@Keels What an amazing idea! This is really well done. I'll add my history and experience.
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I have used the following training plans:
June 2012 - July 2013: PR everyday
July 2013 - January 2014: Galloway Dopey
January 2014 - June 2015: FIRST
June 2015 - January 2016: Hansons
January 2016 - Present: Custom
My experience with each:
PR Everyday
This plan speaks for itself. Unfortunately some of us start with this plan. I went everyday and pushed as hard as possible. I didn't really have set distances, set durations, or set paces I was trying to hit per se. I just ran several miles 3x/per week with hard efforts everyday (no easy running). This was a poor plan that had no basis. Without a good structure it didn't provide the benefits I thought it would. I never really got any faster.
Galloway Dopey
I followed the plan as prescribed with a few exceptions:
1) I did not follow run/walk, but ran continuously.
2) I did not run beyond 20 miles.
3) I ran everyday ignoring his recommendation to "walk" on some days
4) On the Dopey simulation days, I simulated the pace as well as the distance. So I ran Thursday at 5K pace, Friday at 10K pace, Saturday at HM pace, and Sunday at M pace.
5) I did not follow the recommended 2 min slower than M pace for the long run. I thought well I can run it faster, why not?
I successfully crossed the finish line with this plan, but in hindsight would have done things differently.
-Because Galloway doesn't specify training paces for most of the runs I ran them as hard as I could everytime. I wouldn't do this again. Several different paces over the entire spectrum play a key role in getting better. Running your long runs significantly slower than desired race pace is critical for eliciting the correct benefits.
-Because I don't run/walk the duration of the 20 mile runs was too much. If you run/walk, then Jack Daniels recommendation is max training at 4.5 hours for a single run. However, when continuous running it's suggested 2.5-3 hours (Daniels is 2.5 and Hansons say 3) at which there are diminishing returns (you keep reaping benefits, but you fatigue the muscles SOOO much that it risks injury greatly). So since I didn't follow Galloway's run/walk I was training for too long and placing myself at a higher injury risk then someone who run/walked the plan.
-The plan focuses almost primarily on lactate threshold workouts (by virtue of run/walk) and running economy. However, because I did continuous running and hard every day I reaped only some running economy (no lactate threshold work and no VO2max workouts).
FIRST
This plan was 3x/week with speed, tempo, and long run as the three days. This plan has no easy days and relies on you doing cross-training workouts, of which I did a medicine ball workout (which wasn't quite what they were looking for). This plan was set to improve VO2max and Running Economy. From Summer 2014-Summer 2015 I used this plan and made almost no progress. In fact I had my worst marathon experience on this plan. I can not in good faith recommend this plan knowing what I know now about training.
Hansons (#Math)
6 days a week with three hard days and three easy days. The plan's basis is four pillars:
1) Don't have a single run exceed 35% of the total weekly mileage.
2) Don't have a single run last longer than 3 hours
3) Follow a Lydiard periodization training schedule with paces divergent in the beginning and getting closer to race day pace as the plan progresses.
4) Cumulative Fatigue
These pillars come together to help form the basis of their plan.
Because I had done speed work with FIRST but wasn't ready for the 6 days per week or huge increase in mileage I made a hybrid "Intermediate" plan with speed work like Advances but lesser mileage like Beginner. The big draw to the plan (and most common thing associated with it) is the 16 mile long run. Because you run 6 days per week, it isn't necessary to complete massive single long runs. The goal of the long run is to improve Running Economy and stave off fatigue from the lactate threshold. The cumulative fatigue from all of the other days running provides this benefit without having to do 20-26 mile runs. However, it is a common misconception that the 16 mile long run is set in stone. As with all Hansons the plan's basis is in #Math. Which means if you run faster, then your long run is further. But if you evaluate the plan on the basis of duration, then no matter what your fitness level pace the long run should be around 2.5-3 hour max. For some that's 14 miles, others 16 miles, others 23 miles. This #Math exists in the tempo/speed/strength workouts as well for a basis of adjusting the suggested book plan.
This plan provided my biggest jump in abilities. It worked VO2max (speed), Lactate Threshold (Strength/Tempo), and Running Economy (Tempo/Long Run/Easy). The hardest part about Hansons is the time commitment. It's 6 days per week and involves many 70, 90, and 120 minute weekday runs. But the benefits can be tremendous. Honestly, I felt much less tired running Hansons than any of the other training plans I completed prior. Even though the plan is 6 days per week, it is very well balanced. Although, it does not specifically claim to follow an 80% easy/ 20% hard split, the plan does. By virtue of focusing primarily on paces almost always slower than marathon pace it allows the body to recover and elicit a laundry list of benefits of slow/easy running. Thus, EASY running is VERY good for you. I used to do hard running all the time and "survived the training" but once I switched to Hansons (but moreso an easy mileage matters mindset) I started "thriving because of the training" Said another way "save it for race day". The plan states you should always be able to do one more mile or one more interval. If you can't, or if your paces are fading, then you're trying too hard. Easy matters. It seems counterintuitive but it works.
Custom (#Lots of Math)
Through all of the research I've done, I have finally settled on custom training plans. I use the basis of all of the knowledge gained during these 4 years of running and scientific research to come up with my own philosophies on running and improvement. If you'd like to read my philosophies on running see these posts (clickable links):
How to build a custom plan - Part 1
How to build a custom plan - Part 2
Marathon is 99% Aerobic
VO2max, Lactate Threshold, Running Economy, and the Psychobiological Model
Speed work vs Endurance work: Which should I choose?
Learning to run by effort: Blind Running
Long Run of 16 miles: How can you possibly run 26.2 with only 16 in training?
Pac-Man Theory: Start Slow and then chomp, chomp, chomp
I have never used C25K, Higdon, or Nike.
Although I quick reviewed the Nike plan and had the following thoughts.
-It doesn't define the easy days well enough. Most of us miss what easy
really feels like. But it should be at paces around 60-120 seconds slower than marathon pace.
-The plan focuses on Anaerobic Threshold (mile pace), VO2max (5K/10K paces) and Running Economy (Long Run), but doesn't really have anything for the Lactate Threshold. For a marathon, I would focus more on Endurance work (again it's a 99% aerobic event which means slow running) which means more LT and Running Economy and less AT and VO2max. The AT and VO2max will not really help you much on race day for the marathon, whereas the LT and Running Economy play a vital role. Since AT and VO2max encompass two days a week each week, this plan becomes less useful then it should. Spending a block of time (say 20-30 weeks prior to the marathon) focusing on AT and VO2max can be helpful, but again LT and Running Economy are much more important.
-Doing SOOO much speed work (twice per week) can be really tough on the body. Unless you are gifted athletically, this will put most of us in a compromised risk zone for injuries. The speed days need to be kept further apart (like once per week).
-You never train at marathon pace. So how are you suppose to know what marathon pace feels like? While marathon pace on it's own is kind of in a grey zone physiologically it is a good idea to teach your body "what it feels like" or the effort of doing so.
-With such a fluid schedule, I imagine if someone were to "skip" a workout it would almost always likely be the "easy/recovery" day. This can be a massive pitfall. Continuously doing the hard days but skipping out on the easy days could imbalance the schedule immensely and could cause a higher risk for injury and not elicit the benefits you'd hope to gain. I always like to recommend skipping the hard days if you can't fit it in. Less benefits, but less risk. Better to enter race day slightly undertrained because you missed a hard day here or there, then never make it to the starting line because you're injured.