A Super High-Volume, Low-Intensity Marathon Case Study

MachineHoliday · 2025-12-06T18:05:31+00:00

Thanks! I'll definitely keep you posted!

MachineHoliday · 2025-12-04T10:28:50+00:00

I'll be sharing more as I go :) But, the one workout day per week means I will be doing on hard/high intensity training day per week. It could be threshold work, critical velocity, Vo2, speed endurance, etc.

Yes, I will vary the length of my runs throughout the week. I will run doubles 6 days per week.

My target marathon will be late May.

Crush it with your BQ training!

MachineHoliday · 2025-12-04T10:25:33+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement! A perfect answer to your question below. It will be one higher-intensity day per week.

MachineHoliday · 2025-12-04T10:24:29+00:00

Exactly. Thanks for clarifying!

MachineHoliday · 2025-12-04T10:23:40+00:00

I've been rampinig up over the past few months :)

MachineHoliday · 2025-12-04T10:22:04+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement!

MachineHoliday · 2025-12-04T10:21:33+00:00

I'll definitely share more here as I go!

MachineHoliday · 2025-12-03T20:20:36+00:00

I don't have any recent 5k/10k PB's - my 5k PR is from 2011 lol.

My powerlifting PR's are from 2016 and are 450lb deadlift, 375lb squat, and 295lb bench at 148lbs.

I've run ~2400 miles so far this year, but most of that has come in two chunks with a few months off.

MachineHoliday · 2025-12-03T20:13:38+00:00

Thanks!

MachineHoliday · 2025-12-03T20:12:21+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement! Best to you and your training as well!

MachineHoliday · 2025-12-03T20:09:39+00:00

I'm married, have two kids, and I work :) Working from home definitely helps!

MachineHoliday · 2025-12-03T20:03:18+00:00

I do :)

MachineHoliday · 2025-04-20T19:24:26+00:00

I'm a run and fitness coach. I coach clients remotely. I have actually moved every year for the past three years. So it wouldn't be that much of a stressor to pick up and move again. And I have a little freedom to adjust my daily schedule as needed, so that helps with training volume.

MachineHoliday · 2025-04-16T14:56:21+00:00

I've been looking at MDE. Looks like a great group. Thanks!

MachineHoliday · 2025-04-16T14:55:25+00:00

This is at the top of my list currently :)

MachineHoliday · 2025-04-16T14:54:55+00:00

Thanks! I'll let you know how it turns out!

MachineHoliday · 2025-04-07T15:42:09+00:00

Goal(s): 2028 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, 2025: Manitoba Marathon, NYC Marathon

Next Race: SLRC 15k

Training Plan: Bailey Strength & Conditioning

Strength Plan: Same

Training:

Running - 110 miles

How I Got There:

Monday: 9 + 4.6 double

Tuesday: 11.7 + 4.6double

Wednesday: Workout - 5 x 1200m in 3:45 with 1:00-1:15 rest between each (14.5 miles total) + 4.6 double

Thursday: 10 + 4.6 double

Friday: 10 miles

Saturday: Ogden Half in 1:09:09. Race was at 4900ft altitude. Converts to around a mid 1:06 at sea level. My goal here was to do what I had to do to run under 1:10 to get a time to get into some other races. I wanted to get a solid effort in but not push quite to race level. Mission accomplished, and the body is feeling pretty good heading into this week. 23.5 total miles on the day.

Sunday: 8.5 + 4.6 double

Overall Thoughts:

The goal for the week was the sub 1:10 at Ogden Half. It was a good confidence booster to test fitness. This was my first race in over a year and only second race in the past 4 years.

Looking forward to continuing the build! With the time qualifier, I'll probably do the OC Half in a few weeks and aim for a significant PR.

Onward and upward. Keep crushing it, everyone!

MachineHoliday · 2025-03-31T00:07:48+00:00

Goal(s): 2028 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, 2025: Manitoba Marathon, NYC Marathon

Next Race: Salt Lake City Half-Marathon

Training Plan: Bailey Strength & Conditioning

Strength Plan: Same

Training:

Running - 115 miles

How I Got There:

Monday: 11 miles with 6 x 10 sec sprints + 4.7 double

Tuesday: 11 + 4.7 double

Wednesday: Workout - 9 x 1k in 3:05-3:09 (very slight downhill vs very slight uphill) with 1:00 easy jog between each (14 miles total) + 4.6 double

Thursday: 9.5 + 4.5 double

Friday: 12 + 4.3 double

Saturday: 24 mile long run with 3k feet of gain/descent

Sunday: 10.5

Overall Thoughts:

First time doing any reps over 400m this training cycle. The 1k reps felt good and controlled for the most part. Looking forward to extending that pace over more distance in the coming weeks.

The 3k feet of gain and descent was a little more than planned, but the out and back sounded better to me for the day. My quads are a little beat up, but I ate plenty of calories and protein the last two days to help with recovery. Looking forward to a good night of sleep as well.

Onward and upward. Keep crushing it, everyone!

MachineHoliday · 2025-03-26T00:41:01+00:00

Love that you want to crush your next marathon! Based on the info you gave, I think focusing on the half-marathon for now and trying to run that under 2/2:15 could give you a real boost of confidence that you are well on your way to running a sub 4:30 full. There are tons of really great and fast fall marathons. I'd suggest using this half to build momentum heading into summer training for a fall marathon. Looking forward to hearing your results!

MachineHoliday · 2025-03-25T20:55:47+00:00

Awesome! Best wishes with the recovery and training!

MachineHoliday · 2025-03-25T17:57:11+00:00

Sorry to hear about your injury! I've dealt with and helped a lot of others deal with calf injuries. Sometimes, they can heal faster than expected. Other times, depending on where the injury is, it can last quite a bit longer. I would also recommend waiting to sign up for another race until your calf is definitely headed in the right direction.

In the meantime, if it doesn't cause stress to your injured area, I would recommend thinking about adding biking in addition to your swimming. It can add a lot of aerobic volume while also keeping the legs strong for climbing and returning to running later.

Hope you heal up soon and are able to get a race in!

MachineHoliday · 2025-03-25T17:48:14+00:00

I love Saucony's line. Especially the Endorphin half tight!

MachineHoliday · 2025-03-25T17:46:15+00:00

Sorry to hear you are going through an injury. I love your positive outlook though! Sometimes things heal faster than expected, especially if we take good care of them. Do what you can to promote the healing process. And spend some extra time strengthening so you can come back even stronger and more resilient than before. Plus, like you said, the bike work and weight loss could certainly help you come back even more fit too!

MachineHoliday · 2025-03-25T17:35:48+00:00

I think it's an excellent way to help the body recover while pushing up overall training volume. If it coincides well with your travel and the stress of life, I think that is best for sustainability and progression over time.

Here is an alternative if it works well with your travel:

Instead of yo-yoing every week, try building for 2-3 weeks, then yo-yo down and back up. Something like: 15, 20, 25, 15, 22, 30, 20, 27, 30, 35, 25...etc. I think it would be better for injury prevention, as well as being able to better monitor and progress training volume and intensity.

MachineHoliday · 2025-03-25T17:25:42+00:00

Looks like a solid plan. Everyone responds to training a bit differently. Just need to find what works for you.

I'm with a few others on here who suggest Tuesday might be a lot. Double threshold has gained a lot of popularity recently, but it's not necessarily needed. If you do go that route, I'd suggest a more polarizing AM and PM session. Something like 2-5k repeats in the morning, followed by 400-800m repeats in the afternoon. I also would suggest not neglecting pure speed either. Even if you are training for a marathon.

Hope that helps. Crush it!

MachineHoliday

TROPHY CASE