I am training for a marathon and am looking for a really good training program that will help me to hopefully qualify for the Boston. Can anyone recommend a good training program?
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Re: Marathon Training Programs [flatsbandit]
[ In reply to ]
Check out:
http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Mar00index.htm
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars, the rest I just squandered" -George Best
http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Mar00index.htm
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars, the rest I just squandered" -George Best
Pfitz and Beck
[ In reply to ]
Re: Marathon Training Programs [flatsbandit]
[ In reply to ]
Re: Marathon Training Programs [blevyibr]
[ In reply to ]
I'm with blevyibr, Hal Higdon's programs are excellent.
Re: Marathon Training Programs [haystack]
[ In reply to ]
I only know a little bit about Higdon's plans. Do you guys think they're good enough to qualify for Boston with?
Zeke
Zeke
Re: Marathon Training Programs [Zeke]
[ In reply to ]
Zeke:
Last year, I went through what you're doing right now. I evaluated TONS of training plans because I never felt like ONE plan was it. And that's true. I wanted to work Yasso 800's into my plan, saw some good stuff on New York City Marathon's site, and some other plans. Links to some of these are at the bottom of the page.
Note that I didn't follow any of these plans to a "t". But I still qualified for Boston at Chicago. What I found was:
A training plan won't get you to Boston. Mental strength, pain management, and a commitment to training gets you to Boston. Run year 'round. Take it seriously. Don't miss your long runs.
I chose Boston when I hit a 40-min 10k. That's when I knew I could do it. I followed it with a sub-1:30 half, and I was sure I could do it. This is after a first marathon time of 3:57, and a half-marathon time in the high 1:40's. I changed my stride (more like the pose method) so I wasn't much of a heel striker, and that made the biggest difference for me.
To answer your question, If you follow Higdon's plan, you'll get there. His plans are proven time and again, and it's what I recommend to anybody. But you need something that's going to be fun and interesting for you. And if you plan on swimming and running, his advanced plan may be too much. But that wasn't enough for me, either, so I found what other people had to say...
Here are some other plans I found (if you don't follow the plan, at least read what they have to say):
http://www.runnersworld.com/ Lots of articles that I refer to in this list. The first is "Marathon training for advanced runners"
http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/marathon.html I read it, and followed his advice the least.
I don't know where I got it, but I have a Fleet Feet Marathon Training Program (try a google search). If you can't find it online, I have an email address here of david@fleetfeetsports.com
Runner's World 10 principles of marathon training www.runnersworld.com
New York Road Runners Online marathon strategies http://www.nyrrc.org/...ng/marthonstrat.html
Runner's World articles on "world's best marathon training program" and "The Long Run" both by Hal Higdon
Karen Buxton on Yasso 800's (good for confidence and great speed work) http://www.alarc.com/training.htm
Coach Glover's NYC Marathon training program for "competitive marathoner" http://www.nyrrc.org/...ining/schedules.html
Runner's World UK has schedules for sub-3 and 3-3.5 hour marathon times: http://www.runnersworld.ltd.uk/training/marathon.htm
Also check Inside Tri for Joe Friel's Fast Marathoner schedule. This was very helpful for me. Highly recommended!
As you can see, I did a bit of research myself last year looking to qualify for Boston. I ended up running 10 yasso's at an average of about 3:02, ran 21.5 miles at an 8:04 pace. I planned to run 3:05ish at Chicago, but a first mile of 8:20 and an unscheduled I-was-peeing-and-"oops-I-crapped-my-pants" break at mile 14 screwed my plans to hell. I finished at 3:09:45 as a miserable schmuck... I'd had to run the last two miles at a sub 7-min pace--into a strong headwind, mind you--to make it (I'd have to say this is where the Yasso's helped me).
The memories are still vivid for me, and I'm still on Cloud Nine from receiving my confirmation from the BAA. Nothing is cooler and it was worth EVERY BIT OF PAIN for those last miles of the marathon. It's all mental. It sucked, but I'm going to Boston. I'd do it again.
Go for it. Lemme know if you have questions.
-Gill
Last year, I went through what you're doing right now. I evaluated TONS of training plans because I never felt like ONE plan was it. And that's true. I wanted to work Yasso 800's into my plan, saw some good stuff on New York City Marathon's site, and some other plans. Links to some of these are at the bottom of the page.
Note that I didn't follow any of these plans to a "t". But I still qualified for Boston at Chicago. What I found was:
A training plan won't get you to Boston. Mental strength, pain management, and a commitment to training gets you to Boston. Run year 'round. Take it seriously. Don't miss your long runs.
I chose Boston when I hit a 40-min 10k. That's when I knew I could do it. I followed it with a sub-1:30 half, and I was sure I could do it. This is after a first marathon time of 3:57, and a half-marathon time in the high 1:40's. I changed my stride (more like the pose method) so I wasn't much of a heel striker, and that made the biggest difference for me.
