Advanced Marathoning

Product Information

choice of goal weekly mileage at less than 55, 55-70, 70-85, or 85+ (you’re likely going to be running high mileage on these plans no matter what)

In the book, Pete lays out some of the exercise science behind running training. He goes into detail about lactate threshold, VO2 max, and running economy – and their role in determining running performance.Large time commitments. Overall, the plans require a lot of time. The Sunday long runs can get pretty long, and you might find yourself out there for three hours. Finding time for a 15 mile run on a Wednesday morning might be tough, too. And compressing the mileage over fewer days means that each run is going to be longer. You might have several runs during the week that exceed an hour. Many runners will run five runs per week all about the same mileage (maybe all between 6-8 miles) and then do their long run. And though this can get you a good amount of mileage, it’s much better to vary the distances between each of your runs. Otherwise you’re really just creating a plateau over the course of the week. As a marathon runner, you need to have more opportunities to feel what it’s like to be on your feet for an extended period of time. It’s far preferable to have 4 short runs, a medium long run, and a long run instead of 5 runs of the same distance and a long run. Need more evidence?

Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by nutrition and exercise professionals. Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. Runs 20+. There is some limited evidence that suggests that runs over 20 miles provide important adaptations for marathon running, and help prevent "hitting the wall". This column gives account of the number of runs that of 20 miles or more.Reduce the length or decrease the pace of some of the speed work. If your plan has more than one speed work session per week, consider dropping one session. Pfitz includes three tune-up races in the schedule in the weeks leading up to the race. These will give you an opportunity to test your fitness and work out your race day jitters before the big day.