When Neil Young sang "Long May You Run" he may have
been thinking of his beloved jalopy, but the title is apropos
for us runners, too. The long run is the backbone of any successful
training program.
Shortly
after college when I decided to race my first marathon, a friend
asked why I'd moved up to the marathon when I had enjoyed success
at the 10,000 meters. "You must really enjoy long runs,"
he said. "Not really," I replied. "I hate to
tell you this," he said, "but the marathon is a long
run."
Over
the years I’ve learned that whether you’re a recreational runner
or a hard-core marathoner, the long run is essential.
Like
any extended aerobic exercise, the long run delivers the predictable
physiological benefits: increased max VO2, blood volume, and
maximum stroke volume (the amount of blood ejected from the
heart with each beat), and new capillaries and total red blood
cells.
Just
as important, the long run teaches your body to spare glycogen
and rely more on fat as a fuel source. Translation: You delay
glycogen depletion during a long race, you delay bonking. And
let’s not forget the mental angle: To prepare for the psychological
challenge of racing for hours, you have to do it in training.
How
long?
“Long” is a relative term. One person’s long run is another’s
easy 8-miler. Most experts agree that 20 to 30 percent of your
weekly mileage should be devoted to the long run, depending
on your overall mileage. For example, an elite runner logging
100 miles per week might do a 20-mile long run (20 percent of
weekly mileage), whereas someone running 40 miles per
week might do a 12-mile long one (30 percent of weekly mileage).
Unless
you’re an ultra-marathoner, I recommend keeping your long runs
to 3 hours or less. Any training benefit beyond 3 hours is just
not worth the added fatigue and risk of injury.
How
fast?
If
it feels too hard, it probably is. Tempo runs and interval workouts
are for anaerobic improvement. Long runs are not. They should
be carried out at comfortable, conversational pace. (Remember
that even a “comfortable” pace will feel challenging in the
last few miles.) For faster runners that means 1 to 1 1/2 minutes
per mile slower than your 10-K race pace. For slower runners,
30 seconds to 1 minute per mile slower than 10-K pace.
How
often?
Weekly
long runs are fine, provided you:
1.
Follow your long
run day with a recovery day of very easy running, cross training,
or rest.
2.
Start your long
run well hydrated and take sports drinks and gels en route.
This is excellent practice for the marathon and will keep you
from getting overly fatigued.
3.
Alternate long
runs with very long runs when training for a marathon. For example:
2 hours one week, 2:45 the following week, then back down to
2 hours the week after that.
4.
Consume 3 to 4
grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight daily to make
sure carbo stores stay loaded.
5.
Limit your long
run to 1:45 or less (unless you’re training for a marathon).
6.
Run with someone
of comparable ability. Otherwise your long run may turn into
a tempo run or a Sunday stroll.
7.
Ease back into
things if you’ve missed a long run due to illness. Going long
as soon as you feel better can overtax an already battered immune
system. Instead, do half or three-quarters your scheduled long-run
distance, then resume your normal schedule the following week.
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