Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge Training Plan

QUESTION: Any advice or suggestions on what training schedule I should follow to run Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge this year? I ran the Disney World Marathon for my first and only marathon in January 2012, but would like to train to compete in both the half and full marathons in January 2013. My assumption is that I would have to train two long and longer runs on back-to-back days.

HAL’S ANSWER: Your assumption is correct. Excuse me for pounding my own drum, but the perfect training plan for Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge is my Intermediate 2 marathon training plan. Or for more seasoned runners (i.e., those used to speedwork) Advanced 1 or Advanced 2 marathon training plans. In fact, even though I designed those three programs before there was a Goofy (combining a half marathon on Saturday with a full marathon on Sunday), it almost seems as though I had Goofy in mind. This is because of the two-day progression in my top-line training plans featuring a pace run on Saturday and a long run on Sunday. The programs peak in Week 15 with a 10-mile pace run and a 20-mile long run, like you said on back-to-back days. Voila! It's an easy jump from 10-20 to 13-26. Here is a link that will take you to my Intermediate 2 program.

But you won't be starting Goofy training until the fall. Consider for the interim one of my half marathon programs, 12 weeks long, aimed at a race that distance this spring or summer. Good luck with your training, and maybe I will see you at Disney next year.

Hal uses TrainingPeaks to power his interactive marathon and half marathon training plans. Check out more of Hal Higdon's training plans here or on his website. Archived Q&A's from Hal can be found here.

'Tweener Program for 50-Staters

QUESTION: I ran my first marathon in November, last year, and am training for a second one in late April, this year. I am addicted. I now have a new goal of running a marathon in each state. How much time should I give myself between marathons? The full 18 weeks that most of your marathon programs call for, or would some shorter ‘tweener training period be okay?

HAL’S ANSWER: I can’t offer you any numbers. 50-Staters are a breed unto their own, and rules set for ordinary mortals do not apply to them. You’re going to discover while two marathons a year seemed a reasonable limit your first year pursuing your goal, three or four will become doable soon. Five marathons in a year? Ten? Why not, if you have any hope of reaching your goal in a lifetime. As you continue (and as you talk to other 50-staters about their experiences), you will discover that you no longer are training a marathon at a time (requiring 18-week programs), you are training for continuous, multiple marathons so your planning and training must also be continuous, over years, not months or weeks. So take each marathon as it comes to you. I also would not be in a rush to complete your goal. Take your time and savor the experience. If you decide to devote 25 years to the task, you would need to run only two marathons a year. Running four or five marathons a year would allow you to reach your goal in half the time. Enjoy the ride.

Hal uses TrainingPeaks to power his interactive marathon and half marathon training plans. Check out more of Hal Higdon's training plans here or on his website. Archived Q&A's from Hal can be found here.

Bumping the Mileage

QUESTION: I hope to run my first half marathon in mid May, and I have been doing your Novice 2 program loaded onto my iPhone since December as extended training. Currently, I am in my 8th week. I plan to restart the program at the end of this month, so that the dates coincide with the race date. My question is, should I start the program over from the beginning with the reduced mileage or modify it based on my current weekly miles, but decrease the long run in some way before bumping it back up accordingly?

HAL’S ANSWER: Just because your iPhone tells you to "run 4 miles today," that doesn't mean you need to follow it exactly. You can run 5 or 6 and ignore me when I tell you to stop. No hand will come down out of the sky to prevent you from continuing. But it's not a bad idea to build to a peak, then step back to a slightly lower mileage before moving forward again. That allows you to run some of those shortened workouts at a somewhat faster pace than you ran the first time through the cycle. Variety and consistently will carry you to the finish line in May. Feel free to adapt my programs to suit your convenience.

Hal uses TrainingPeaks to power his interactive marathon and half marathon training plans. Check out more of Hal Higdon's training plans here or on his website. Archived Q&A's from Hal can be found here.

Dividing Long Runs

QUESTION: I am training for my first marathon and was wondering if you can break up the long runs? For instance if I don't have time for 15 miles at once, can I do 10 miles in the morning and 5 miles at night? Does it matter if I run the miles continuously? Will this approach be less effective?

HAL’S ANSWER: The moment marathon race directors allow you to run 13.1 in the morning, then 13.1 in the afternoon after a lunch break, subtracting the delay from your finishing time, then sure, you can break your long runs in half. But seriously, it doesn’t work that way. Yes, there are some benefits to be had from the total mileage run in a single day, but not as much as if that mileage came in a single workout. The most important benefit is the ability to run for 15 or more miles without stop. Breaking the workout in half defeats that purpose. I might even suggest that the benefits in a four-hour run don’t come until after you have run three or more of those hours. Only then will you begin to experience the fatigue felt in the closing miles. Doing a long run of whatever distance conditions you for the physical challenge you will encounter in the marathon itself.

Hal uses TrainingPeaks to power his interactive marathon and half marathon training plans. Check out more of Hal Higdon's training plans here or on his website. 

This is the new home of "Q&A with Hal Higdon"! This column was recently moved from its previous address at http://askhalhigdon.tumblr.com, where archived Q&A's can still be found.

Changing the Schedule

QUESTION: I'm using your Intermediate 2 training program to prepare for a marathon. I just finished week 7. Without realizing what I was doing, I registered for the Manhattan Half Marathon (coming up Saturday). I'm at a loss as to how to modify the program so I can run the race and still not compromise my training. My sources of confusion: 1) The race is on a Saturday, so instead of running 8 miles, I'll be running 13 miles. 2) That means I probably can't (and shouldn't) run the scheduled 17 miles on Sunday. Does it make sense to swap this week for the next? Or should I just run 12 miles on Sunday after the Saturday race so I can maintain the weekly mileage?

HAL’S ANSWER: It makes the most sense to plan these changes in advance, meaning you can easily anticipate that you would swap Week 8 with Week 9 in my program. The latter is a week when I suggest a half marathon race. But please notice that I said “suggest.” You will get the most benefit from my programs if you follow them reasonably closely—but that doesn’t prevent you from making changes, even last minute. So, yes, run your race on Saturday and follow up the next day with some easy running, or maybe a day of rest if you feel fatigued or suffer too much muscle soreness. Then the following week get back on schedule with that long run at the end of the week.

Hal uses TrainingPeaks to power his interactive marathon and half marathon training plans. Check out more of Hal's training plans here or on his website. 

This is the new home of "Q&A with Hal Higdon"! This column was recently moved from its previous address at http://askhalhigdon.tumblr.com/, where archived Q&A's can still be found.