There are lots of well-known generic models and methods used for marathon training. Most if not all have merit of course and will likely see you improving by virtue of following a structured programme with consistency, but there’s a difference between what you will achieve, and what you could achieve.

 
The drawbacks
A generic method, model, or plan (I’ll refer to them as plans from here for ease), is designed to be an approximation of what will get a person to race day well prepared.
What a plan can’t do, is know your strengths, weaknesses, running technique, available training hours, nutrition, mental and emotional stresses, exercise technique (if it includes any strength work at all which most I’ve seen don’t), to name just a few factors.
All of these elements need to be considered if you’re going to run to the best of your ability. Following a plan can still get you to a PB, but there’s a difference between your PB, and what you could potentially achieve.
What’s the option otherwise?
Funny you ask. A coach is your best way of getting faster and reaching your potential. You can choose a coach from your club or look for an employed/self-employed coach depending on your budget and personal preference. I’m biased of course, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong.
A coach can ask you a whole host of questions to build a picture of your needs and ascertain what to work on with you and how. Each session they plan has a manipulation of distance, intensity, energy systems and terrain. Each week has all of those, plus an overall intensity, and progression towards your goal.
Planning even 1 week of training can take a considerable amount of deliberation to ensure you get it as close to perfect for the athlete as possible. No generic plan on earth can do that. Even AI plans can’t as they can’t ask you “how did it feel” afterwards, at best they can use unreliable heart rate data. Numbers alone will never tell the entire story of your training, they’re simply a tool to be used in conjunction with feedback to get you to your goal.
Get a coach
Whilst the quality of coaches varies as in any other field, coaches generally have a wealth of knowledge and can do a better job of getting your to run faster than any off-the-shelf plan you see people raving about in magazines or online.
Whether paid or free through your club, get some help to work on something that no doubt means a lot to you. You won’t regret it.
 
Written by Kyle Brooks, Running Coach based in Norwich, Norfolk