Discovering a marathon coaching schedule that works for you is a vital part to reaching your objectives.
Not solely do you could discover a plan that matches together with your particular person strengths and weaknesses, however you could imagine strongly within the philosophy behind the plan.
My largest mistake early in my working profession was believing I knew all of it. As such, I by no means put my full religion within the coaching philosophy of my coach.
I believed there was a greater approach, I’d get caught up within the newest “fad” coaching concept, and I at all times needed extra mileage and more durable exercises.
The issue with this method is that it’s short-sighted.
I centered on the rapid features of 1 “coaching system” however didn’t attempt to assume long-term concerning the philosophy – how did issues match collectively, how did it examine, what had been the strengths and weaknesses?
As soon as I understood this, I used to be capable of higher examine particular coaching philosophies and coaching plans and discover what labored for me. When that occurred, I developed the belief within the system that allowed me to report new PRs after months of dangerous races.
As a coach now, I’m steadily requested how our coaching philosophy and coaching schedules at RunnersConnect examine to a few of the different well-known and in style coaching plans accessible.
It is a nice query as a result of I imagine, like I used to be in my very own coaching, you’ll be able to solely be actually profitable should you imagine within the plan. Having religion in your plan and understanding its nuances helps construct confidence in your health and skills.
On this article, I’m going to stipulate the variations between our coaching philosophy or method to the 5k and 10k in comparison with a few of the extra in style plans or packages accessible.
Some notes earlier than we get began
1. I can solely examine our philosophy to these I do know effectively, have studied, or labored beneath myself. If I don’t point out a coach/program particularly, let me know within the feedback and I can attempt perform a little research. Nonetheless, the plan should be publicly accessible indirectly.
2. It’s necessary to recollect when evaluating any two coaching philosophies that there isn’t just one technique to prepare. Whereas there are definitely coaching ideas that apply universally, the specifics of tips on how to method a race might be totally different. Clearly, every coach believes of their system.
3. When you have no intention of ever utilizing us as coaches, that’s okay. I nonetheless assume this could be a useful learn as you’ll get to be taught totally different approaches to coaching and undoubtedly some concepts you’ll be able to implement in your individual plan.
4. This comparability is in no means written as a technique to besmirch any of the next plans or coaches. I truly actually like a few of them. It’s merely a method to check our differing approaches to the identical objective – serving to you run quicker.
5. Lastly, I’ve little question that for the plans talked about beneath that provide customized teaching choices they might accommodate your wants. That is merely a comparability of philosophies based mostly of usually accessible plans and literature produced.
Able to get began? Leap to the plan you’d like to check…
Hal Higdon
McMillan
Hansons
Pfitzinger
First, it’s useful if you recognize our general method to coaching so you could have one thing to check it to should you’re not presently coached by us.
Our general method to coaching is that as a runner will get nearer to race day, we would like their exercises and coaching to grow to be an increasing number of particular to the calls for of the race.
This development is usually referred to as “normal to particular”. In essence, your coaching is cut up into two these two phases:
The overall part happens in the beginning of your coaching cycle and is designed to slowly construct every power system to its highest health earlier than beginning the race particular part.
Through the normal part you slowly construct upon every part (velocity, power, long term, mileage, and so forth.) in order that no specific power system is left behind. You begin at no matter health stage you’re at and by the top of the coaching cycle, your cardio growth, velocity, and threshold are at their most ranges concurrently.
Right here’s a great way to visualise how this works:
The overall part can be damaged down into subsections with a selected focus. For instance, should you’re somewhat weak on velocity, exercises can have a extra velocity growth focus whereas if you could develop your cardio system, you’ll be able to goal extra threshold runs on this part
The race particular part is usually 10-12 weeks lengthy, relying in your health stage and coaching historical past. It happens immediately after the final part and contains the final 10-12 weeks of your coaching earlier than the race.
Because the title implies, race-specific coaching means coaching to the particular physiological calls for of your race distance.
