A buddy of mine was trying to convince me that I need to do upwards of a 26 to 28 mile run so that I will feel good during the run at IM. Everything I have read and heard says to not go past 3 hrs or about 18-20 miles. I have followed this plan for three marathons to this point and a half ironman, but now I have a nagging thought in my head that I’m not doing enough. Should anyone other than pros do this type of distance for IM training. (it is my first and I’m a MOP). Thanks.
Seems a bit excessive. My longest training run for IMC was 15.5 miles (plus an IM 12 weeks before).
longest I would go is 2:40 in the am and 30 min in pm.
perchance he is in your age group?
If you were an elite (marathon) runner and were putting in 100+ mile weeks…then the answer would be yes… You’d be hard pressed to find any Elite Ironman Triathlete doing this kind of volume.
Unless your looking to shell yourself up for a couple weeks or possible injury…I wouldn’t do anything close to that! Remember…at the time you should be doing your long runs…you should also be hitting solid numbers on your bike and in the pool. Balance during these weeks should be the key…not doing so much volume that the next day or day’s suffer.
Another note…you long runs should be less than half your weekly volume. Long runs should be about 33% of your total weekly volume.
Good Luck…
Ok, that makes me feel a bit better. I’m training for IMFL. I’m at 14 miles this week for my long and will get up to 18-20 during my peak week in October. I think I’m just starting to feel a little bit of the pressure coming up on the date, but this guy seemed so sincere. I am 28 and he is 46 and I just don’t know how he is not getting injured or burned out at that kind of mileage. Oh well. I am getting in tons of bike miles. I have already done a few centuries, including a 105 last week. Next week is a 112 and I will work up to a 120 in peak week. These miles don’t make me that tired or fatigued and the distance seems a lot less scary when you do the mileage often.
How was the IM run for you after this type of mileage during your training?
I don’t think it sounds like a good idea for most people. But I would swear that I read just a couple of issues ago in one of the magazines with a female pro. She would run a 30+ mile training run about a month before a big race. She swore by it. I don’t remember who.
I actually felt great on the run (except I got a little woozy at mile 23 which caused me to walk a mile till I could get a cookie at the aid station - felt like low blood sugar). I ran a 4-hour-even marathon, but I am pretty sure I could have gone a little faster (my IM run PB is 3:52). I also didn’t ride my bike more than 50 miles per week in the final 6 weeks (overtrained, underinterested, totally burnt out), so the bike may have zapped my legs a bit more than normal.
I will second the idea of a 2:30-2:40 long run in the AM followed up by a :30 minute run in the evening, Thats What I do both for IMs and stand alone marathons, I find that that second short run in the evening usually feels really good and I actually end up running it pretty fast, almost like a tempo run, just because the legs and lungs are already loosened up. Also, when I do this, I like to wear my flats for the second run, it helps me get used to them and I would prefer to wear a trainer for the longer slower miles in the morning. If you were to go run 28-30 miles, It could easily take you 4 hours or more, not that there is anything wrong with running 4 hour marathons, You probably just wouldn’t recover very well and you would likely miss more days of training trying to get recovered. Like the other poster said, Elite marathoners and people looking to go sub 2:40ish often will do a 28-30 miler during their peak, even Jeff Galloway of Gallowalker fame has some really long runs built into his training programs. For an IM, I agree with most of the stuff Faris Al-Sultan says about his running, that he dosen’t need to do huge miles of running, just enough to get the legs ready for the beating and supliment the aerobic work with biking and swimming.
“A buddy of mine was trying to convince me that I need to do upwards of a 26 to 28 mile run so that I will feel good during the run at IM”
If you figure out how to “feel good” during the run at your IM please share. Chances are that you are not going to feel all that great at the end of your run no matter what. Not aware of any coaches/training plans that advocate overdistance running for IM training.
During your peak weaks…try and hit one 7 hour bike ride or 130 miles…which ever comes first. When your done…try a 4-5 mile transition run or 30-35 minutes…whichever comes first. If your feeling a even more giddy, swim 2k before the ride / run brick!
This will be the best workout of your life…and the best possible way to prep your nutrition and pace!
Good Luck…
I’m about 4 weeks out from peak and I was thinking about doing a 112mi bike/20 minute run this Monday. Do you think that is too much before peaking? Thanks.
I usually run a 25 miler before an IM (5 weeks out). Probably not necessary, it’s more of a confidence thing than anything.
Are you a MOPer or FOPer?
Honestly…I think 4 weeks out from your peak is a little early. You might be interpreting Peak as something different though. As of last Sunday…your 10 weeks out from the race. That should put your first peak week 6 weeks from now.
My structure right now looks like this… It’s hot right now in Tejas so I’m crossing my fingers with hopes on hitting the bike numbers I really want.
Week 10 - Base
Week 09 - Base
Week 08 - Rest
Week 07 - Build (IM Specific) (Super Quality)
Week 06 - Build (IM Specific) " " "
Week 05 - Build (IM Specific) " " "
Week 04 - Peak 1
Week 03 - Peak 2
Week 02 - Peak 3
Week 01 - Race
This Monday would be great for a 112 / 20 min run. I would bump the run up to at least 30-40 minutes for now and save the 20 min t-runs for your Peak 2 and Peak 3 weeks. Really focus on nailing your pace. Don’t try and blister the run…just get the legs turning over and settle into a nice pace…
If you can and I do think is smart…and if time allows of course… Try and get a couple “big volume bike” days in a week. If you can nail 2 100+ bikes in any given week…that is solid. Don’t forget that 7 hour ride. While it will probably drive you nuts to sit in the saddle for that long…I honestly think its the one workout that can really be called a breakthrough workout for IM training.
Do you have a wager with said buddy? Cuz if so, he’s trying to make sure he wins.
There is zero need to run more than about 2:30 for a long run in prep for an IM.
(I know some folks and plans call for a 3hr long run, but for me that’d be pretty much a full marathon - why would I want to do that as a training run??)
Last year as prep for IMLP my longest-ever long run was ~2:30, done once. Waaay in advance.
I did 2:12-ish 2x, and ~2hrs a few more, the rest were all <2hrs.
I felt great for the entire run (ok, so maybe the last few miles hurt a bit, but I guess if they don’t, yer dogging it 
Which was my first-ever marathon, BTW.
<< but now I have a nagging thought in my head that I’m not doing enough >>
Better 10% undertrained than 1% overtrained.
That nagging thought and yer buddy can both go jump in a lake.
there’s been a lot of discussion on this subject over the years on ST and it looks like good advice so far
i’d say frequency is more important than a big long run - just look at Sergio’s training plan (can’t remember the link but think it was on xtri?)
over distance is not necessary to have a excellent finish, it’s harder to recover from and in the case of running has a much higher risk of injury
.
I think this kind of volume is familiar to the top pro fellows. I seem to recall anecdotes of Mark Allen doing runs this long- wasn’t there some reservoir in Boulder they used to run around?
That said, as another poster mentioned, if you already have the base and the mileage to sustain this then it is likely one of the things that produces the pro’s incredible results. If you are a mortal AG’er like us I’m afraid a super-long run like that may do more harm than good.
It’s easier to go over-distance on the bike since there is no impact.
Great stuff, thanks. I agree. I thought I was correct on this one. I will keep sticking to my thing and start working on some bricks with long bikes and a nice run after, keep up with my swimming and show up on race day uninjured and ready to go.