Hansons Marathon Method Review
There are a lot of marathon training plans to choose from. So which one is right for you?
A few years back, Hansons Marathon Method became one of the popular training program. I read the book by Luke Humphrey with Keith and Kevin Hanson.
There are a lot of good training methods along with some questionable ones in the book.
Here, I want to focus on the subject of long run which is important for marathon training.
What's so different about their program is that the long run in the training program caps off at 16 miles; emphasizing quality over quantity. Most marathon training programs call for long runs of 20-24 miles.
There are pros and cons to the longest run being just 16 miles. For experienced runner like myself this program is not going to help achieve a new PR. 16 milers are what I use to simulate race pace(more like a tempo run) in my marathon training.
If you have run several marathons and feel traditional training plans are not for you then their training program is worth a try. And for newbie marathoners, it will help them run long distances consistently without causing injuries and mental burnout.
There are other important components in a marathon training such as speed, strength and tempo runs. But long runs are very important because " a marathon starts from mile 20 ".
So without practicing running at least 2 or 3 20-24 miles in training, it would be hard to finish 26.2 miles or achieve a certain goal time.
Hansons Method states long runs lasting 2-3 hours are most beneficial. Along with that, it recommends long run distance should be 25-30 % of your weekly mileage. For example, for someone who runs 40 mile a week, 25 % is 10 miles and 30 % is 12 miles.
I've tried to incorporate some of their training components into my training before. Long runs in my training though I had to totally disregard the method in the book.
Here is my conclusion. Running is an honest sport; you get what you put into it. And when it comes to training, one size does not fit all.