"I am currently using your 3:15 plan, I did the first intro weeks using my heart rate monitor to train. Now I'm on my first week of marathon training, during the hard sessions, I found that I have to pace faster than my training sessions should be just to hit my target heart rates for efforts 3 and 4.
Should I push myself to get to the target heart rates or should I train the hard sessions using calculated pace times? When I did one workout based on pace it seemed more realistic but my heart rate was on the no mans land zone. Need help coach.
Thanks, Ruben"
Answer: Thanks for the question, Ruben. The pace is an approximate figure and it will vary from runner to runner so I recommend you stick to your heart rate monitor if you are comfortable with using that during your workouts !
The reason why the pace seems "slower" is that it is better to run "holding back" abit versus pushing too hard. Some runners starting these plans will not be in 100% shape when they attack them - therefore, to make a "universal" pace according to heart rate I had to make this pace conservatively. Having said that, running at that pace will still help you reach your goal - one of the main keys to this is the overall composition of the trainig which will be the same if you run pace or with heart rate.
But to make it short - stick to heart rate if you are comfortable with this!
I'm often asked what shoes I personally recommend to help stay injury free while running (on the 100 day plan) so I'll add a little bit about it at the end of these Q and A's.
Good shoes are crucial if you want to stay injury free during your marathon journey. In general, the best is to find a shoe that fits your feet according to your foot type.
However, these three shoes will do an excellent job with their mild correction - and will work for most runners :
1. Asics Gel Kayano (click for zappos reviews for other runners views)
The legandary shoe from Asics. You cannot go wrong with this one.
The most sold running shoes ever - and by every model seems to get better and better. About the same weight as the Kayano but the fit is a little bit different.
The 2150 is a great alternative for the faster work you'll be doing in the 100 day plan. It is one of the few shoes that "feels" like a lightweight one but at the same time has more than enough stabilty to prevent injuries with the marathon type length of some of the interval sessions.
A tips for international (non-US) runners : check out roadrunnerssports.com :
Example : Asics Kayano (RoadRunnerssports) they ship worldwide and it can really save you some money on your shoes.
I'm often asked what shoes I personally recommend to help stay injury free while running (on the 100 day plan) so I'll add a little bit about it at the end of these Q and A's. 
