Perhaps the plans in 80/20 Running by Matt Fitzgerald would work. The level one plan has one day off per week and three days of cross-training (or easy running.) I’ve found that, as I have aged, cross-training works better from me than running too much and getting injured.
I think running lots would be better for getting faster, BUT you can’t run lots if you are injured. Second best is a structured plan incorporating cross-training.
I found the Hanson advanced plan great until week 14. At that point, the wheels quickly came off. Lots of pain in places that I hadn’t had pain ever before, and pain of a kind I couldn’t identify. Despite days off, no apparent healing, just more deterioration.
The book says running on tired legs is part of the training, but just how tired is productive v. disastrous is hard to determine. The fact that you are concerned likely means you are too tired.
I greatly reduced the miles and the load, but I wasn’t certain even the day before the race that I would start. I ran fine, though I hadn’t eaten right and didn’t eat well during the race. My time was very good for me.
Two days after the race, walking was still hard. It took me nearly three weeks before I could run pain free again. That sort of post race pain was new to me.
I suspect you’ve done enough training to do quite well at the race. Switching to the easier program will build on that, just at a slower rate than the advanced program. AND you can practice eating and drinking, which is what hammered you last time.
The advice to drop down to the beginner plan, which I recall the book says is not really for beginners, is good. That will give you a chance to stay with a program and practice race nutrition before the event.
I’d recommend Trainer Road paired with one of the cycling platforms – you can do the workouts while “riding” on group rides or solo on a virtual cycling platform, e.g. Zwift (pay), IndieVelo (free), or MyWhoosh (free.) Zwift has more “carrots” and many, many more people and groups than other platforms.
I use IndieVelo, because I tired of Zwift’s worlds and my favorite type of group rides went away. I found the routes, worlds, and real people quite engaging for a long time. I suspect you’d find Zwift more engaging than other platforms. Zwift has training plans for all sorts of goals.
IndieVelo is mostly bots, but there are some real people, and the bots are more like real riders than on other platforms. The interface is much more intuitive and easy to use than MyWhoosh (horrible interface) or Zwift.
The nice thing about Trainer Road is that it will give you a plan and change the plan and workouts as you go along. That auto-customizing felt good to me, and I made some fitness gains. Using Training Peaks requires that you add a training plan from someplace – a coach or some free one you find. I didn’t use a coach and felt like it was dull and clumsy. Other people love it.
Here’s today’s: https://maclook.substack.com/p/52-weeks-52-half-marathons-stage-5f8 around Lisbon, complete with the famous, yellow trolleys.
Here are some Hansons training plans for marathon and half-marathon:
I hadn’t heard of the Hansons Method either. Last year, I started two runs a day once or twice a week. Unsurprisingly, it was easier on my body than running the same distance continuously. And I didn’t feel as fatigued over all as my weekly mileage increased. My form was better, too.
But as to the big questions: Did I have as much endurance? Was I faster? I really don’t know. I wasn’t significantly slower.
The Hansons Method
https://www.runtothefinish.com/hanson-marathon-training-method-review/
Consider this your Cliff Notes version of Hanson running plans overall. These are the key concepts of the Hanson Method for half marathon and marathon training:
High mileage
6 days of running
Speed emphasis early in the training plan
No planned cross training – in fact, they seem to do very little strength training
Cumulative fatigue – “The development of fatigue through the long term effects of training which results in in a profound increase in running strength”
3 “SOS” (Something Of Substance) workouts per week–speed work, tempo run at goal race pace and long run
Longest run is 16 miles for most people
Obviously you may have heard of this training program thanks to the incredible success of Desi Linden. She gives them a lot of credit, but also noted that she reached a point where this wasn’t the best option for her any more
I admire athletes who can do amazing feats, but this seems crazy. Crazy, as in, someone should have stopped her from continuing.
Thank you! Thank you!
That stuff is great! Put it on twice yesterday and can walk without that stinging pain that usually greets my first steps this time of year. The cracks aren’t gone yet, but I’m optimistic.
I don’t have thick calluses but I get the same thing every winter. I use Cetaphil cream twice a day. No help at all.
I just watched this. I was surprised at how good it is. Dealt with some serious issues and was funny. Really enjoyed it. Thanks!
One surprising thing on that list: A movie about my HS x-country team! Not my year but didn’t know there was a movie about it at all.
I recalled one . . . silly and not on lists: Run Fatboy Run
Very true! I suffered in the heat. Now, I dawdle before facing the “cold” 60 degree mornings!
Forty some miles. With strides and some interval work. Felt good. Made me happy!
How do you handle the ice?
Sensible advice.
Just curious . . . how do you maintain that much mileage in the winter, and for that matter, in the summer heat?
(3:10 would be very fast for me. )
This was a surprise to me:
“While many newer distance runners tend to focus on flashy long runs, the distance of the longest run was not strongly correlated with a BQ. Comparing BQ runners and all other athletes, the distance of the longest run was 20 to 22 miles across each marathon. But, the base mileage was higher for BQ runners, bearing in mind that base volume matters more than the distance of any long run. BQ runners at CIM averaged 65 miles during their peak week, while the rest of the field averaged 50 mpw. Similarly, Chicago BQers averaged 57 miles during peak week, compared to the rest of the field’s 41 mpw peak week.”
Obviously, I need to change my name to Kip Something!
Pretty cool.
Sounds like a really good suggestion and way to proceed.