22-week Philadelphia Marathon training plan

Are you planning to run the Philadelphia Marathon or another marathon this fall?  If so, I wish you luck, hope you have fun, and I hope you keep most of your toe nails . . . I lost 3 during my first marathon.

Once completed, you will be unique and will be among the 0.5% of people in the US who have completed a marathon.  There are about 600 US marathons with 600,000 yearly participants.

Training for a marathon is one of the most difficult athletic feats you will accomplish, but with perseverance and dedication it is extremely fulfilling.  I highly recommend training with a running partner of similar speed.  At the very least, try to find a partner to run some miles with you on your long training days.  Running for 3 plus hours alone can get really lonely.

Below is a easy-to-follow marathon training plan to be started on June 19.  You likely won't break any speed records, but it will help you cross the finish line this fall.  This plan is written for someone who is generally comfortable running a 10k and is currently running regular miles each week.

As life gets in the way and we want to reduce the chance of injury, there is a recovery week at weeks 5, 10, 14, and 18 (they can certainly be moved around if needed) and this plan has you running 2-3 sessions of 20 miles.  If you run 20 miles once, you can probably complete the marathon on the Big Day.  Weekly mileage is not very high as you are only running 3 days per week; the highest weekly mileage total is 32.5 miles (week 19).

If you don't get your long run in, don't panic, just get back on track when you can and continue your progress.  Remember have fun, progress slowly and don't make any major changes (like new shoes) the day of your long run.

Recommended paces:
Long Runs should be run about 30-45 sec slower than your 10 K pace.  Keep this run slower as your goal is to increase mileage.
Short runs should be run at your 5k pace, 30 sec faster than your 10 K pace, or with some type of interval component.
Medium runs should be run at 10 k pace.  If you feel good, this is a great day to add hills or even pick up the pace a little.

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