easy/hard/long weekly schedule

[jeff]

What do you folks think on weekly training schedules?  Two most common here are 1. alternating easy/hard  ie. 3 easy and 3 hard per week with hard being tempo, speed and long, or 2. 4 easy and 2 hard, with hard being alternating weeks of tempo/speed and the long run.  Which one do you think is better for race preparation?

[Sasha Pachev]

I would say it is very individual. Some runners do best with as little as one hard workout every two weeks, and if they try to do more they get slower or injured. Others might see improvements from running hard twice in one single day and put several of those days back to back. Try several different regiments and run a time trial at the end of each on the same course to get an idea of what is best for you.

[Jeff Linger]

I've personally found my body to have significantly responded well to a weekly schedule of 1-2 hard, 1 long, and 3-4 medium paced runs. All in all, I've completely bagged speedwork (intervals and track work) in lieu of Easy pace, Marathon pace, and 10k paced runs. Realistically I probably do 1-2 runs each week in the 30 seconds slower than marathon pace, and then either 1 10kish paced run around 5-7 miles, or bury a 3 mile 10k pace in the middle of a medium-long (for me this is 10-12) if I do this one I usually do it 2 times that week. The rest of my miles for the week are marathon pace.

[Megan Marie Schedler]

I usually do 3 hard days and 3 easy days and 1 rest day per week. hard days: 1 day-speed work usually 5k pace), 1 day-tempo intervals (usally 10k pace), and a long run. the other days are at an easy pace. However, if I feel my body is really tired, then I alter that week acordingly.
If i do too many easy runs, my body gets too acustomed to that pace... i need the speed bursts personally.