I'm currently raining for my first ever marathon and using a coaching service and their training plan. My goal is to run the marathon in 3:30 or less and I have some concerns about the training I'm doing being able to prepare my properly. I have expressed my concerns to the coaches but they insist the program is sufficient.
This program bases all runs on time, not mileage. All runs are done within a prescribed HR zone. The HR zone is determined by a test at the beginning of the program. In order to stay within the prescribed HR my long runs are run fairly slow. Currently the program calls for me to do my longest run in 2.5 hours. At the pace I'm allowed by the HR that would mean about 15 miles. To me that does not seem like it would be enough to properly prepare me to run a full marathon at the pace I would need in order to achieve my goal. The plan calls for me to have 5 of the 2.5 hour runs so perhaps I will get a bit faster, but it will still be training for an hour less than the race effort.
I was reading in Galloway's Book of Running that one of the best ways to be able to run a full marathon without hitting the wall is to do long runs of even further than race distance several times. Has anyone used this approach?
Should I go against the coaches advice and do some long runs of at least 20-22 miles or farther? I have a feeling that all they are doing is just preparing me to finish the race and not giving any thought to my goal.
Don
This program bases all runs on time, not mileage. All runs are done within a prescribed HR zone. The HR zone is determined by a test at the beginning of the program. In order to stay within the prescribed HR my long runs are run fairly slow. Currently the program calls for me to do my longest run in 2.5 hours. At the pace I'm allowed by the HR that would mean about 15 miles. To me that does not seem like it would be enough to properly prepare me to run a full marathon at the pace I would need in order to achieve my goal. The plan calls for me to have 5 of the 2.5 hour runs so perhaps I will get a bit faster, but it will still be training for an hour less than the race effort.
I was reading in Galloway's Book of Running that one of the best ways to be able to run a full marathon without hitting the wall is to do long runs of even further than race distance several times. Has anyone used this approach?
Should I go against the coaches advice and do some long runs of at least 20-22 miles or farther? I have a feeling that all they are doing is just preparing me to finish the race and not giving any thought to my goal.
Don