Here's a debate for a Friday. I have finally found my Brighton Marathon training plan email, which Gmail put in to a dusty corner, and had a look at mine. They are provided by Running Bug.
I can't say I'm massively happy about them being involved anyway. Between keywords and the fact that some of my Facebook friends (all women, not a coincidence I feel) "like" them on there they have been cluttering up my FB feed for the past few months. Always seems to be ages old recycled posts about running fashion or diet or one of those Sub-Timmy Buzzfeed style lists on amusing things runners do. But they're doing the plan so I looked.
The "intermediate" one seems to be massively unsuitable unless I am missing something. Many in the Marathon will have a place in Brighton Half but the two things have not married up at all. Week 10 for them is a 2 - 2.5 hour steady run and the half marathon race is week 12, two weeks after Brighton finishes. No single run is loger than two and a half hours on either beginner or intermediate. Every other plan I've seen including the one for last year's London marathon has a 20 mile plus run in it which at 9 and a half minute miles would take me 3 hours 10.
Is there some new theory about only running about half the distance in training or is the plan gubbins and to be ignored? I saved last year's London plan as a pdf and it includes a 22 mile run 4 weeks before the race that emphasises "practice hydration and nutrition". I like the look of it a lot more.
Sign up with an experienced coach and get a personalised plan - it will transform your running completely. PM me if you want a recommendation....all online, easy to follow and takes all the thinking out of it for you, lots of contact/feedback on all your session and advice on nutrition, hydration, kit etc etc. Can't recommend it highly enough. Basically any plan you see online is generic by definition - unfortunately none of us are the same so the plans and up being 'suitable for all' and 'suitable for none' at the same time.