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After purchase, your plan will be available in your own private online training log account. You'll enjoy these benefits and more:

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Workout #1 : Other

Planned Time: 0:00:00
Hundreds of thousands of runners have run marathons using my training programs. Many have followed my novice program to finish their first marathon. Once having achieved that success, they often migrate upwards to use one of my intermediate or advanced programs, running more miles or adding speedwork to improve their times, to set Personal Records, even to qualify for the prestigious Boston Marathon, which accepts only runners who qualify by running fast times. Whether your goal is to qualify for Boston or not, welcome to my training program.

Workout #2 : Day Off

Planned Time: 0:00:00
This premium Novice 2 Marathon Training Program fits conveniently between Novice 1 and Intermediate 1. It features 4 days of running a week, like Novice 1, whereas my Intermediate programs add a 5th running day. Nevertheless, Novice 2 offers somewhat more mileage than Novice 1; also, the pace runs normally done on Saturdays in the Intermediate programs are on Wednesdays in place of the Sorta-Long runs. Another minor difference: The Long Runs begin at a slightly higher level providing a bump in total mileage. I'm also going to ask you to run a 19-mile run as the marathon draws near between runs of 18 and 20 miles. If you already ran your first marathon using Novice 1, Novice 2 will offer a gentle and pleasant step-up for marathons beyond. Let's start today by doing...nothing! Mondays during the 18 weeks of this program are rest days. You know how to rest, don't you? Simply do nothing.

Workout #3 : Run

Planned Time: 0:27:00
Run 3 miles at a comfortable pace. Over the next 18 weeks, you will add only a few miles to your Tuesday workouts. In Week 7, you'll do 4 miles. In week 11, you'll be up to 5 miles. (This is a slight increase in distance from Novice 1.) By that time, you'll be so used to doing much longer runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays, that a run of that distance will seem easy. It's all part of the progressive buildup of total mileage designed to get you ready to run 26 miles. Don't be tempted to push the pace. Undertraining is often better than Overtraining.

Workout #4 : Other

Planned Time: 0:00:00
Marathons lend themselves to goal setting, because of the extra effort required both to train for them and to compete well in them, and simply because of the magic of the marathon itself. But setting a goal involves not merely selecting an event or events but also deciding what you expect from your participation in that event. Is your goal just to finish? Is your goal a PR? Is your goal victory, or at least placing high in your age group? Or maybe you are just out to have a good time?

Workout #5 : Other

Planned Time: 0:00:00
Planning is where time and goal come together. If you have a specific period of time in which to achieve a specific goal, you can plan accordingly, to a point, of course. You cannot predict whether the wind will be in your face or the weather will be too warm. But you can plan almost every other aspect of your marathon training so you will reach the starting line ready to perform to the best of your ability.

Workout #6 : Run

Planned Time: 0:45:00
Wednesdays feature another difference between Novice 1 and Novice 2. In the former training program, you do what I call Sorta-Long runs at an easy pace. In the latter program, you do Pace Runs, the same workouts that Intermediate runners do on Saturdays. Today, do 5 miles at marathon pace. You need to implant in your mind what it feels like to run the exact pace needed to meet your goal on marathon day. Pick a measured course where you can catch your time each mile. Measure the course yourself with a GPS watch or run on a track if necessary. Revisit the introductory screen for Novice 2 runners on TrainingPeaks or on halhigdon.com for more directions on how to do Pace workouts.

Workout #7 : Run

Planned Time: 0:30:00
Run the same workout that you did on Tuesday: 3 miles. Follow the run by doing some stretching and strength training for about 15-30 minutes. Go to halhigdon.com, where Olympic Trials qualifier Cathy Vasto offers Six Spectacular Strength Exercises and Physical Therapist Debbie Pitchford provides Five Fantastic Stretching Exercises. This might be a good workout to do in a health club, since you can do your 3-miler on a treadmill before heading to the weight room.

Workout #8 : Other

Planned Time: 0:00:00
Marathons continue to grow in size. Chicago, New York and London all attract fields larger than 40,000 runners. Within the United States, according to figures from the USATF Road Running Information Center, the number of runners finishing marathons has grown from 170,000 to 400,000 in two decades. Those finishers are slightly older and somewhat slower, their motivation in entering a marathon (often their first road race of any distance) being mainly to finish it, not to finish it fast.

Workout #9 : Other

Planned Time: 0:00:00
The preferred fuel for the endurance athlete is carbohydrates, because they are easy to digest and easy to convert into energy. Carbohydrates convert quickly into glucose (a form of sugar that circulates in the blood) and glycogen (the form of glucose stored in muscle tissue and the liver). Proteins and fats also convert into glucose/glycogen, but at a greater energy cost. The body can normally store about 2,000 calories worth of glycogen in the muscle, enough for maybe 20 miles of running.