"So I ran the Berlin Marathon aiming for 3:40, and was able to complete in 3:39:07, running more or less on the same power/speed throughout the race. So a 10 minutes PR it was! I have also beaten my PR in 1K, 1 mile, 5K, 10K 15K, 10 miles, and half marathon this year, and I find that extremely satisfying given the fact that I was injured last year and have trained more controlled (80/20) than previous years. I would not have been able to do this without your training program, and the advice and encouragement you have given me during the year Ryan! I have learned a lot about training, restitution and age :-)" - Ole, 61 years young from Norway
Overview
This is an advanced marathon training plan for an athlete that is interested in setting a personal best and/or being competitive within their age group or overall ranking. This training plan is prescribed and individualized based on run power, run pace, heart rate, and Rating of Perceived Exertion (1-10 scale) and assumes that an athlete has the equipment necessary to run. This training plan includes a mixture of road running, resistance training performed in a gym, and cross-training (other aerobic activities of the athletes' choice). An athlete should have experience racing marathons and should have a well-developed level of fitness before participating in this training plan, including at least 18-24 months of consistently running at least 5-6 times per week with a mixture of both aerobic running and speed-work. Additionally, it is recommended that the athlete have performed strength training on at least 1-2 days per week over the past 18-24 months, or at least have a basic foundation of strength upon which to build with strength training as this training plan includes a progression of heavy strength training and plyometrics. Finally, it is recommended that the athlete has the ability and basic competency to run without pain.
Note: When viewing the weekly training volume preview on TrainingPeaks, keep in mind this training plan includes both a mixture of time-based sessions and distance-based sessions; so the weekly training volume will be expressed in terms of both time and distance.
This training plan comes with a few documents/resources that will prove useful to athletes while following along to the prescribed plan:
1. Instructional Booklet - Contains basic educational and background material that will help the athlete successfully complete the training plan and learn about the training process
2. Training Zones Chart - This will be useful in documenting run pace and heart rate zones to be used during training and racing; these zones will bet set by performing tests regularly throughout the training plan
Basic equipment needed to successfully complete the run sessions within this training plan include:
-running shoes
-run-specific power meter (Polar, Stryd, etc.)
-proper run clothing and attire
-GPS run watch
-heart rate monitor (chest strap or arm strap is ideal over wrist-based heart rate monitors on watches)
Peak Endurance Solutions is a company dedicated to providing endurance athletes with premium semi-customizable training plans. I strongly believe that endurance sport and the craving to reach our athletic potential can be used as a platform to experience our true human potential. My approach to crafting training plans for a wide variety of endurance sport events and distances reflects this core belief, and is the driving force behind my pursuit of providing the best training plans possible.