70-75mpw with 2 days quality Vs 50-60mpw with 3 days quality

Make me get fast wrote:

smhjjjj wrote:

Keep the mileage up, ease into adding a second interval session, if you're a LD runner make it a tempo/cruise intervals such as 5 miles @ Hm pace or 3x2 miles r:2' @ HM pace. This isn't too strenuous but is much better than an easy run. Keep the long run, you can relax on the LR pace if you're feeling tired. I usually don't try to hit a pace with LRs, sometimes I feel good and will hit 6:25, sometimes I will go for 7:30s ... it really depends, and isn't that important unless you're training for the marathon. (32 min 10k runner for reference but I'm more of a mid-d guy)

What I wouldn't do is add another hard aerobic session around 3k/5k pace ... those are usually harder on the body than a tempo/cruise interval session, and seem to be what you want to avoid. Also, if you're aiming on performing in the 3k or less, add a lactic tolerance session instead of the cruise intervals/tempo biweekly. Always keep a high end aerobic workout, ie: the 3'/3' @ 5k effort.

Thanks, really interesting stuff here for me. I am training for 10ks through to marathons though; so does that change your view on the long run at all? My reply to the previous poster is relevant here... How long should a long run be, and how often should it incorporate quality work? In particular for someone focusing on the marathon.

I wonder if another facet of my problem is the tendency to push the length of the long run. Like I said to the guy above; when I have my marathon hat on, I feel like I'm undertraining if my long run doesn't get in to the 18+ range, which for me is going to be generally 2:15hr+... Could that be another area I'm going wrong?

Anecdotally, I would say that long runs beat me up in a way more than any workout does; and the easier paced long runs are not 'much' less fatiguing to me than those where I bring in some quality

Make me get fast wrote:

webby wrote:

Something is a little off with your paces or your math, I think. If your easy long run is 7:30/mile, then your 4x8' and 6x3' adds up to about 10 miles. So that's 14% if a70-mile week, not including any strides, hills, or other time spent at or near threshold effort.

If you are running significantly less than 10 miles of quality (assuming flat fast terrain), then your 7:30 pace is probably too fast to be running on easy days, particularly if you are striving for 80/20 with a good deal of 5K-pace work.

Most mortals doing 80/20 are doing most of the 20 at tempo or threshold, and very little at 5K or faster. So give yourself permission to count your marathon pace (tempo), or slow things down (run your workouts at 10k and 15-20k pace or your easy runs at 8:30) and add another rep on workout days.

I don't think three quality days plus a 15+ mile long run would work for too many people.

Thanks for the reply. To clarify, I meant I do either the 6x3 OR the 4x8 in a typical week. So if I cover 5.5 in that session, that would put me at about 8% of a 70 mile week if that's the only faster paced running. The 6x3 would only give me ~3 miles, so 4%. Obviously if I put some quality in the long run, then I'll be getting close to (or over) 20% (if I included 10 miles marathon effort for example... But more often than not, my long runs are at easy pace (towards the faster end)