Choosing a Training Plan

I ran my first marathon in 2008. I wasn't a runner and had never trained to be a competitive runner. Rather, I grew up playing traditional sports - football, baseball, basketball, and sprinted in track. Two years before, though, I had taken up cycling. Though never very dedicated, I was used to going out for 2-3hr, 40-50mi bike rides. That's all to say that when I decided to train for that first race, I needed to get used to running! I chose a beginner Hal Higdon plan that would prepare me for the distance and completion but did not focus much on speed. I took 30 wks to build from zero running to less than 40mi/wk. It worked, I ran well, and didn't get injured.

The Foundation
Jeff, a dedicated runner, who I learned a lot from in my first few months of training, describes the difficulty of marathon training very clearly on his own running blog:

The true difficulty of marathon training is that it is almost impossible to be prepared for both distance and pace. The length of the race becomes a challenge in itself, which multiplies the problem of training. Not only do you have to get yourself fit enough to run a certain pace a certain distance, you need to also be strong enough to simply tolerate the distance.

 As I prepared for trying to qualify for Boston, I very much considered how to balance getting the necessary distance while also getting a lot faster. I began my research with the father of distance running training, Arthur Lydiard. Wildly successful in training strong athletes from the track to the marathon, Lydiard had a regimented training plan built on a foundation of high mileage. All of his athletes would put in 100+mi weeks for weeks on end to build a base, even if they were competing in 5k or 10k races. They would then transition to a strength building phase using hill work and finish with speed and "finishing".

Lydiard's strategy makes logical and physiological sense to me. Coming from a climbing training background, I know that endurance (aerobic) takes awhile to gain but sticks around, while speed and power (anaerobic) can be gained and lost rather quickly. I knew I needed to run higher volume, but realized I was never going to be able to put up the big numbers to fit the bill, so I started looking for an alternative. Knowing training plans usually take 16-18weeks, I went ahead and started building my base up, building consistency to about 25mi/wk (5-6d/wk), as good training seems to be mostly about habit.

Factors in Choosing
In searching I came across a lot of options - Higdon, McMillan, Pfitzinger, Daniels, Lydiard, Hanson, and more. Though they're all a little different, there are some common threads. Here's a decent overview.

• Weekly Volume: I knew I was not going to put up 100mi weeks, but I was convinced that I needed to at least get past my previous max of 40mi/wk. This ruled out plans on both ends of the spectrum.
• Days per week: Based on Lydiard's philosophy, I chose to go with a plan that spread weekly mileage out through the week, so as not to overload any one run, and to build consistency. Movement is an important part of recovery (it pumps waste out of muscles using the lymphatic system). Plus, I knew I needed to get used to being tired to persevere through the race.
• Speed Work: The first marathon I ran to complete. This marathon I am "racing". I ran my first marathon at about 8:15 pace. To BQ, I need to run 7:00 pace. Yeah...I needed to get way faster. I didn't know if I could do it, especially considering I haven't run consistently since 2011 (my last marathon), but I knew speed work would be part of it.
• Structure: It's great to have flexibility and personalization, and I research something until I have a good understanding, but I'm no expert. Why experiment with my own made up plan or an open-ended plan if I can trust a "proven" plan written by an expert. I decided given the high stakes, I would go with a highly specific plan to decreases the variables.

Ultimately, I chose the Hanson's Marathon Method. Why? Mostly for their focus on speed and marathon pacing. I've run 5 marathons or ultras at this point, so I don't feel the need for huge long runs of 20+mi. I know the last few miles are hard, and I can deal with it mentally. Therefore, I'm trading long training runs (preparing for distance) for more specific pace training (preparing for speed). Training for that first marathon, I needed to feel what 10, 15, 20miles felt like because I had never run them before. Given my low mileage, those distances required a lot of recovery. With Hanson's I will be running up to 60+mi/wk and spreading it out over 6 days. My legs will be more consistently stressed and tired. What I really need is to know what it feels like to run fast and hard! 

Hanson's on Paper

Because of my research on Lydiard, I was already convinced of the benefits of running consistently and periodization (transitioning from endurance to strength to speed). I knew that I would need to increase the days and the miles per week I was running along with adding hard running into the mix.

Hanson's allows me to do that. It's 6 days/wk, tops out over 60mi/wk, transitions from speed at the beginning (unlike Lydiard) to strength at the end, and provides a very detailed and regimented plan. I recognized most of that from internet research and gained a better understanding by reading the book. It all made sense, and I was convinced that (1) they knew what they were doing in designing the plan, and (2) it was appropriate for me and my goals.

Their explanations make sense. Why only 16miles for a long run? Because super-long long runs put too much stress and focus on that day and generally sacrifice other days to do so. The Hansons Plan focuses more on cumulative fatigue and getting used to running tired. They say the plan trains you for the last 16mi of the race rather than the first 16mi. Why speed first rather than last? If you've trained for months at 10:00/mi, adding some 800s during the last few weeks is not going to take you to running 8:00/mi. However, training for a faster speed initially and then extending the distance you can run that speed over months should allow you to get faster. Lydiard used speed to refine and sharpen his athletes that were already fast. I need to get fast, so Hanson's flipping of the periods makes sense. Most of all, I will spend considerable amount of time at marathon pace, getting used to running it, in the midst of a normal training week. By the time the race comes, I hope that pace is well ingrained in my body even when I'm tired.

My Assessment So Far

I'm only in week three of Hanson's plan, but I feel good about it already. Last week put me over 40mi for the week, and I feel great. I nailed my first track workout, and ran through some ugly weather (rain, snow, temps in the teens).

I believe that if I follow the plan, I will get the speed and endurance I need to succeed come March. My only concern is staying healthy. That I've tried to mitigate by slowly building up my mileage over the last few months and through some techniques I've learned from Kelly Starrett, which I'll talk about later.