How to Build Your Own Marathon Training Plan
| August 11, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Marathon Training, Running |
Edited to add: To view the actual marathon training plan I’m following, click on the link at the end of this post, or visit my Training page.
—
If you’re training for your first marathon, you’ve probably found many free expertly-designed training plans online. These plans take different approaches to the process, and the one you ultimately choose will depend on your running history, goals, and the amount of time you have available to train. Examples of some good options include Hal Higdon, Jeff Galloway, the FIRST plan (also known as the Run Less, Run Faster approach), or one of the many available through Runner’s World.
But once you have a marathon or two under your belt, you start to develop a good idea of your own personal training style. And suddenly, the one-size-fits-all training plans just don’t cut it anymore. At this point, it’s easy to become dissatisfied with the standard plans, and you start tweaking and changing things without even really thinking about it.
So have you ever thought about building your own customized training schedule instead? I realize that this may sound intimidating, but as long as you know the basic principles, creating one from scratch probably isn’t as tough as you think!
The Basics
First, whether you are building your own or using a professionally designed schedule, here are 3 key things to keep in mind:
- Find a plan that meets you where you’re at! If you’re anything like me, you take on a challenge and want to dive in headfirst. Unfortunately, this approach to marathon training can lead to serious injuries. Because of this, it is important to find a plan that will take you from your current level of fitness and help you gradually build up to where you need to be in order to succeed in the marathon. This may mean that you train for a longer period than covered by the typical plan.
- Allow for flexibility. Preparing for a marathon is a huge commitment that spans many months. Despite all your best efforts, things can come up during this time that throw a wrench into your training plans: travel, sickness, injuries, bad weather, etc. As long as you give yourself some flexibility, these things are inconvenient, but not the end of the world.
- Don’t be afraid to tweak! Even if you’re following a popular training plan, you need to remember that these are standard programs developed based on what works best for most people – and not necessarily what works best for you. Don’t be afraid to tweak the plan a little bit to fit in with your level of fitness, time available to train, and other life-things that might come up.
10 Steps to Creating Your Own Marathon Training Plan
An oldie but goodie – this book guided my Dad through 8 marathons and countless other races; and he passed it along to me before I ran my first. Even though it’s now 20 years old, it has become my favorite running resource.
Why my sudden interest in marathon training plans, you
ask? I am currently training for the Cape Cod Marathon on October 31st. It will be my first time running this race (though my 3rd Massachusetts marathon!) and I’m very excited. I’ve heard the course is fantastic and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have my sights set on another BQ.
Due to the craziness that has defined my summer so far, I actually am training for a shorter period of time than usual. So it was really important for me to make my own plan that would help me get to where I need to be in just 14 weeks. Keeping the 3 basic principles in mind, here are the 10 Steps I took to build my plan:
- Make an outline. Before putting anything on paper, I map out the key things I want to include in my training plan*. I know that I want to do 2 – 3 20-mile runs, strength training, speed work, cross-training**, and average 40 – 50 miles per week. I also know that I want to ease up on speed work and strength training the week of my first 20 mile run as well as during the tapering phase. With all these things in mind, I can start working out the details.
- Figure out how long you have/need to train. Most marathon plans are around 18 weeks. Decide if you need more or less time than this and pick a marathon that is far enough away. Then count backwards to pick your training start date.
- Print out a blank calendar. Personally, I think better when I can write it all down on paper first. Sites like PDFCalendar.com allow you to print out a blank semi-customizable calendar. Since I started training at the end of July and do my long runs on Sundays, I made a set that went from July – Oct 31, with Monday being the first day of the week.
- Plan out your long-runs. The first thing I put down on paper are the long runs. These are the most important things to plan to make sure that I build up carefully and fit in all the runs that I need.
- Work backward. The very end of the training schedule is the easiest thing for me to plan. I know the date of my marathon, and I know that I want to run my last 20-miler two weeks from that date, followed by two weeks of tapering. From there, I work backwards a few additional weeks to make sure I’ll be ready when it comes time.
- Start at the beginning and fill in the gaps Once I’ve planned the last couple of weeks, I go back to the beginning and figure out what I want to do for my first long run. Then I build up from there, making sure not to increase too quickly. Sometimes I need to revise to make everything fit (which is where being flexible comes in!)
