

Weeks 5-8: Building PhaseThis Phase is where you start introducing a stimulus and then perfect it.This time is spent at 1-2 min/mile slower than GMP (Goal Marathon Pace) and at a HR of less than 180-Age. This phase is made of “boring” miles as most would say and is not “glamorous” on instagram. You can’t put a roof on a house until the groundwork is laid and the same goes with running. Weeks 1-4: Base Training PhaseThis Phase is geared towards building a base for which your marathon success is laid.

Step 3: Define Each of the Phases and Define Their Purpose and Stimulus Step 2: Break the 18 Week Plan down into Phases A running base is crucial to success and that involves alot of easy miles but I think adding in some strength/speed workouts can be valuable if kept at low percentage of the volume and gradually introduced. I am going to show you how to beef it up a little bit to make it more tailored to you. The Novice 1 Run Plan just lists out basic mileage for running with cross and rest day listed no real paces or guidelines.He does include workouts in the intermediate/advanced plans if you are interested, but I am going to choose the Novice 1 Plan for this demonstation as I think this blog will be most helpful to new runners. From the starts of my first marathon I have always gone to Hal Higdon as a means of finding GREAT starter plans from the 5K to Marathon Distance.I know some of you cannot afford coaching and so I figured I would give you a quick starter guide on how to create a plan from a generic free template.

However, after 2 Custom Plans and tons of research on the topic it became more second nature and now I am coaching my own athletes to new heights. Before I hired a coach in 2015 (Lauren Floris) to create a custom plan for me in hope of Boston Qualifying I had no clue how a plan should be organized. While to some these might seem like “common” ideas and knowledge to alot of new runners I know it can seem foreign. Hey Guys! I figured on Tuesday’s I will try and provide some training tips.
