Interesting Marathon Training Plan

[VeloVT]

My biggest concern (and it's not like I'm any kind authority on this -- I've trained for two so far and not run in either, for various reasons -- so take it for what it's worth ) is that the second longest run on the long run week (40 min) is probably not more than 6 miles or so (unless you're very fast!). I would want to see at least one, maybe more, 10-12 milers (or some 30/35ish bike rides to do a similar amount of work without the pounding -- but keeping your hr up pretty high if it's going to really substitute for running) in a week that included a 19-mile long run. Also the mileage is pretty low to support those long runs -- the long run is more than half of your weekly mileage. For me, I would worry about how comfortable I'd be maintaining my pace for the long run distance without more endurance training during the week. But again, that's just my comfort zone, others' mileage may vary .

For me, and I'm sure this varies, pushing up the mileage really makes me faster (and able to hold my pace over distance), so I think this prejudices how I view a given training plan. The first time I trained I dropped from 10 min miles to 7 min miles in about two and a half months -- no speedwork, just lots of miles. I'm planning on training for a marathon next May that I really hope to RUN this time (just starting "pre-training" 'cuz I got out of running shape this summer, but won't start serious training until January), and I do intend to incorporate speed training... But still, I'm a big fan of piling on the miles. I found that it really changed my body and my abilities more than I ever expected. But, the reason I didn't run the last one was because I got injured... and that's always a lurking possibility with high mileage.