- Write down my total mileage goal for each week. As I said before, I know that I want to be comfortably running around 50 miles per week at the peak of my training. So after I fill in the long runs, I figure out what the total mileage for each week should be, keeping in mind 3 important things:
- Don’t increase too quickly – to reduce the risk of injury, your total mileage should only go up by about 10% each week.
- Don’t increase mileage every single week – allow yourself to plateau for a few weeks at a certain mileage before bumping it up.
- Build in a couple of “rest” weeks where you back off the mileage to give your body a break.
- Subtract! After the long runs and total mileage have been filled in, determining the other runs during the week is a matter of simple math. I figure out how many miles I need to do during the remaining days and divide them up, keeping in mind that certain days I will also be lifting or doing some sort of speed work.
- Write in my lifting/speed days. After everything is pretty well mapped out, I start to build in my lifting/speed schedule. I’m more flexible with these aspects of my training than anything else, which is why I put them in last.
- Revise and finalize! After everything is in place, I step back and look at the plan as a whole to make sure that it actually makes sense – and is doable! Sometimes I find weeks where I’ve accidentally packed too many things in or didn’t actually hit my mileage goals. This is why it helps me to have it on paper first – I need to hold the calendar in my hand and look through it.
I don’t actually type it up until I have everything looking the way I like. Then I hang it in a visible place, and hit the roads!
So there you have it. Not too bad, right? You can actually use these same steps to create a training plan for any distance. Just remember, the plan should never be set in stone. It’s great to have a guide to work from, but the most important thing in marathon training is listening to your body.
Click here to view the 14 week plan I created to train for the Cape Cod Marathon.
What about you — when you train for a race, do you prefer to use a standard schedule or do you like to create your own? And for those of you that do build your own training plans — any key things that I missed?
—-
*I plan on writing a future post about why I think each of these components are important in marathon training.
**I don’t actually write my cross training days into the plan. But I try to incorporate 1 day of cross training per week (usually on a lifting day). In the spirit of flexibility, I leave this up to how I’m feeling.
I just came to the realization that there’s NO way I can run a marathon on Oct 17th. But since I still have future marathon dreams, I love this post. I’ll make a plan when I run 26.2 for real.
Melissa´s last post ..The End of the Marathon Road
Love this post! Besides speedwork and the long run, I think flexibility is the most important component of any marathon training plan. When I was training for my first marathon, I’d freak if I only had time for a 4mi run when I had a 6 miler scheduled. I’d always “make up” the 2 miles later in the day or the next day, which ultimately lead to injury. You live you learn, right?
I also made this mistake the first time I tried training for a marathon — and got hurt so bad that I never made it through training. Really stupid move on my part, but at the time I was so anxious about being “behind” on the schedule that I thought I had to do whatever it took to get caught up. I definitely take a much more laid-back approach now. You’re right…you live and learn!
id love to be able to build a custom made plan for my half marathon in october. my dad has a bunch of training books so i should definitely whip them out and look through them. the guidelines would be a great tool to see how theyre usually set up and then take it from there. such a great idea!!!
Yeah — definitely use those books as guidelines! They can be great resources, even if it’s just to get the “feel” of how a training program is set up. Good luck with your 1/2 marathon training!
This is a really great post! Since I am training for my first, I used Higdon as a guide, but I also followed a lot of these steps. I started with a blank calendar and worked it all out on paper. I penciled in important events, so I could work my schedule around them right off the bat. As things come up, I juggle my runs, but it’s working so far.
I long for the days when I can run 40-50 miles per week. I know it takes time. That’s the best thing about my training plan. It stops me from going out gangbusters and hurting myself the first time around.
Quick question…Hidon’s plan calls for one 20 mile run and a three week taper. I’ve heard that I should add a 22 mile run before I taper. Your thoughts?
Good luck with training! I know you’ll rock it!
