General training plan review request?

[Chris de Vos]

So I just did a half where I got a 1:34:20, and its painfully clear that I would only be able to run that distance well on pancake flat terrain, given perfect conditions, meaning I need mileage! So I've retooled and am starting to pump up the mileage. This is what I've been doing, with my plan for next week:

M: Rest from running (bike or swim, and weights)
T: 8 miles road running, descending splits every two miles, medium split, last couple miles a few seconds faster than goal marathon pace. Half mile warm-up, half cool down, at easy splits. (9 miles total)
W: 6 miles recovery run. (6 miles)
Th: Track work, 3x2 miles at descending splits, 800m easy in between each set, half mile warmup. (8 miles)
Fr: 6 miles recovery run. (6 miles)
Saturday: 12 mile long run, emphasis on incorporating some hills, without killing myself. Half mile warmup. (12.5 miles)
Sunday: 6 miles easy

Total: 47.5 miles

I've been working up slowly, going 35->38->42, into ~44 this week. My only problem, I think, is that I'm running the recovery too fast, but what do you guys think? I like it because its got variety in the workouts.

[Jon Allen]

Based on your half time, your easy days should be 8-8:30 pace, and your very easy days could be as much as a minute per mile slower.  The easier your easy days are, the better you recover and the faster you can go on hard days.

[Chris de Vos]

Based on your half time, your easy days should be 8-8:30 pace, and your very easy days could be as much as a minute per mile slower.  The easier your easy days are, the better you recover and the faster you can go on hard days.

Absolutely; I've been running slightly faster than 8:00 on normal easy days, and 8:15-8:30 on super easy days. I think its my biggest problem in training, and it'll be the toughest thing for me to change.

[Sasha Pachev]

Chris:

I would get rid of 3x2 miles and replace it with increased mileage until you break 1:27 in the half. The reason is that when aerobic development lacks, anything done fast that creates a need to run less is less effective because aerobic development very strongly correlates with mileage. Some random 10-20 second pickups during your easy runs could easily meet the need of practicing to run at faster speeds from the neurological perspective at this point.

Run a natural pace, do not force it. If it happens to be 8:00, it might be the right pace. When you are underdeveloped aerobically, the right pace for an easy run is often faster than a chart based on a developed runner would predict. This is because a developed runner has to worry about breaking different subsystems - nervous system, and the structural integrity of his body (bones, muscles, joints, etc).

So maybe up the minimum mileage for a day to 8 if you think you can handle it.