The WDW Marathon is just about 20 weeks away (when did that happen?!), which means I really need to finalize my training plan! I've been avoiding a training plan for awhile, mostly because I'm in denial that I'm actually going to attempt a marathon, let alone possibly complete it.
I looked at a few different training plans- the official runDisney/Jeff Galloway plan and Hal Higdon's novice 1 &2 plans. A few things I noticed- Galloway's plan goes all the way up to 26 miles, whereas Higdon's only goes up to 20. Galloway's plan has pretty low mileage on weekdays/alternating weekends, but Higdon's has consistently higher mileage, hitting double digits on weekends and even a 10 mile weekday run.
I also took into consideration my other race plans. I have the Wine & Dine half and the Avengers half on consecutive weekend about 10 weeks before the marathon.
Last, but certainly not least, I thought about my own running habits. My regular running schedule consists of short weekday runs and a longer weekend run.
The Plan...
I essentially took Higdon's weekend long run plan and added Galloway's weekday running with a little boost.
- Longest run is 22 miles: A lot of folks recommended training up to 20 miles max. I'm the kind of person who likes to be able to tell myself "you've done this before, you can do it again." I'd like to have that card in my back pocket if I need it, but I also know running 26 miles can lead to injury.
- Weekday mileage: The Higdon plan looked fantastic to me, except for the longer weekday runs. There's a 10 mile weekday run a few days before running 20 miles (40 miles total that week)! I know I won't have the motivation, so I cut the weekdays back.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Tips?
Do you have a training plan for the WDW Marathon?
I've done 4 marathons and only gone up to 20 miles. It probably would be easier mentally to go further, but I'm always afraid of ending up with injuries, so I back off. I also know many plans call for at least two 20-22 milers, but I tend to only do one. I'm kind of stuck in the mold of the way I trained for my first marathon, which was kind of "just get through it" mode. One of these days I'll take on another one and do a more challenging program and see how it works. Good luck with yours! I think it looks pretty good, and you have it planned out long enough that if life gets in the way and you miss a longer run, there's plenty of time to make up for it.
ReplyDeleteI think if this training plan works out, I'll probably stick with it. Why fix what isn't broken kind of mentality, right?
DeleteLooks good to me! I think running 4 times a week for marathon training is ideal. Any more than that and you are more susceptible to injury. I see your point on going up to 22 instead of 20... I trained up to 20 for my marathon earlier this year and hit a wall right at 20... I am just lucky I had my friend talk me through it! I may train up to 22 for Dopey too now...not 100% sure though!
ReplyDeleteI was really afraid of hitting that 20 mile wall. "6 more miles" just seems too far, but convincing myself to go just 4 more miles seems way more believable. Haha.
DeleteLooks like a solid plan! In all of my training for my marathons (11 now!), I have only done up to 21. I get the mental aspect of going longer but I worry about injury. Good luck, you will do amazing!
ReplyDeleteWow! 11 marathons! That's amazing! Glad to have the seal of approval from the veteran marathon runner!
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