Mararthon Training Plans, Reviewed

 

Mararthon Training Plans, Reviewed General Thoughts  Specific Plans Pfitzinger - Advanced Marathoning General Comments (from a February 2007 thread)  55 MPW 70 MPW Higdon Beginner Intermediate 1&2 Advanced Daniels

 

Just fill this with questions you think your visitors might have, as well as the answers

 

General Thoughts 

 

Spareribs (February 2007)

 

Many of today's short marathon program such as Pfitz, Daniels, Higdon etc., attempt to combine the mileage build-up phase with speed, and in a very short time, which bothers me. Of all of these however, I believe Higdon's to be the least injurious. Many people have had success with it.

 

Specific Plans

 

Pfitzinger - Advanced Marathoning

 

General Comments (from a February 2007 thread) 

 

Cashmason

Pfitz has aggressive programs. You are more likely to get better times with his programs, but you also up the risk of injury due to more intense training.

 

tagcaver

I read a rather long thread over on Letsrun awhile back comparing Lydiard to Daniels. The general consensus seemed to be that Lydiard's system led to more injuries than Daniels, although those who had structurally sound enough bodies to handle the stress tended to end up being better runners as the Lydiard approach seemed to push one a little closer to one's limits.

 

breger1

The Pfitz program will work if you follow one. Personally I think they're great if you're dedicated and persistent.

 

But you absolutely MUST have the base required before starting his programs. Do NOT try one of his plans if you are not comfortable at the base mileage he recommends you start out at.

 

Pfitz stresses midweek medium long runs (12 to 15 miles) and GA paces which give you a lot of strength and endurance in support of the weekend long runs, and ultimately the marathon itself. But the big miles you'll be running and the midweek medium long runs and long runs can leave you bushed at times. Don't be afraid to punt a training day if you're feeling worn down, injured, or need rest. I ran many of my miles at a low HR so I think that enabled me (a newbie) to get though the training in one piece.

 

Pfitz does not have a lot of speedwork but what is there is challenging. There is no hill work per se though you can always modify things a bit if you have a hilly race coming up. The tempo runs and the intervals will be hard but they will work.

 

Make sure you have the base before starting. Did I already mention that?

 

perchcreek

After 3 Pfitz training cycles, two with injuries (one due to overdoing even the agressive 70 mpw plan, the other due to an accident at the wrong time), I now got it. The keys to sucessful Pfitz in my opinion are: 

1. Learn your body's capabilities. Is it 55 mpw max, 70, 60, 70+?
2. Do long runs on soft surfaces (just to reduce the pounding)
3. (very important) Do "Recovery Runs" at a "Recovery" pace which is low AHR . That is slower than the slow part of a Long run. Pfitz puts in alot of "Recovery" miles which can heal more than harm if done gently. They also build Aerobic base like MAFF. This is really a key part of the program IMHO.
4. Do several strides (100m) in most recovery runs. This loosens the legs and is a form of dynamic stretching without damage like a longer interval. I have had no more hamstring issues since doing these.
5. Run Long Runs and Med Long Runs as prescribed: be up to MP+20% by mile 5 and be at MP+10% for the last 5 miles. If you run these LR's too fast, the relentless mileage will catch up. Too slow and you wont be training for fat burning at paces near MP.
6. Run off road weekly. A good trail or grass surface causes your feet and ankles to continuously adjust and therefore strengthens all those muscles.
7. Incorporate varied terrain. A hilly route, attacking the hills agressively, will strengthen the quads and help keep the hamstrings flexible.
8. I do static hamstring stretching 3x 30sec after every run and before bed (gently to point of tight, not sore or pain)

 

The mileage, mix of tempo (LT) runs, mid week med-long runs (12-15 miles) and ample recovery runs makes this an excellent program. Without the Pfitz program I would not be able to run a hilly half marathon distance at MP+30 secs before work in the morning and feel like it was a piece of cake! However, I think it takes a few Pfitz cycles to really reap the benefits.

 

predawnrunner

Pfitz is an aggressive program for competitive runners who want to optimize their performance. It isn't for everyone, and it shouldn't be attempted without a good strong endurance base. Yes, it's challenging, and yes, it will be too much for some folks who are prone to injury. But that doesn't make it a bad program.

 

No program should be followed blindly without paying attention to the signs of overtraining, injury and illness. Pfitz is not unique in this respect, and there is nothing in the training program that suggests one should ignore such signs. If some of us are too bull-headed to back off when we're tired, sick or sore, let's not blame Pete Pfitzinger.

 

I did a "modified Pfitz" last winter and PR'd in April. I followed it more faithfully in my next training cycle, and got injured. So maybe it's a bit too aggressive for me and I need to put those modifications back in. It's just a matter of finding what works for each of us, and that takes some tinkering.

 

One more thing: figuring out what will cause injuries can be difficult, and not all injuries are a result of poor judgement and bad training. If I wanted to be 100% guaranteed injury-free, I'd stick to walking. 

 

55 MPW

comments go here

 

70 MPW

 

Higdon

 

Beginner

 

Intermediate 1&2

 

Advanced

 

 

Daniels

 

etc., etc., etc.

 

 

visits so far