Hudson Marathon – Adaptive Running

About the plan

Eighteen weeks of marathon training in Brad Hudson's adaptive method. The first four weeks are introductory, the next five develop threshold and aerobic power without choosing between the two, and the six weeks of the specific phase bring the central idea of the method: specific endurance. In practice, the long run stops being just long — in alternating weeks it ends with a marathon-pace block that grows from 7 to 9 and then 10 miles (12 to 14 and then 16 km), so the most important workout of the cycle looks more and more like the race. In the in-between weeks the long run goes back to pure and reaches 20 miles (32 km), so that pure endurance keeps rising in parallel. Hill sprints are present from start to finish, attached to the threshold session. Volume goes from 42 to 65 miles (68 to 105 km) per week, and the hardest specific long run totals 25 miles (40 km), 10 of them (16 km) at target pace. Two weeks of taper and race week close the cycle. For advanced marathoners who have already run the distance and want to go after a time. Reading note: Hudson's hill sprints appear as 10-second @repetição — they are maximal bursts up a steep hill with full recovery, and exist to recruit fast-twitch fiber and protect running mechanics, not to produce acidity. And the name of the method is literal: if a workout didn't go well, Hudson expects you to swap the next session rather than follow the plan to the letter.