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What is the best way to run the long run? Does one focus on a steady pace, a steady rpe, a progressive HR? I am confused.
My coach last year had me doing weekly 2-2.30hrs at increasing HR: one hour easy, and then increasing HR every 20-30min, until the last 20min were run at stand-alone half-marathon HR. These runs were brutal for me.
I want to start building my long runs again, but don't know how to approach them. Last year's approach burnt me out. I don't know whether the problem was in the planning, or the execution? Is that the way to do the long run, and I lack talent, or is that too intense for a weekly long run?
Suggestions?
Hi Ziva,
The long run is different in different satges of the training plan.
But if you are in the beginning of the plan, i.e. the base period then I would suggest running easy well within the aerobic zone, low HR. And try to do a negative split, meaning that the second half of the run (still easy running) is a little faster than the first part.
Another thing to remember is that if you didn't run for a while, don't run too long be careful of injury.
David
You can get some ideas of running the long run from Daniels Running Formula. His Marathon A plan seems doable by someone that runs near 40 miles a week.
He has two quality runs a week. Here is an example from his 3rd phase out of 4. The paces are based on his MDOT chart
Q1
2 miles E pace +
4X5 min T pace 1 min rests +
1 hr E pace +
15 min T pace +
2 miles E pace
Q2
2 miles E +
4X1 mile T 1 min rests +
5 min E +
3X1 mile T 1 min rests+
2 mile E
If this is too much he has 4 plans geared toward running shorter races.
jaretj
I'm not sure if you are training IM or standalone marathon, but I'll assume IM.
Ending a long run at 1/2 mary pace should not be "brutal," but it depends on how your training week is structured and your experience/base.
If you are very strong and have been doing IM for a few years, then you should be able to tolerate a long run that begins easy and ends at tempo, which is what I've been doing for the past 4 months. But if I feel really waxed, then I know I have the option to convert it to just run easy. If this is your first or second IM, then it's possible you can't tolerate both the intensity and the volume, and in that case I'd err on the side of recovery and ditch the intensity.
In order to do an increasing intensity long run, it depends where in your training week the long run is inserted. I do mine on Thursdays, so I am not bumping up against my Sat./Sun. long rides. I can't imagine trying to do the quality long run the day after a long ride like many do.
Intensity is a thing that can only be used in training if you are a) recovered enough to complete the quality session and b) can recover enough from it to hit your next quality session. Otherwise, you are asking for burnout and/or injury.
If your long runs are feeling "brutal" then it sounds like you're not recovered enough when you begin them. They should be "challenging," but not "brutal." I'd have a discussion with your coach about your observations.
When I was running these long runs last year, I was doing two interval sessions Tue and Thr of about 10k threshold work (plus warm-up and cooldown), a brick run or a fartlek, and this long run on Sun. I would generally end up doing the last 30min of the long run at the same HR that I would run most of my 3k-4k intervals, or around half-mary pace. I am a semi-decent runner for a girl, (20min 5k, 1.30 21k) but that last half hour of the long run was tough.
I am self-coached this year, and want to know whether it is better to schedule a long run of similar intensity as last year and par down the rest of the week, or to keep a decent weekly schedule and tone down the long run.
Doing HIM and half-marys this year, nothing longer.