Experience with Runnersworld.com Smart Coach?

I am currently in my 7th week of the marathon plan that the Smart Coach generated for me. I like the fact that I am down to 3 days per week of running. The easy run and speed/tempo runs are suitable for my fitness. The long run progression was difficult at first and I am now up to a 20 miler for this sunday. I now know that I just have to stick to the pace suggestions and take it easy. I have been very pleased with the price too(FREE). Hope this answers your questions.

I'm planning on doing the St. Jude's Half Marathon on December 6th and am currently in Week 5 of the half marathon plan that the Smart Coach generated for me. So far, the plan has been very appropriate for me. I'm not a runner and did my first 5K ever last October (albeit very slowly). As HotRod noted, the plan has you running 3 days a week. I've been trying to throw in a long swim and a bike ride when I get the chance. Hurricane Ike and a death in my family have kept things challenging the last month, but the three days a week have been doable and made me accountable.

I didn't like the amount of speedwork. I'm in a build phase after losing a lot of fitness, and I don't feel speedwork is appropriate right now or in the winter when just getting out the door will be a major victory. I chose not to pursue the plan based on that.

I used it for a Half Marathon earlier this year and liked it for a couple of reasons.

The plan it laid out ("Very Hard", "12 Weeks", "56-60 Miles Per Week" ) followed a very similar layout as many other plans I have done and so a lot of it was familiar. I did substitute some of the speedwork for my own workouts though. My base mileage was actually higher but that was the highest it would go so I did add some optional miles onto some of the runs.

What I really liked about it was that it used a race time to calculate my training paces and during each cutback week, it upped the intensity just a bit and then carried those new paces into the next 3 weeks of build.

I am pretty die hard Pfitz guy and probably won't ever use one of their plans for a Full Marathon but I might use it again for a Half in the future.

Edited by WaterDog66 2008-10-08 3:14 PM

I used it for a half this spring. I liked the 3x running, but sometimes I would kick in a few extra miles as a brick or something. (I smooch running.)

Because this was my first half-mary, I didn't actually "follow" the speed day - instead I turned them all into "tempo" days and actually, really just played with my HR on those days and rocked it up to Z3/4 for part of the run. The pace for the long run I took as a suggestion, I usually ended up exceeding it but staying in Z1/Z2.

As far as results - YMMV, but I did better than my hoped for time.

I'm following the plan again (adjusted based on my spring half mary) for a half mary next month. Same deal, although I've thrown some trail running in in place of the tempo/speed days.

I relied on the Smart Coach for my first half. I had just started running, I was in reasonable shape but I had no idea how to structure a training plan. I basically followed the plan to a T, and when the time came to race, I wanted to break 2hr, and I ended up with a 1:42:xx. I was thrilled.

Upon reflection, the plans are pretty basic, but it helped me log structured miles without injuring myself and I felt prepared on race day. For your first couple longer distance races, this is all you can really ask for.

I've recently checked it out again, in an attempt to get my goal of a 1:35 Half mary PR this winter, but there just isn't enough speed work, so I'll probably whip something up myself.