Just curious to know what you guys consider a long run? more thanks 10 miles? more than 20?..inputs are appreciated…thanks
20-25% of your weekly mileage in one day.
Longest run of a regular (weekly for me) training cycle/rotation = “long run” (IMO)
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Show Pony basically hit it. Remember, descriptions like ‘long’ or ‘fast’ are always relative to the distance/speed you run. I have an athlete prepping for his 1st 5K & his ‘long’ run is 4-miles. Conversely, we have an athlete on our team (2:24 marathoner) prepping for what will hopefully be a <2:20 in Chicago - so his definition of ‘long’ would be dramatically different, considering he’s putting in >100mi weeks.
If you’re curious, he’s got a weekly blog, chronicling his build into Chicago, that may be interesting to those running geeks out there:
http://jerseyrunner.wordpress.com/
As others have said…
My “long” run is 3 miles. I race sprints mostly and only run once or twice a week and most of those are 2 miles, though they are always preceeded by a 12-15 mile bike. Anything over 3 miles and I get very bored : )
Training for Syracuse 1/2. Long runs for me are measured in time. 1:40 - 2hrs in the build phase. In a brick tho, long run was 50min after a 1:45 bike.
Jim
The Long Run is really defined in the context of what you are currently running, what you are currently racing, and what your goal is for this season.
If you’re currently running 4 times a week at 3 miles a run and doing sprints, a “Long Run” might be 5 miles.
If you’re currently running 5-8 miles 3-4 times a week and getting ready for a half IM, your long run needs to be longer.
So what’s the info on your current training levels and your target race?
BrokenSpoke
I disagree that a long run is a relative concept. Long run != longest run you’re currently doing. It’s possible to do all of your training without any long runs (like in your 5k example).
If long runs were relative, then so would easy runs, in which case my easy run would have to be a fartlek because that’s the “easiest” one I do sometimes. That doesn’t make sense though. It makes more sense to say that I just don’t do easy runs. Easiest != easy, so longest != long.
To the OP, I think a long run is 16 miles or more, because that’s when I think many people should eat something during their run.
skavoovie,
I have paced a few 1/2 's and you are bang on about the 16 mile mark. Everytime there is a group with me and somewhere between 15 and 16 the implosion occurs. Doesn’t seem to matter what pace it is but 3/4 the distance 1/2 the work kicks in and the wheels fall off the cart.
Jim
Dear OP,
I stand corrected & the long run is not in fact related to the total volume the athlete is doing. From this point fwd, the long run will be defined as:
**Long Run: ** A long run is defined as a distance 16 miles or more, because that’s when skavoovie thinks many people should eat something during their run. If you need to determine whether or not you should eat during your run, please PM skavoovie.
*EXAMPLE: A 15 mile run is NOT a long run because skavoovie doesn’t think you need to eat unless the run is 16 miles or greater. As such, please do not refer to your 15 mile run as ‘long’. *
Glad we cleared that up.
Any time I get to the turn around and I think “Aw FUCK, I have to run ALL THAT WAY, just to get back where I started” …then that is a long run.
some days 5km is a long run and other days 30km isn’t a long run. To me, it’s all in the head, and relative to where I am in my training. There’s no set distance.
I’m currently training for an oly tri coming up in sept and a Half mary in oct . So I’m running anywhere between 25-30 miles a week, with each run being anywhere between 5-13 miles. After the olympic, I’m going to bump up the milage. My eyes are on Boston and an IMAZ this year. Thanks for the inputs. Oh btw…is running more than 26 miles in preparation for a BQ even good to do?..thanks
What has worked for me and kept me injury free is the 1 - 2 - 3 approach. The long run is 3 times the length of the short runs. That would be something like 3x5miles, 2x10miles, 1x15miles. This has also worked for my wife who is strictly a runner. She went from BOP to 3rd in her AG in a half marathon in 9 months of training using this approach.
Any run when you have to go #2 and can’t find a proper loo.
Any run when you have to go #2 and can’t find a proper loo.
No, Tom… that run is too long…
LOL. That indeed makes for a looooong run…
Brad
20-25% of your weekly mileage in one day.
I know this is a common guideline. However, I get in a 16-20 mile run once a week when I’m getting ready for an Ironman. I would need to be running 80-100 miles a week to keep this in the 20% range (64-80 miles for the 25% range). Throw in a long bike ride (5-6 hours), some swimming, and whatever else I’m doing that week (other training, work, family, etc.) and I never get in that many run miles per week. I’m sure it would help if I did manage 80-100 run miles per week, but I only get in about 50 miles per week even when I’m throwing in a 20 mile run.
I don’t think we should just take skavoovie’s word for it. We really ought to check with the epitones. Once they all agree, then it’s gospel.
– Completely off topic –
Skavoovie, you from the Boston area? Caught those guys a few times in the late 90s, and it was always a blast.
I asked
grandma—to mailbox
Grandpa ----to beer fridge
Wife -----5 miles
Me 10-12 miles
Neighbor -----RUN!!!
Tri sprint guy-----4-5 miles HARD
IM guy-----3 hours
Dog---- bark scratch sniff