Many who I have spoken to love to have a program designed for them by their trainer/coach or figure that if they pull one off the shelf somewhere in a magazine or book or on the web then this will automatically guarantee them that particular time. The reality is this is not the case and while I firmly believe that something like the 3 hour marathon mark is attainable for most long distance runners who can apply themselves and work hard, the problems come in again when it comes to pacing.
Who do we turn to in these instances?
There are a myriad of coaches out there selling a whole number of training programs, but the three that I like are Jack Daniels, Pete Pfitzinger and Greg Macmillan. Each of these breaks down the paces that are to be run in training. What are the differences then?
I like Daniels as he uses his VDOT system and allows you to move through phases and have the exact paces to run at when training (I used his system in my training this morning). Pfitzinger also breaks down the paces, but makes use of more heart rate values, whereas McMillan uses his formulated calculator to predict your outcome in races and also to plot your training paces.
I have tried all three and prefer Daniels, due to the fact that he gives you precise values to shoot for. McMillan also shows that I am more economical than my speed suggests.
With the wealth of coaches out there, I highly endorse these three, but also think it worthwhile looking at South African coach Bobby McGee (resident in Colorado and working with USA triathlon).
Since we are all an experiment of one, play around with the programs, have fun, be positive and see it, believe it and you will achieve it!
Running together – Stride for stride on a life changing ride! – Sean Muller
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