In a marathon particular coaching part, your objective needs to be to develop your cardio threshold, enhance your skill to burn fats as a gasoline supply when working at marathon tempo, and enhance your muscular endurance. The extra you’ll be able to develop and goal these methods, the quicker it is possible for you to to race.
In virtually all runners we coach, our objective is to construct them as much as their highest stage of general working health in the course of the normal part after which goal their coaching particularly within the last 10-12 weeks earlier than their marathon.
Cardio threshold
Right here’s the place it will get fascinating:
Think about you’re a hybrid automotive.
Your muscle tissues are the engine, glycogen the fuel energy and fats electrical energy. Identical to a automotive, you’ll be able to run utilizing each glycogen and fat relying on how onerous you could work. And, much like a automotive, your private fuel tank holds a finite quantity of fuel (glycogen). Absolutely carbo-loaded, you’ll be able to retailer 1320kcal to 2020kcal glycogen in your liver, muscle tissues and blood mixed.
Relying in your dimension and health, working makes use of about 1kcal/Kg/Km. Let’s say you weight 175 kilos (80kg) you want about 3360 kcals (80kg x 42 km) to make it via the race.
Subsequently, the saved quantity of glycogen of 1320 to 2020kcal is way lower than the 3360kcal wanted to complete the race. Because it’s unimaginable to eat 2000 energy in the course of the race, we have to discover a technique to preserve fuel (glycogen) and run as effectively as doable on electrical (fat).
Now:
Like a hybrid automotive, the quicker you run, the extra you could depend on fuel (glycogen). Fortunately, working aerobically requires solely somewhat fuel and is usually electrical. However, should you simply run very simple, you’re not more likely to end in a time you’re proud of.
So, we have to discover that optimum steadiness between electrical (fats burning) and fuel (glycogen burning) that permits you to get to the end as shortly as doable.
Cardio threshold is outlined because the quickest tempo you’ll be able to run whereas utilizing the cardio system as the first power pathway
In essence, cardio threshold is that optimum tempo between fats and glycogen utilization. Thus your marathon tempo, and thus your ending time, is immediately correlated together with your cardio threshold.
Burning fats as a gasoline supply
The issue with utilizing fats as an power supply is that it’s not a really environment friendly supplier of power. It takes some time in your physique to have the ability to oxidize fats into usable power for the physique. The quicker you wish to go (and thus the extra power your muscle tissues demand) the much less environment friendly fats turns into.
Nonetheless, you’ll be able to prepare your physique to grow to be extra environment friendly at burning fats as a gasoline supply. This will happen by focusing on this method particularly with exercises/mileage, the best way you construction your exercises and lengthy runs, in addition to your diet.
Right here’s the deal:
The large mistake I see plenty of runners make just isn’t paying any consideration to bettering their skill to burn fats as a gasoline supply in coaching. They both don’t find out about it, are following antiquated coaching strategies, or are merely given mistaken data.
Our marathon coaching philosophy is designed round coaching this particular system as usually as doable in coaching. I don’t usually see different coaching methods with this objective.
Enhancing muscular endurance
The ultimate large piece of the puzzle is muscular endurance. You’ll be able to have all of the glycogen on the planet, but when your muscle tissues are lower than the duty of working 26.2 miles, you’re going to have a crappy race.
The problem is that working the total marathon distance in coaching just isn’t really useful (attributable to how lengthy it will take to recuperate). So, we have to get inventive in coaching to simulate the fatigue and develop the muscular endurance wanted.
To perform this, we are able to do two issues:
First, we are able to implement what coaches name the speculation of “accrued fatigue“. Mainly, because of this the fatigue from one exercise accumulates and transfers to the subsequent so that you just’re at all times beginning a exercise or a long term somewhat drained out of your earlier coaching.
Any such coaching helps your develop the muscular endurance while not having to run the total marathon in coaching.
Second, you’ll be able to implement particular exercises which are designed to fatigue your legs and muscle after which have you ever prepare and run at marathon tempo. The great factor about these exercises is that they happen multi function session and might help simulate several types of fatigue you’ll expertise on race day.
