MK Marathon 2014 plan

I based my 2014 marathon plan on Hal Higdon's Intermediate 2 programme, with some midweek fiddling courtesy of a plan on FetchEveryone that was based on a Runner's World sub 4 plan. Below is the training I did for MK Marathon; I started training the week after I ran Stevenage half marathon (and set my PB).

Brief summary:

• Monday is a cross-training day in the Higdon plan; I usually did circuit training (or a core workout at home, although this tailed off in the last 2 months)
• On the plan for Tuesday was a short run (<5 miles); I usually ran 2-3 miles with Stotfold Runners then did Pilates
• Hal Higdon's plan says to do a long midweek run on Wednesdays, but I usually did a run incorporating speed training (5-8 miles of intervals, up and down hills, or at 10K pace)
• On Thursdays, Higdon said to run a short distance, but I did the half-distance long run I should've done on Wednesday (20 mile Sunday run=10 mile Thursday run); this was mainly achieved by running a mile before I went to Stotfold Runners, 2-3 miles with the beginners, then a 5-6 mile run with the intermediate group, followed by a mile at the end if needed
• Friday was always a rest day
• On Saturday, Higdon said to do speedwork (to tire you out so you run slowly on Sunday). Rarely, I did the short run from Thursday; once a month I ran a 5K race; sometimes I did the weekend long run (depending on family circumstances); occasionally I swam or cycled; but mostly I had another rest day
• Sunday is long run day in all the plans I looked at, but sometimes I did it on Saturday and had a rest day on Sunday (or cross-trained)

Week beginning	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Nov-04	Rest	2 m slow Pilates	4 m easy	4 m intervals	Rest	Rest	10 m easy
Nov-11	Rest	7 m slow	Pilates	7.5 m easy	Rest	2 m slow	11 m easy
Nov-18	Circuits	2 m slow Pilates	Aerobics (30 min)	9 m easy	Rest	12 m easy	Rest
Nov-25	Circuits	6 m tempo	Pilates	4 m intervals	Rest	10 m easy	Rest
Dec-02	3 m tempo Circuits	2.5 m easy Pilates	5 m intervals	Rest	2 m easy	NHRR 5K	13 m easy
Dec-09	3 m easy Circuits	2.5 m slow Pilates	Rest	7 m intervals	Rest	14.5 m easy	Rest
Dec-16	Rest	Pilates	8.5 m easy	Rest	5.5 m slow	Rest	14 m easy
Dec-23	Rest	6 m easy	Rest	Rest	12 m w/ hills	3.5 m hill sprints	Rest
Dec-30	Rest	7 m easy	2 m easy	9 m easy	Aerobics (45 min)	16 m w/ NHRR 5K	Walk (30 min)
Jan-06	4.5 m intervals	2.5 m slow Pilates	5 m off road	2 m slow 5 m tempo	Walk (30 min)	14 m easy	Rest
Jan-13	1 m  easy Circuits	7 m easy	Rest	8 m tempo	Walk (20 min)	Cycling (6 m)	Folksworth 15 m
Jan-20	Circuits	2.5 m slow Pilates	Swim (0.5 m)	2 m slow 6.5 m tempo	1 m fast	16 m easy	Cycling (5 m)
Jan-27	Aerobics (30 min)	3 m slow Pilates	Swim (0.3 m)	6.5 m intervals	5.5 m tempo	Rest	17.5 m easy
Feb-03	Rest	2.5 m slow Pilates	6 m intervals	6.5 m easy	16 m easy	Rest	Rest
Feb-10	3 m tempo Circuits	2.5 m fast Pilates	Rest	8 m easy	Walk (20 min)	Rest	Baldock Beast 13.1 m
Feb-17	5 m easy	5 m intervals	Rest	8.5 m easy	Rest	18 m easy	Rest
Feb-24	Rest	5 m w/ hills Pilates	8 m easy	Swim (0.5 m)	Rest	NHRR 5K	18 m easy
Mar-03	Rest	2 m slow Pilates	3 m intervals	9 m easy	Rest	20 m easy	Rest
Mar-10	Circuits	2 m slow Pilates	5.5 m tempo Circuits	4 m intervals	Rest	Rest	20 m easy
Mar-17	Rest	2.5 m easy Pilates	8.5 m easy	7 m easy	Rest	Rest	13 m easy
Mar-24	Circuits 3 m tempo	Pilates	Rest	Rest	Rest	Rest	20 m easy
Mar-31	Rest	Rest	3 m tempo	Rest	6 m tempo	2 m hill sprints	Rest
Apr-07	3 m tempo	6.5 m easy	Rest	Rest	Rest	Rest	6.5 m easy
Apr-14	Rest	Rest	Rest	2 m slow 5 m off-road	Rest	14.5 m easy Swim (30 min)	Rest
Apr-21	5 m easy	Pilates	Rest	2 m slow 5 m off-road	Rest	9 m off-road	Rest
Apr-28	1.5 m fast 1 m slow	Pilates	2 m slow	2 m slow 4 m easy	Rest	3 m slow	2 m easy
May-05	MK marathon