Marathon tranning plan advice..

[WDWBlaze]

I'm getting back into running after over a decade. Even when I was a runner it was mostly sprinting.

This is the plan I worked out. Does it seem like a good plan?

I started may 13th with the clear sky 10k app

I'll finish on the week of July 20th and signed up for a 10k race (charity race) as my first experience running with a group of people.

I then plan to do the 1st 8 weeks of the Novice1 Higdon Marathon. I signed up for a 1/2 marathon(Sept 14th) that matches the 13 mile long run for that week. Hopefully this will also give me a finish time to give Disney.

I then plan to start the Novice plan over, starting at week 2 till the 15' Disney Marathon.

Does this plan make sense?

 

[Waiting2goback]

I am no expert by any means but nobody else has responded so I will see if I can offer some help. I am training for the ToT in October followed by my first marathon 2 weeks later.

I have been listening to a podcast and one of the episodes says that you really need to wind down the running (they call it tapering) for 2 weeks prior to a 1/2. I get where you were going with your thought process in doing the 1/2 on the day you would have had to do 13 miles anyway. But, following the plan as designed I think your legs will be tired.

I was going to do the same thing with the 10K I ran on 6/1. Problem was I had a tooth pulled about 10 days before so I couldn't run for a week. I was nervous because I had never reached 6 miles in my training runs so I didn't know if I could even do it, nevermind for a race.

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Because I couldn't run my legs got rested and I not only finished the 10K but I did it at a pace that was the fastest I have run. I haven't come close to that pace since. I felt so good for that race. I was passing people going up hills. It was great.

So, I think you are better off trying to rest that last week, especially if you are looking to submit a POT to runDisney. If you can run 11 miles in week 6 I think you'll be able to do 13.1 on week 8, especially on rested legs. Or, if you are doing you're run on week 6 and your feeling good jump to 12 miles for that run if you want the confidence you can go further before going into the race. I would just do a couple 3 mile runs that final week to keep the muscles warm but not pushing them.

Am I making sense?

 

[Ariel484]

Agree with the PP - you're probably going to want to taper before the half. I'd suggest following a dedicated half plan and picking up the marathon plan after your half (starting it so that it finishes right at the marathon). Hal Higdon has some half plans on his site- they are 12 weeks so you'd have to jump in a bit late but if you look at his Novice 1 Half Marathon training plan, for example, your 10K race falls on week 5 of the plan, where he calls for a 6-mile run. So you could run your 10K and then pick up the half plan in week 6: http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51131/Half-Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program

After your half then I'd start Novice 1 for the marathon as you said, in week two. It is a great marathon plan. I've used it twice and liked it. Good luck!

 

[Waiting2goback]

Agree with the PP - you're probably going to want to taper before the half. I'd suggest following a dedicated half plan and picking up the marathon plan after your half (starting it so that it finishes right at the marathon). Hal Higdon has some half plans on his site- they are 12 weeks so you'd have to jump in a bit late but if you look at his Novice 1 Half Marathon training plan, for example, your 10K race falls on week 5 of the plan, where he calls for a 6-mile run. So you could run your 10K and then pick up the half plan in week 6: http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51131/Half-Marathon-Novice-1-Training-Program

After your half then I'd start Novice 1 for the marathon as you said, in week two. It is a great marathon plan. I've used it twice and liked it. Good luck!

I suppose I could have recommended a 1/2 marathon training plan but that would have made my post more concise and less confusing.

But, I still think the tapering is the most important thing.