Lengthy runs
As chances are you’ll already know, I are likely to imagine that the majority runners and coaching schedules overemphasize the long term. Right here’s why I feel that may be a crucial flaw and the way we method issues as a substitute:
As we’ve mentioned already, the first objectives of coaching needs to be to extend cardio threshold, make the most of fats extra effectively at marathon tempo, and construct endurance.
So the place does the marathon long term slot in with these 3 objectives?
Cardio threshold
Analysis has proven that your physique doesn’t see a big enhance in cardio growth, particularly mitochondrial growth, after you’ve been working for two hours. As a 3:45 marathoner, your simple long term tempo is probably going between 9:30 and 10:00 mile. So, a 20-22 miler will take you somewhat over 3 hours to complete.
Furthermore, working all simple tempo, which you’ll have to do to run for 22 miles in the midst of coaching, by no means challenges your cardio threshold. Not one mile trains you to run at cardio threshold. You’ll be able to’t enhance an power system should you by no means prepare it.
Evaluate this to what we recommend, which is as a substitute working 16-18 mile lengthy runs with a 4-5 mile quick end (at marathon tempo).
The full time working will probably be nearer to 2:30, which nonetheless gives the cardio growth you want and is comparable compared to a 20-miler attributable to how cardio growth flat traces after 2 hours. Extra importantly, you spend 4-5 miles working at cardio threshold (whereas drained).
The additional advantage is that lowering your long term quantity makes you much less prone to damage and reduces your restoration time.
This lets you be extra constant, stay injury-free, and have the power to carry out marathon-specific exercises and extra mileage via the week.
When working a 20-22 miler, it takes you virtually all week to recuperate so that you by no means have an opportunity to do the race-specific work you want.
Fats utilization
Right here’s the deal:
It’s simple in your physique to burn fats as a gasoline supply when working simple. Nonetheless, to show your physique tips on how to burn fats as a gasoline as a gasoline supply you could run at marathon tempo when you’re already low on glycogen. This forces the physique to make use of fats as a gasoline supply (at marathon tempo) and due to this fact grow to be extra environment friendly at doing so.
20-22 miles of all simple working = 0 miles coaching to burn fats whereas working at marathon tempo
16-18 miles with a 4-5 mile quicker end = 4 to five miles coaching to make the most of fats as a gasoline supply whereas working at marathon tempo.
Endurance
You may be questioning:
Sure, working 20-22 miles is nice for muscular endurance. However, the longer you run, the extra you prone to accidents you grow to be. Your type begins to interrupt down, your main muscle tissues grow to be weak (thus counting on smaller, much less used muscle tissues), and overuse accidents start to take their toll.
Furthermore, you by no means run at marathon tempo whereas drained.
Your muscular endurance is improved whereas working simple, however not when making an attempt to run at marathon tempo, which requires totally different recruitment of muscle fibers.
This method just isn’t very particular to what you’ll expertise on race day and why your physique isn’t able to pushing via it.
Evaluate this to the muscular fatigue from a 16-18 miler with a quick end.
You get 4-5 miles of working at marathon tempo whereas drained.
Furthermore, our long term philosophy is to at all times buttress the long term towards a gradual run the day earlier than. For instance, chances are you’ll run 1 mile simple, 6 miles marathon tempo, 1 mile simple on Saturday after which run your full long term on Sunday. Due to the more durable working on Saturday, you begin Sunday’s long term not at zero miles, however quite at six or eight miles, since that’s the stage of fatigue and glycogen depletion your physique is carrying over from the earlier run.
Evaluate our long term method to the standard 20-22 mile simple method
Complete miles at MP = 0. Complete miles for weekend = 22
Complete miles at MP = 11. Complete miles for weekend = 26
Hopefully, that helped offer you an outline of our philosophy and the way our marathon plans are structured. Now on to some extra in style plans…
Hal Higdon
Of all in style coaching packages, I’d say Hal Higdon might be most totally different from our coaching philosophy. The 2 essential variations are the main focus (or lack thereof) of race specificity and the emphasis on lengthy runs.
