Running Plan Review Advanced Marathoning 18-Week, Over 85 mi/wk
By Advanced Marathoning (4th ed.) — Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas Requires purchase Visit plan website
Plan at a Glance
Pete Pfitzinger ran two Olympic marathons before turning to coaching. The system he built with Scott Douglas puts half the instruction on the calendar and half in the book. This is the top tier, written for runners closer to the front of the field than the middle.
You'll run twice on most days and pass 100 miles a week at peak. Doubles are the mechanism that makes the volume possible: a recovery day becomes a morning five and an evening five rather than a single ten-mile shuffle. The book is explicit that this speeds recovery rather than adding fatigue, because each run raises blood flow while taking little out of you.
Four blocks organise the 18 weeks: endurance, lactate threshold, race preparation, then a three-week taper. Threshold sessions run up to 45 minutes on the clock. Marathon-pace work grows through four long runs, and one run of 22 to 24 miles lands in week 11. Two dropback weeks are marked, the deeper one pulling volume back to 76 miles.
Come in running 70 to 75 miles a week with a recent long run of at least 15 miles. Doubles begin above 75 miles, and no second run should last under 25 minutes. Strength work is programmed in the book but never scheduled.
Below is the full Buena Vida review of the plan. We score every plan against our 31-point benchmark, which draws from peer-reviewed sports-science research and proven coaching best practices.
Workouts
Similar plans
Our Review
Most days here carry two runs. You're chasing a time that needs 100-mile weeks, and you already know what that costs. You'll want to understand one thing before you start, and it isn't the peak number.
It's the doubles. On this plan a recovery day is a morning five and an evening five, not a single ten-mile shuffle, and that choice is doing specific work. You raise blood flow twice and take little out of yourself either time. The mileage is banked, and your legs finish fresher than one longer run would leave them. Runners who come to this tier and treat doubles as optional end up doing the same volume in single runs, which is how the tier breaks people. The book sets the floor plainly: below 75 miles a week doubles rarely help, and a second run under 25 minutes is not worth the shower.
Worth your time if you hold 70 to 75 miles a week, with a recent 15-miler and a time goal that genuinely needs this volume. If you can't run twice a day on most days, the 70 to 85 tier gives you the same shape in single runs. If you've never held 70 miles through a full build, start a tier lower.
-
Structure
Does the plan build you up smartly?
Four blocks run across the 18 weeks: endurance, threshold, race preparation, then taper. Two dropback weeks are marked in the column header, the deeper one cutting volume to 76 miles. Volume swings hard between blocks rather than climbing in a line, which is how the plan keeps 100-mile weeks survivable. The three-week taper holds a tune-up race and a marathon-pace rehearsal.
-
Prevention
Does the plan protect you from injury?
Progression is controlled even at this volume, with the largest week-to-week step near 13% and no week where load runs away. Both dropback weeks pull you well below the prior three-week average, giving your legs a defined window. Doubles do the structural work, splitting recovery days so you accumulate mileage without extending time on your feet. Chapter 4 of the book programs strength work the calendar never shows.
-
Flexibility
What happens when you miss a day?
Threshold running is prescribed in minutes, reaching 45 minutes at lactate-threshold pace. A decision table tells you when missed training means resuming and when it means changing your goal. No session is tagged as cut-first, which matters most here. With twelve or thirteen runs a week you have more to choose between and no guidance on the order.
-
Readiness
Will the plan deliver race-day fitness?
Marathon-pace work grows through 8, 10, then 12 continuous miles at goal pace across the build. Three tune-up races appear, including one at 15K to half-marathon distance in the race-preparation block. The long run peaks at 22 to 24 miles in week 11 and settles to 21 afterwards. You rehearse goal effort repeatedly and race three times before the start line.
-
Variety
Are the workouts varied enough?
Ten run types fill the calendar once doubles are counted, from recovery pairs through threshold, VO2max intervals, and marathon-pace long runs. Hill sprints are new in this edition, taking 10 to 12 seconds up a moderate grade before a set of strides. Reps run from 600 meters to 1,200 meters at 5K effort. Your easy running dominates by design, sitting near 90% of total volume.
Plan Strengths
- Splitting your recovery days into two runs banks 100-mile weeks without extra hours.