Becky´s last post ..Friends- Family- and Food
First of all, I think the Higdon plans are great. I’ve had friends who have successfully trained for several marathons with them. They build you up slowly and help you avoid getting injured (which is key!). That being said, they ARE on the low end of the mileage spectrum. I think you’ll be fine with just one 20-miler (especially since this is your first and I don’t think you have a time goal in mind, right?), but I personally like to do at least two. The first 20-mile run is pretty tough, and so getting your body to make it through another one gives you a lot more strength on marathon day. Sometimes I go 21 – 22, but it’s really not necessary. You don’t want to risk tiring yourself out before the big day!
Anyway…the point of all this babbling is that I think it ultimately comes down to how you’re feeling and the TIME that you have. If you think you can fit in another 20-ish mile run without too much juggling and you feel up for it, then go for it! If not, you really will be fine.
These tips are fantastic and something I’m going through trying to figure out myself. I’ll definitely be following along. Really appreciate the breakdown and details.
Nichole´s last post ..St Thomas – Don’t Worry I Came Back
Love this post! I am 7 weeks into training for marathon 4 and each time I used a different training schedule. My first thought as I prepared for this run was in fact to use a customized guide but then Runner’s World printed their Beat 4 Hour schedule which I quickly adopted as that is my ultimate goal. I actually felt rescued by this because creating my own seemed like a daunting task. Your tips make it seem more doable.
Good Luck with the Cape!
Bekah @ runtrackmind´s last post ..Off Subject- Observations
hah this couldn’t have come at a better time! Well, I’m not planning for a marathon but rather a half marathon (which is a lot easier for me). I started looking up half marathon training plans online and they just weren’t built for where I’m at…so I made my own! And I followed a lot of your guidelines
Danielle (Runs on Green)´s last post ..The Lyme Diet
That’s awesome! I definitely think the same principles apply and it’s so much better when you can create your own. I find it easier to stick to. Good luck training for the 1/2
I love the post. I think the reference to the book is great! Nice to have your Dad recognized. Hey, wait a minute…….the book is 20 years old? Wow! How old am I then? It seems like I just bought that book.
My guess is that with the great marathon running you have already done, you could write your own book.
Well…I’ve got to give credit where credit is due! And believe it or not, the book is actually OVER 20 years old. First edition was published in ’83…and the one I have was published in ’88. Yikes! It was probably already old by the time you bought it though.
And maybe sometime in the future there will be a book. As long as I have you as the co-author
Ooh a marathon on halloween? Exciting! I trained for a half using a plan from runner’s world, but I was too strict on myself and should have listened to my body more than the plan. I’ve heard about Galloway and am interested in that too. Good luck with your training!!
Megan @ The Oatmeal Diaries´s last post ..a holly jolly summer
Great advice, though I’m definitely not at a point where I’d run a marathon. I’m currently training for my second 5k. For my first one, I followed Galloway’s plan pretty precisely, but for my second, I’ve pretty much made up my own training plan that’s working really well. I stick to running three days a week, with one long run a week, and one run with some speed intervals.
Found your blog through I Eat Asphalt, and it’s great. Added you to my reader.
Lisa @ Lisa’s Foods on the Move´s last post ..What Makes a Locavore
Congrats on scheduling your October Marathon! I think your idea of using a customized training schedule rather than a one-size-fits-all plan is so important, and I appreciate how you emphasized not increasing your mileage or speed too quickly, and to LISTEN to your body (important in all parts of life as well!). You are going to rock this marathon!
Great post. I am not ready for a marathon but I can easily apply this logic to the 1/2 that I just signed up for!
This is awesome. I have really been struggling over thinking how to train for mine and this helps SO much!
I always struggle when training for marathons as I never leave my body enough time to recover…after a few weeks of increasing my mileage I end up all kinds of twinges!
Ross´s last post ..Asics Gel Kayano 17 Review
am glad I’ve got a year to train for my first London Marathon!
London Photographer´s last post ..How To Run A Marathon
This is exactly the post I’ve been looking for! I will totally be linking this to my bloggie
Thanks!!!! caseysontherun.wordpress.com
This is a very helpful post. I love the honesty and the straight forward tone. I’m preparing to run my first marathon (ING NYC) this year and the training schedules that I was finding online all had bits that I liked and I couldn’t figure out how to mix and match to make my own schedule. I’ve been racing only since 2010 so I’m still learning. Thanks for so much detail.