Race specificity
Now:
Our general method to coaching is that as a runner will get nearer to race day, we would like their exercises and coaching to grow to be an increasing number of particular to the calls for of the race.
In a marathon particular coaching part, your objective needs to be to develop your cardio threshold, enhance your skill to burn fats as a gasoline supply when working at marathon tempo, and enhance your muscular endurance.
The extra you’ll be able to develop and goal these methods, the quicker it is possible for you to to race.
In Hal Higdon’s packages, I imagine the concept of race specificity is considerably ignored.
Right here’s why:
The mid-week exercise rotates between hill repeats, 800 intervals and primary tempo run. In my opinion, that’s plenty of VO2max and interval coaching for an occasion which depends little or no on these two physiological components (the marathon is 99% cardio).
Because the marathon requires working at your cardio threshold and burning fats effectively as a gasoline supply at marathon tempo, I imagine swapping these exercises with lactate clearance runs, regular state efforts, and different extra marathon-specific exercises makes higher use of the mind-week exercise day.
Lengthy runs
Hal Higdon’s plans observe the standard marathon philosophy of working a number of gradual, simple 20 milers. As you already know, I are likely to imagine that lengthy, gradual simple runs are overrated, particularly for these working over 3:half-hour or who’re working lower than 50 miles per week.
That is fascinating:
Analysis has proven that your physique doesn’t see a big enhance in cardio growth, particularly mitochondrial growth, after you’ve been working for two hours. As a 3:45 marathoner, your simple long term tempo is probably going between 9:30 and 10:00 mile. So, a 20 miler will take you somewhat over 3 hours to complete.
Furthermore, working all simple tempo by no means challenges your cardio threshold. Not one mile trains you to run at cardio threshold.
You’ll be able to’t enhance an power system should you by no means prepare it.
Lastly, analysis has additionally proven that the longer your lengthy runs, the larger your probability of damage.
By lowering your lengthy runs (and getting extra marathon particular) you’ll be able to scale back damage threat and restoration time (permitting you to do extra mileage and marathon-specific exercises in the course of the week).
Our method is to make use of marathon particular lengthy runs, equivalent to quick end lengthy runs and surge lengthy runs, to higher simulate the particular calls for of the race whereas lowering put on and tear.
For instance, it’s simple in your physique to burn fats as a gasoline supply when working gradual (the power demand isn’t excessive). Nonetheless, to show your physique tips on how to burn fats as a gasoline supply at marathon tempo, you could run at marathon tempo when you’re already low on glycogen. This forces the physique to make use of fats as a gasoline supply (at marathon tempo) and due to this fact grow to be extra environment friendly at doing so.
20 miles of all simple working = 0 miles coaching to burn fats whereas working at marathon tempo
16-18 miles with a 4-5 mile quicker end = 4 to five miles coaching to make the most of fats as a gasoline supply whereas working at marathon tempo.
I’ll admit, working 20 miles is nice for muscular endurance. However, you by no means run at marathon tempo whereas drained.
What does this imply?
Your muscular endurance is improved whereas working simple, however not when making an attempt to run at marathon tempo, which requires a unique recruitment of muscle fibers. This method just isn’t very particular to what you’ll expertise on race day and why your physique isn’t able to pushing via it.
Evaluate this to the muscular fatigue from a 16-18 miler with a quick end.
You get 4-5 miles of working at marathon tempo whereas drained.
Hansons plan
Now:
Having spent just a few years coaching with the Hansons, a superb portion of our marathon coaching philosophy echoes the Hansons plan. Particularly, as outlined above, we imagine that the long term is an built-in a part of the coaching, quite than a selected quantity you could hit, and the quantity must correspond to your weekly mileage.
Likewise, we imagine that general mileage and marathon particular work is the important thing to working your greatest – not lengthy, gradual 20 milers.