- One run of 22 to 24 miles lands seven weeks out, giving your legs time to absorb it.
- Two dropback weeks cut deep, the second pulling you to 76 miles so your legs genuinely reset.
- Threshold sessions reach 45 minutes on the clock, lifting the ceiling your marathon pace sits under.
- Nearly 90% of your running is easy, which is what makes this volume survivable at all.
Weaknesses & gaps
- Twelve or thirteen runs a week leaves you almost no room for a disrupted day.
- Your longest run sits seven weeks out, further from race day than the evidence prefers.
- Chapter 4 of the book programs strength work that never appears on your calendar.
- With so many weekly runs and no cut-first tag, you're guessing when a week collapses.
- You need 70 to 75 miles a week before week 1, and nothing checks that you have it.
What this plan does not give you
The gap is the book, plus one judgement the calendar leaves to you. Strength work is programmed in chapter 4 but never scheduled, so place two short sessions on easier days. Pace prescriptions assume the book is nearby: threshold pace resolves through Appendix B's equivalent race times, but the fourth edition dropped the chart converting a goal time into a 5K pace, so interval targets need a recent race. The judgement is doubles. The book sets 75 miles a week as the floor below which a second run rarely helps, and it wants any second run to last at least 25 minutes. Below that, cross-training serves you better than more running.
What the science supports
Training in phases beats holding one load
The 18 weeks run through four blocks with distinct jobs. Endurance carries the first six weeks, lactate-threshold work the middle five, then race preparation and a three-week taper. Volume swings deliberately between blocks, dropping to 76 miles in the second dropback before climbing past 100 again. Shifting emphasis this way outperforms a calendar holding one gear throughout.
Bradbury et al. 2020; Tønnessen et al. 2014; Casado et al. 2022
Long runs are essential for the marathon
The long run peaks at 22 to 24 miles in week 11, with 20 to 21 mile runs on either side and marathon-pace blocks inside several of them. At 100 miles a week that longest run is only about a fifth of your mileage, so it stresses you less in relative terms than it would at a lower tier. Accumulated long-run work still builds the resilience race day asks for.
Toresdahl et al. 2021; Jones & Kirby 2025; Casado et al. 2019
Race-pace training pays off near your threshold
Marathon-pace running sits inside four long runs, growing from 8 to 12 continuous miles at goal pace. At this volume and ability, race pace sits close to the threshold where specific rehearsal transfers directly to performance. Threshold sessions keep their own days so the two stimuli stay distinct rather than blurring together.
Pierce et al. 1990; Hewson & Hopkins 1996; Jones et al. 2021
A taper makes you 2-6% faster on race day
The last three weeks bring volume from about 99 miles down to 35 while intensity stays intact. A tune-up race sits two weeks out, VO2max repeats follow, and a marathon-pace dress rehearsal lands in race week. Volume falls hard, sharpness holds, and that pairing is what returns a measurable gain on the day.
Tune-up races may sharpen pacing
Three tune-up races run through the race-preparation and taper blocks, including one at 15K to half-marathon distance. They add little fitness by themselves at this level. What they give you is rehearsal at settling into honest effort in a crowded field, which decides how your first 10 miles unfold.
Train better with Buena Vida
Buena Vida Run Club members get access to a catalog of 250 training plans as part of their membership. Training with Buena Vida offers detailed daily workout notes, integrated nutrition, live voice coaching, weight loss plans, and easy calendar management for life's hiccups.
Try it FREE for 7 days!
Frequently asked questions
- Is Advanced Marathoning 18-Week, Over 85 mi/wk good for beginners?
- No. Advanced Marathoning 18-Week, Over 85 mi/wk is built for advanced-level runners. A true beginner should start with a lower-mileage plan.
- How many days per week does Advanced Marathoning 18-Week, Over 85 mi/wk require?
- The plan runs on a schedule of multiple weekly runs. See the at-a-glance strip for the exact count.
- Does Advanced Marathoning 18-Week, Over 85 mi/wk include a taper?
- Yes, the plan includes a taper into race week.
- What is the rubric grade for Advanced Marathoning 18-Week, Over 85 mi/wk?
- Advanced Marathoning 18-Week, Over 85 mi/wk grades B on the Buena Vida rubric.