Slow Long runs make slow runners 🫢
These sound like fighting words but hang in with me here.
I think that wasting “too much” time on long slow distance runs is one of the things that don’t move the needle when it comes to training from the mile to the marathon.
Every program should consist of a progression in training load, which includes a long run on most weeks, but after a certain point, cranking out another 20-mile long run is just that, a 20-mile long run.
If you do the same thing every week or you spend too much time training the same stimulus such as a long run at an easy pace, you will get really good at running long runs at an easy pace.
If our goal is to train the body to run fast for 1 mile, 5k, or perhaps a marathon, the long run has to be maneuvered in a way that supports the goal we set for ourselves, rather than just arbitrarily running a big number every Saturday or Sunday.
This is why I like to treat long runs like another quality session of the week and depending on what I’m training for, I will tailor my long run to support that goal.
For example, during a marathon training block, I want to do increasingly more work running marathon pace within my long run. I don’t want to do the entire training run at marathon pace, no, but I want to blend in a mix of specific or supportive speeds and intervals that help me prepare for the demands of the race itself. As the race draws closer, almost every long run has some portion of “speed” within it as It’s what will best prepare me for race day.
Additionally, if I were training for a mile or 5k my long run would typically be anywhere from 12 to 16 miles. My long runs might not be shaped the same way as when I’m training for the marathon, but I’d also treat these days as sessions to elevate my aerobic strength by building into what I call a steady run, which would be about a minute to a minute and a half slower than my 5k race pace. It’s honest and works the higher ends of my fat-burning capacity. What it’s not is slow and just an extension of miles to what I’d do for an easy run throughout the week. I find that doing a run like this every other week provides a boost to my total training load without taking me over the edge or taking away from my key sessions (which matter more than the long run!).
Don't let me take the fun away from your long runs, though! Much of running is elevated and celebrated by the social component to which I enjoy myself. And sometimes, going out and talking with your friends for a few hours on the weekend adds more to the happiness bucket than putting everything into training.
Okay...I've said my piece!
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