Our method to the marathon differs primarily in how we method the lengthy runs.
Our more durable lengthy runs are at all times preceded by a gradual run (marathon paced run) the day earlier than. The amount of this run depends upon expertise stage and mileage. As well as, lengthy runs virtually at all times comprise some sort of quicker working – quick end or surges.
The objective of the regular run the day earlier than the long term is to capitalize on accrued fatigue. By working marathon tempo the day earlier than the long term, you decrease your glycogen shops and fatigue the legs in a really marathon-specific trend so that you just’re basically beginning the long term with miles already in your legs.
Don’t get me mistaken, the Hansons plan has the identical objective – I simply assume including the regular the day earlier than is extra particular. Plus, the additional stimulus is required to assist enhance the shorter long term for extra general high quality all through the weekend.
We even have just a few exercises and lengthy runs the Hansons plans don’t have, which I feel assist with marathon-specific readiness. For instance, we embrace what we name “marathon surges” that are an progressive approach to assist educate your physique to burn fats as a gasoline supply whereas working at marathon tempo. These kinds of exercises might help you preserve glycogen and stop bonking.
Lastly, I additionally discover the Hansons plan buildings coaching on objective marathon tempo (and 10 seconds quicker) quite than present physiological health.
Whereas this distinction appears slight, I feel it’s crucial and one thing most runners get mistaken.
So as so that you can grow to be fitter, you could run in the suitable effort and tempo zones.
For instance, in case your objective is to run a 3:10 marathon, then beneath the Hansons plan you’ll be doing marathon tempo runs at 7:15 or 7:05 tempo. Nonetheless, in case your physiological health stage is definitely 3:20 for the marathon, then 7:40 tempo is your physiological cardio threshold (marathon pace).
Working 7:15 or 7:05 tempo turns this exercise right into a excessive finish threshold run quite than an cardio threshold run. As such, you’ll have run 0 miles at cardio threshold. Positive, your general working health will enhance, however your marathon particular health received’t.
McMillan
The principle distinction between RunnersConnect and McMillan is how we method the phases and development of coaching.
McMillan envisions the bottom or normal part like a pyramid. The pyramid mannequin relies on the concept you start with a big cardio base, transition to power work such tempo runs and hill work, add in velocity work, after which peak on the finish of the coaching cycle.
McMillan’s strategies are based off the Lydiard system, which has been proven to be extremely profitable, particularly due to it’s concentrate on cardio growth.
Nonetheless, my essential argument towards the pyramid mannequin is the notion that cardio growth, lactate threshold, and velocity should be skilled independently of one another. I imagine, if performed accurately, you don’t should run months of simply mileage or taper off your tempo runs as you introduce velocity work.
Once you prepare utilizing the standard pyramid mannequin, you’re pressured to revert again to a base constructing interval after every coaching cycle and also you lose most of the of the power and velocity features you’ve made on the high of the pyramid.
Subsequently, you spend a superb portion of your subsequent coaching cycle simply making an attempt to get again to that stage of velocity and power, as a substitute of regularly bettering the present level that you just’re at.
My method is to make use of what we name the “diamond” mannequin within the normal part, which is designed to slowly construct every power system to its highest health earlier than beginning the race particular part.
Through the normal part you slowly construct upon every part (velocity, power, long term, mileage) in order that no specific power system is left behind. You begin at no matter health stage you’re at and by the top of the coaching cycle, your cardio growth, velocity, and threshold are at their most ranges concurrently. Right here’s a great way to visualise how this works:
The overall part can be damaged down into subsections with a selected focus. For instance, should you’re somewhat weak on velocity, exercises can have a extra velocity growth focus whereas if you could develop your cardio system, you’ll be able to goal extra threshold runs on this part
Pfiztiger
Pftzinger appears to observe a really “conventional” marathon method, which is kind of totally different from how we method the marathon and is much like the McMillan marathon coaching method.