To answer your question, If you follow Higdon's plan, you'll get there. His plans are proven time and again, and it's what I recommend to anybody. But you need something that's going to be fun and interesting for you. And if you plan on swimming and running, his advanced plan may be too much. But that wasn't enough for me, either, so I found what other people had to say...
Here are some other plans I found (if you don't follow the plan, at least read what they have to say):
http://www.runnersworld.com/ Lots of articles that I refer to in this list. The first is "Marathon training for advanced runners"
http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/marathon.html I read it, and followed his advice the least.
I don't know where I got it, but I have a Fleet Feet Marathon Training Program (try a google search). If you can't find it online, I have an email address here of david@fleetfeetsports.com
Runner's World 10 principles of marathon training www.runnersworld.com
New York Road Runners Online marathon strategies http://www.nyrrc.org/...ng/marthonstrat.html
Runner's World articles on "world's best marathon training program" and "The Long Run" both by Hal Higdon
Karen Buxton on Yasso 800's (good for confidence and great speed work) http://www.alarc.com/training.htm
Coach Glover's NYC Marathon training program for "competitive marathoner" http://www.nyrrc.org/...ining/schedules.html
Runner's World UK has schedules for sub-3 and 3-3.5 hour marathon times: http://www.runnersworld.ltd.uk/training/marathon.htm
Also check Inside Tri for Joe Friel's Fast Marathoner schedule. This was very helpful for me. Highly recommended!
As you can see, I did a bit of research myself last year looking to qualify for Boston. I ended up running 10 yasso's at an average of about 3:02, ran 21.5 miles at an 8:04 pace. I planned to run 3:05ish at Chicago, but a first mile of 8:20 and an unscheduled I-was-peeing-and-"oops-I-crapped-my-pants" break at mile 14 screwed my plans to hell. I finished at 3:09:45 as a miserable schmuck... I'd had to run the last two miles at a sub 7-min pace--into a strong headwind, mind you--to make it (I'd have to say this is where the Yasso's helped me).
The memories are still vivid for me, and I'm still on Cloud Nine from receiving my confirmation from the BAA. Nothing is cooler and it was worth EVERY BIT OF PAIN for those last miles of the marathon. It's all mental. It sucked, but I'm going to Boston. I'd do it again.
Go for it. Lemme know if you have questions.
-Gill
Re: Marathon Training Programs [Gill]
[ In reply to ]
Gill,
Good info. However, I'm not looking for a plan. I was just responding to a couple of the guys that also recommended Higdon. I know he has beginner and intermediate plans (maybe advanced too). I just didn't know if they were "enough" to get someone to Boston. I went to Boston last year after following Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning (and Daniels' Running Formulas before that) and dropping my PR by 14 minutes.
Zeke
Good info. However, I'm not looking for a plan. I was just responding to a couple of the guys that also recommended Higdon. I know he has beginner and intermediate plans (maybe advanced too). I just didn't know if they were "enough" to get someone to Boston. I went to Boston last year after following Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning (and Daniels' Running Formulas before that) and dropping my PR by 14 minutes.
Zeke
Re: Marathon Training Programs [flatsbandit]
[ In reply to ]
I really like Joe Friels' plan, published on InsideTri
http://www.insidetri.com/train/coach/articles/492.0.html
This program corresponds very closely to what I had figured out for myself as the optimum, after fifty or sixty marathons. The one area I'd modify is on the length of the long run - I don't think it does any harm to go up to four hours, as long as the pace is slow, and you take several breaks (walking or just standing around while drinking).
"It is a good feeling for old men who have begun to fear failure, any sort of failure, to set a schedule for exercise and stick to it. If an aging man can run a distance of three miles, for instance, he knows that whatever his other failures may be, he is not completely wasted away." Romain Gary, SI interview
http://www.insidetri.com/train/coach/articles/492.0.html
This program corresponds very closely to what I had figured out for myself as the optimum, after fifty or sixty marathons. The one area I'd modify is on the length of the long run - I don't think it does any harm to go up to four hours, as long as the pace is slow, and you take several breaks (walking or just standing around while drinking).
"It is a good feeling for old men who have begun to fear failure, any sort of failure, to set a schedule for exercise and stick to it. If an aging man can run a distance of three miles, for instance, he knows that whatever his other failures may be, he is not completely wasted away." Romain Gary, SI interview
I know a lot of folks here have replied to look into Runner's World. There are some excellent programs on their site. IMO, the best for advanced runners is the one by Benji Durden, The Path to Marathon Success. A 15 week program that takes you through a pacing schedule to help you target your goal.
Mark
Mark