PLAN(S) B

Run more – or less – than the average RW reader? Check out these marathon-training alternatives that have stood the test of time

RUN/WALK

RW DEBUT April 1998 BEST FOR True beginners, older or injury-prone runners, or anyone who’s hit the wall and wants to feel better in the last six miles of the marathon

Jeff Galloway pioneered this method, in which you take predetermined walk breaks at regular intervals throughout your run. The ratio depends on your pace (a 10-minute miler would run for 90 seconds, then walk 30 seconds). You’ll not only reduce your injury risk but you can also actually improve your marathon time, he says. LEARN MORE The Run-walk-runmethod, by Jeff Galloway (Meyer & Meyer); jeffgalloway.com

RUN LESS, RUN FASTER

RW DEBUT August 2005 BEST FOR Triathletes and time-poor or injury-prone runners

After setting up the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST), scientists at Furman University in South Carolina, US, pared marathon training down to three runs per week: an interval workout, a tempo run and a long run. Their plans also require two days of cross-training per week to boost fitness. LEARN MORE Runless, Runfaster, by Bill Pierce, Scott Murr and Ray Moss (Rodale); furman.edu/sites

HANSONS MARATHON METHOD

RW DEBUT January 2011 BEST FOR Experienced runners willing to work hard

Brothers Keith and Kevin Hanson (who coach US Olympic marathoner Desi Linden; she finished seventh in the Rio Games, in 2:26:06) build tough plans designed to elicit ‘cumulative fatigue’, weariness that trains you to run well on tired legs. LEARN MORE Hansons Marathonmethod, by Luke Humphrey, with Keith Hanson and Kevin Hanson ( Velopress); hansonscoaching services.com