First, Pfitzinger begins the coaching plan with lactate threshold exercises and transitions to VO2max exercises because the race will get nearer. That is the extra conventional pyramid construction I mentioned earlier with McMillan.
As you would possibly keep in mind from the define of the Hal Higdeon method, our marathon philosophy is concentrated on marathon-specificity. Significantly, I imagine that the nearer you get to race day, the extra particular your exercises must be to the calls for of the marathon distance – dealing with the quantity, burning fats as a gasoline supply at marathon tempo, and bettering cardio threshold.
Within the Pftizinger plan, you’re truly getting farther away from marathon specify as you get nearer to the race. You’re working in your VO2max and anaerobic capabilities, which have little bearing in your marathon efficiency.
Second, weekly mileage appears to be a big part of Pfitz plans – it’s virtually how you choose your plan.
However:
I really feel that mileage itself must be individualized to the runner – background, tolerance and damage historical past. In any other case, you’re usually simply working miles for miles.
Extra importantly, I imagine the main focus shouldn’t be on the entire mileage you’re working, however quite the share of miles you’re working at race tempo, simple tempo, Vo2 max tempo, and so forth. I feel approaching mileage on this approach helps forestall junk miles and helps maintain the coaching marathon particular.
For instance, all through your entire Pftizinger coaching plan, you’ll run 44 miles at marathon tempo. It is a very small share of your general mileage – relying on the particular mileage stage you select, solely about 4%. Whereas once more, we don’t use “inventory” mileage plans (it’s individualized) the variety of miles at marathon tempo thrice (12%) that of Pftzinger.
Lastly, as we’ve mentioned just a few occasions now on this comparability submit, we concentrate on shorter, high quality lengthy runs that incorporate accrued fatigue and marathon specificity whereas Pfitzinger follows the extra conventional amount and quantity of lengthy runs.
Since I’ve mentioned this already above, I’ll merely hyperlink to these sections if you’d like a recap (otherwise you skipped it).
Right here’s the deal:
Like many coaches, I’m not an enormous believer in inventory or template coaching plans. I strongly imagine that there’s an excessive amount of particular person consideration that must be taken into any coaching schedule.
Sure, I perceive I’m within the enterprise of promoting coaching and training, however I nonetheless imagine a personalised plan is at all times going to be higher than a inventory plan – whatever the coaching philosophy.
Particularly, mileage, variety of coaching days and paces are crucial components of a coaching plan which are trivialized by template schedules.
They merely assume that you just’re working a sure variety of miles or days per week based mostly in your “expertise stage”.
Nonetheless, newbie, intermediate and superior designations for a runner can differ broadly in mileage and tolerance for coaching. The one mileage development and complete that may work optimally for you is one which takes into consideration YOUR background and damage historical past.
Likewise, factoring in your strengths and weaknesses is crucial to maximizing the effectiveness of a coaching plan.
By focusing on your weaknesses and utilizing your strengths to your benefit you’ll be able to make sure that each exercise is progressing you ahead.
For instance, a session of 200 meter repeats is considerably wasted on the runner who has an abundance of pure velocity whereas it’s important to runners accustomed to marathon success.
Lastly, getting your paces right is important for focusing on the suitable power methods. A lactate threshold run carried out at 10-15 seconds quicker than your precise threshold means you truly ran zero miles coaching your threshold and bettering that system.
It was a wasted exercise.
By getting your coaching paces right you’ll be able to maximize every session.
That’s why we addressed all three of those points with our customized coaching plans.
You get a plan particular to your strengths and weaknesses, tailor-made to your mileage ranges, and assigned actual paces to focus on the suitable physiological methods.
In case you’re excited by receiving a personalized coaching plan based mostly on our coaching philosophy, you’ll be able to take a look at our plans right here.
It’s a possibility to see what a personalized, race-specific schedule can appear to be for you.
We’ve each month-to-month and one-time plans for these coaching for long-term enchancment or simply need a coaching plan for his or her subsequent race.
Hope you loved this little comparability!