Slow and easy? Marathon pace + x:xx/mile? Mix it up during the run? Mix it up week to week?
I have no agenda here – just curious what people do. And why.
I ran about 40 sec / km slower than my normal “out for a run” pace. definitely allowed me to complete the 3 1/2 hour runs without issue
Jim
Typically run my long runs (100 miles +) I’m right at a 5:30/mi pace but I take it up a notch on my short runs.
I’m training for my 1st full IM and am doing my long runs at my marathon pace (7:00), but I am pretty sure I’ll slow considerably and am mentally prepared to accept the fact.
I run slow and easy all the time so I am training slow and easy for IMFL.
I’m not blessed in the running department and will never be fast (I’m 40 and fairly new to committed run training). My 50 minute 10K at the Gateway To The Bay olympic tri was my crowning running achievement so far.
I typically did/do my L runs at M-pace + 0-20 seconds/mile, depending on the duration. I call that Steady/z2.
It wasn’t even remotely like I planned on running that pace in an IM, but it was/is a very good workout.
(much closer to HIM run pace, which is a very nice side benefit of doing L runs at that pace - your half mary off the bike is just another day at the office)
I’d also do some shorter runs at more like IM goal race pace (say, roughly 8mins/mile = 3:30 IM mary, which is AG RockStar IM pace) just to get dialed in to what that felt like, so I could be ready to dial that up (or down, in fact) when it was needed.
Typically run my long runs (100 miles +) I’m right at a 5:30/mi pace but I take it up a notch on my short runs.
I’m sorry, are you claiming to do 100+ mile runs at 5:30 pace?
Typically run my long runs (100 miles +) I’m right at a 5:30/mi pace but I take it up a notch on my short runs.
I’m sorry, are you claiming to do 100+ mile runs at 5:30 pace?
ok, it’s really 5:31
.
Typically run my long runs (100 miles +) I’m right at a 5:30/mi pace but I take it up a notch on my short runs.
I’m sorry, are you claiming to do 100+ mile runs at 5:30 pace?
ok, it’s really 5:31
I highly doubt you run 100+ miles at 5:30 pace, or even a 5k at that pace.
His pink font is not showing on our screens…
I do them at my alactic pace (about 7:30-7:45, but gauged by HR). HRM are great tools for this since they can keep you from going too fast due to exuberance or failing to slow down due to conditions (ex. hot weather).
Another rule of thumb is to due them at a pace you can comfortably hold a conversation at, but not so slow that you could sing.
It depends on how tired I am. Yesterday 3hrs run was really slow, last weeks 3 hrs was a bit faster. My tempo efforts are usually the bit shorter “long” runs (1:30 - 2:00 hrs). The really long stuff I just do on feel, and if I am tired I just do the run very slowly.
Yes…I believe this is what’s known as “sarcasm”.
Good question, and something that bugged me when I was training for my first IM. I would do my long runs the morning after my long bricks. On a typical weekend I would ride somewhere between 80 and 110 miles and then run something like 3-8 miles off the bike. Those runs I would really try to stay at a “normal” pace…for me that was 7:00/mile.
This is where it gets interesting. I would wake up the next morning to run long, 16+ miles. No matter what, I could barely break 8:00/mile pace. My HR would be really low, and I was comfortable, but I just physically couldn’t run any faster. Now I was doing those runs really early in the AM, and I typically run a little slower in the AM. It was just weird though.
To answer your question, slow and easy was all I could pull off. I am a 2:55 marathoner (3:45 IM marathon) and typically would do my long runs at about 7:10-7:20/mile in marathon training.
Good luck!
I would wake up the next morning to run long, 16+ miles. No matter what, I could barely break 8:00/mile pace. My HR would be really low, and I was comfortable, but I just physically couldn’t run any faster. Now I was doing those runs really early in the AM, and I typically run a little slower in the AM. It was just weird though.
I have the very same thing, with just a long swim/ride day on saturday. I could do a brick run afterwards at faster pace, then a sunday morning long run.
However, I learned that the very slow sunday run still helps me a lot. I stopped to care about the pace, and I just do the distance. Also, if I run the long run at a faster pace on lets say a monday morning after an easy day on sunday, I need more recovery time. After a super slow sunday morning run I can just do one easy day and tuesday morning I am back with 1:30 hrs tempo run. Real tempo (for me then). Then I have in the end, both the long run and a medium distance tempo run. Something I could never do, if I do one long run a week in the grey zone between the tempo run and the long slow distance pace.
Good point, I agree.
I could run 20 miles at my slug pace, but could come back the next day and do an interval workout on the bike and be fine. Recovery from the 8:00/mi pace was much nicer that running 20 at 7:10/mi for marathon training.
Also, my IM marathon time was slower than 8:00/mi so I don’t think I wasn’t training properly.
Most of them I just run easy and don’t care what the pace is. But when you are aiming for a particular marathon pace, it’s good to have long runs in which you throw in 6 to 12 miles at that goal pace. I do this for 2 to 4 long runs during marathon-only buildup and tried to do the same for Ironman buildup.
Mostly as long as you never let a long run significantly reduce your weekly mileage, it probably doesn’t matter too much what the pace is.
I ran about 40 sec / km slower than my normal “out for a run” pace. definitely allowed me to complete the 3 1/2 hour runs without issue
Jim
serious or joking? 40 sec slower than your every day out for a run pace. That long run is almost pointless then. And 3.5h…why??? why that long? are you training for ultra distance runs? or ironman?
Good question, and something that bugged me when I was training for my first IM. I would do my long runs the morning after my long bricks. On a typical weekend I would ride somewhere between 80 and 110 miles and then run something like 3-8 miles off the bike. Those runs I would really try to stay at a “normal” pace…for me that was 7:00/mile.
This is where it gets interesting. I would wake up the next morning to run long, 16+ miles. No matter what, I could barely break 8:00/mile pace. My HR would be really low, and I was comfortable, but I just physically couldn’t run any faster. Now I was doing those runs really early in the AM, and I typically run a little slower in the AM. It was just weird though.
To answer your question, slow and easy was all I could pull off. I am a 2:55 marathoner (3:45 IM marathon) and typically would do my long runs at about 7:10-7:20/mile in marathon training.
Good luck!
Your legs were tired from the Saturday workout.
Put your long run midweek - you’ll get a better quality workout.
My training is a possibly a little unconventional, as I don’t do a long run in excess of 1:45. However, during that 1:45, I work up 45M Half IM pace followed by 2 x 25 at 10K race pace. I also through in a second long run (1:30) that is at target race pace (see Murphy’s post). I’m a big believer that you need to train fast to get fast on the run. I also don’t see any benefits of drilling yourself for 2+ hours.