Feature Photo by Leo Visions on Unsplash
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that I’m a fan of Jack Daniels and his 2Q marathon training plans. But I’ve also got a lot of respect for Pfitz, and I read both Advanced Marathoning and Faster Road Racing early on in my running journey.
At this point, I tend to cobble together my own training plans – combining elements of both JD and Pfitz. So when I heard Pfitz was on a podcast promoting the new edition of his book, I was excited. I’ve been on the road a lot for work lately, so I queued it up and listened to it this week. And the conversation didn’t disappoint.
If you’re already familiar with Pfitz, skip the next section to get to some takeaways from the podcast and what to expect from the new book. And head over to Amazon to pre-order a copy of the 4th edition of Advanced Marathoning.
Who’s Pfitz and What’s Advanced Marathoning?
Pete Pfitzinger is one of the big names in running and marathon training. He had a successful running career himself – representing the United States at the Olympics in both 1984 and 1988. Since then, he’s transitioned to coaching.
His book on marathon training, Advanced Marathoning, explains the science behind running in an approachable way. The book helps you understand the “why,” and then it shows you the “how” through a series of training plans.
His plans are, by far, the most popular training plans discussed on r/AdvancedRunning. You’ll often see them referred to as “Pfitz 18/55” or “Pfitz 12/70” – with the two numbers indicating the length of the plan and the peak weekly mileage. There are multiple levels – ranging from the challenging but approachable 55 mpw plan all the way up to the much more aggressive 85+.
Some hallmarks of a Pfitz plan are a strong focus on the long run, a regular midweek long run, a fairly aggressive pace on aerobic runs, and lengthy threshold efforts. You can read more about the key elements of Pfitz training methodology here, along with the pros and cons of his training plans here.
What’s Coming in the 4th Edition?
When I first heard there was a 4th edition coming out, I wasn’t sure it would necessarily have anything new and exciting. Jack Daniels recently released a new edition of his Running Formula, and it seemed more like a reprint and a refresh than an actual update.
But Pfitz was a guest on the Strength Running Podcast last week, and he talked with Jason Fitzgerald about a bunch of things. Of course, one of the first questions Jason asked was how this edition would be different – and Pfitz offered a few examples.
First, in general, he explained that he likes to keep up with the scientific literature and incorporate the latest research into the book. So at a high level, I’d expect some new citations and references to support his recommendations.
More specifically, he mentioned heart rate variability as an example of something that is a new topic introduced in this edition. In the last few years, measurements of heart rate variability have become more standard on Garmins and other fitness devices, and I’ve written a bit about it here. As Pfitz explains, it’s something of an art and a science, and I’d be interested in his take on how useful this metric actually is.
Finally, he explained that he reviewed each of his plans and identified some areas of improvement. He found a few instances where there were several days in a row that included hard to moderate intensity – and he has since decided to space those out a bit more. That doesn’t mean he’s going to suddenly get rid of the midweek long run or make any drastic changes – but expect some tweaks to the plans.
Next month, I’ll do a more thorough comparison of the 4th and 3rd editions and highlight what is new in the book. But those are a few of the things he mentioned.
What Else Did They Talk About?
Besides the new edition of the book, the podcast conversation was an interesting, informative, and enjoyable hour with Pete. It’s well worth your time.
Here are a few takeaways that are still top of mind 36 hours after I listened to it.
They talked about the importance of posture and core strength. Pete suggested that this was especially important in the late stages of a marathon, when the fatigue really starts to set in. As someone who spends a lot of time in the car and has pretty bad posture, I felt attacked …
But I think his recommendations were sound. It’s not posture, per se, that’s important. It’s working on your core strength. And a little bit of supplemental work goes a long way. So I’m taking the hint, and I’m going to incorporate some of that on a regular basis.
They also had an interesting exchange about the importance of drills. Pete suggested that track athletes and those focused on shorter distance are probably in the habit of doing quite a bit of drills – while marathoners typically do very little if any. There’s no need to go over board, but just adding in a few easy drills, like high knees, butt kicks, and skipping, will help you stay in tune with your body. This is another area where a little bit goes a long way.
When asked about the most important things that marathon runners should focus on, he responded with volume, tempos, and threshold work. This isn’t earth shattering advice, but it jives with the way elites like John Korir and Conner Mantz train.
Finally, when Pete was asked about red flags that he sees in runners and their training, his final comment was about doing too much, too soon. He suggested that your body is used to what it knows – so if you’re used to 60 mpw that’s no problem, but suddenly jumping up to 80 could cause a problem.
On the one hand, I thought this was really interesting because I always thought his plans were really aggressive in their build over the first few weeks. Runners who are attempting a Pfitz plan for the first time might come in ready for week 1 – but totally unprepared for the middle of the plan.
On the other hand, it kind of sounded like he was implying that once you’re used to higher mileage, you can make that jump more easily. He never says this explicitly in the book, but it makes sense if you’re coming back from a break or transitioning from a period of lower mileage. If you’ve already completed 18/70, you can ramp back up to peak mileage much more quickly than if you’ve never run more than 55 miles in a week.
Head over the the Strength Running Podcast and give it a listen. And then pre-order the latest edition of Advanced Marathoning on Amazon.
What were your takeaways from Pete’s conversion with Jason?