure which one to purchase, Level 3 or 4 (basic marathon, combo runner is what I’m looking at, unless you have a better idea).

I have run 4 marathons in the past 18 months along with several halfs, and other shorter races along the way.  My marathon PR is 5:06 and I’d love to get under 5 this year if possible.  My next marathon will be Chicago this October, a course I have run twice and my current PR.

I’ve been running for a little over 3 years, female, 42 and am what many would consider to be low-mid mileage, though I am trying to improve in that area.  I am slower than most, and am comfortable running longer on my daily runs to get the mileage, most of the time at least an hour and my long runs are usually over 2 hours outside of a training cycle (longer during a cycle).

I am not new to speedwork, but it’s something I’ve not done consistently.  I had been making good progress in that area earlier this year, then got sick (flu) and had to abandon any speedwork to just be able to get the miles (due to the lingering coughing fits that are finally gone).

Since I have only been at this for 3 years, I still consider myself more a beginner than advanced and often have lots of questions that y’all are great about answering for me.

Which brings me to my question about which plan to purchase.  Based on the number of days and time spent running, I would fit the level 4 plan and the sample week 1 schedule looks similar to what I already run.  However, I can’t see the middle parts of the plan to know if it gets to be more than I can reasonably handle.  The sample week 1 schedule of level 3 looks like a step back, but again I don’t know if the middle/end of it would be a better fit.

Those of you who have trained on the McMillan plans, can you tell me your thoughts about which one I should choose?  I would like to improve my marathon time this year and work on consistent speed work to generally get faster.  I often think I run slow just because that’s what I’m used to and maybe I could do more with the right plan and some direction that included paces for each run/workout.  Trying to figure this stuff out on my own is not yielding much improvement.

I’d like to follow a professional plan and see how my running improves, but this would be my first foray into buying a plan, so I would appreciate your feedback.

Here is the link to the McMillan training plans for reference:  http://www.finalsurge.com/TrainingPlans/McMillanPlanList?goal=MARATHON&distance=&timesec=&goaldistance=&goaltimesec=

I used McMillan half plan in the fall (and paid for his run club). Not for me. The level 4 half plan was insane. The 5 x 1 mile at 5k pace was just one of the WTF moments. I then switched to level 3, which by contrast didn't seem to have enough substance, compared to what ivI' done in the past.

 

We have very similar marathon PRs, I'm also 42.  The big drawback I had to McMillan was it didn't seem to account for being a slower runner.

 

With McMillan, have you looked at his pace calculator? His run club plan assume easy pace picks up as the plan progresses. My easy pace usually is slower than his range, so seeing what pace a workout should be vs what I did was discouraging. If you train within his paces, you should be ok.

 

I like Brad Hudson's book, although his plans are a little more DIY.

^^This.  I looked really hard at McMillan, and there are a few of his workouts that I want to incorporate into my next cycle, but I didn't like the set up otherwise.  And I agree that some of his philosophies are better geared toward much faster/better runners.  Some of his stuff I flat out do not agree with, but everyone is different and responds to different training in their own way, so my opinion is possibly junk to others.  I've had the best results using Hudson's theories to structure the plan (although I don't do his hill sprints and strides anymore because they aggravate my ATs, so I'm probably not benefiting as much as I could/did).  I'm in kind of in the same boat with you though where I want someone to tell me what to do, and be a little less DIY.

I bought a McMillan Custom Plan - I think a different type of plan than what you're looking at. It was 12 weeks for $125. They design it for you based on an extremely detailed questionnaire about your running history and training patterns. So it is going to be consistent with what you have already been doing. And boy did I get results. It got me to a monster PR when I thought I'd plateaued, along with my BQ. Needless to say I was pretty happy with it. That said - it was my 9th marathon total, including 2 Hansons Advanced cycles and 3 Pfitz 70mpw cycles, and a total >10,000 miles logged over 4 years. So I guess I can't give all the credit to those 12 weeks; it's all about accumulated fitness.

Sorry I did not actually address your post - I can't comment too much about the pre-built plans. I guess the benefit of doing Hansons or Pfitz is if you buy the book, you see the whole plan, no guessing games. Not sure whether you've already considered either of those options.

I’m looking for advice on a marathon training plan.  I’m considering paying for a McMillan plan, but am unsure which one to purchase, Level 3 or 4 (basic marathon, combo runner is what I’m looking at, unless you have a better idea).

 

I have run 4 marathons in the past 18 months along with several halfs, and other shorter races along the way.  My marathon PR is 5:06 and I’d love to get under 5 this year if possible.  My next marathon will be Chicago this October, a course I have run twice and my current PR.

 

I’ve been running for a little over 3 years, female, 42 and am what many would consider to be low-mid mileage, though I am trying to improve in that area.  I am slower than most, and am comfortable running longer on my daily runs to get the mileage, most of the time at least an hour and my long runs are usually over 2 hours outside of a training cycle (longer during a cycle).

 

I am not new to speedwork, but it’s something I’ve not done consistently.  I had been making good progress in that area earlier this year, then got sick (flu) and had to abandon any speedwork to just be able to get the miles (due to the lingering coughing fits that are finally gone).

 

Since I have only been at this for 3 years, I still consider myself more a beginner than advanced and often have lots of questions that y’all are great about answering for me.

 

While a coach or a structured plan would undoubtedly help, you already know the main issues. Most runners have the speed to run sub-5:00 for the marathon. It's the mileage and endurance they lack if they haven't done it. I don't think most plans really address that adequately simply because they last only 12-18 weeks and training over time begins to show a pattern of up and down mileage instead of progressively higher mileage.  Each marathon cycle should take you to a higher mileage level for the beginning of the next cycle. I suggest you look into training Lydiard style with something like Healthy Intelligent Training by Keith Livingstone.

HKC, did you do one of the pre-built plans like I am considering or did you do the custom plan like Dave?  I'm wondering if that's the difference between your two experiences?  Maybe I need to be looking at the custom plan?

Like LM, I'm not interested in a DIY plan, that's what I've been doing and I want to try something different.  Paying monthly for coaching is a little out of reach right now, which is why I am considering a plan like this, something professional but with a one-time fee.

WCR, my mileage has progressively increased every year/cycle, but I know I have plenty of room to grow, it's something I'm continuing to build.  I have not heard of Lydiard style before, so I will go do some reading about his methods, thank you for the suggestion.

Thank you all for your insights, it's a lot to think about and research. I'm sure I'll have follow up questions after I read more about the other ideas, but I appreciate you all jumping in with your experiences.

WCR, my mileage has progressively increased every year/cycle, but I know I have plenty of room to grow, it's something I'm continuing to build.  I have not heard of Lydiard style before, so I will go do some reading about his methods, thank you for the suggestion.

The Lydiard method is based on first building a strong base with lots of mileage. This is in contrast to most programs where you reach your highest mileage runs and highest mileage weeks late in the schedule.

Have you considered buying an entire book on marathon training instead of just buying a plan?  "Advanced Marathoning" and "Hansons Marathon Method," for example, both come with a choice of plans but also give some good advice about how to train.

 

I suggested these books as well. But to be fair - when you buy a McMillan plan, you gain access to a lot of online resources providing the same kind of info as the books.

Consistently running 50+ mpw will help more than anything. Doesn't really matter which specific plan. Pfitz,, Hanson's, McMillan are all good.