when should you do your last really long run?

your last one should be the day of the marathon, it'll probably be 26.2 miles, but depending on your tangent paths, it could be longer...

Last really long run should be three weeks before the race.

Two weeks out do slightly less then no more than 13 the weekend before.

I always did my longest run say about 24 or 25 miles about 7 weeks out from the marathon. Then, I would start cutting the long runs down. Something like this: 6 weeks out 20, 5 weeks out 18 or race, 4 weeks out 21, 3 weeks out 20, 2 weeks out 17, 1 week out 13 miles.

Hope this helps.

What about mileage?

I think this week I will stop doing doubles, not really sure yet.

If I dont double I will still hit 100 miles a week.

My long run is at 27 and I am doing long interval, tempo work.

If I do double it will only get my at 110-115.

Does mileage really matter now. If I continue to hit 100 mile weeks I think it should still do me alright.

I am a person that enjoys doing the miles over anything else. My high weeks were 120-130 for about two months.

What does your coach say?? If you're doing this much mileage, you should either know what you're doing or work with someone who does. Posting a question on a message board is pretty stupid because we all have different systems and schedules, so you'll get a bunch of conflicting answers.

I dont have a coach and I just want to see what othets opinions are.

I always seem to go better in the days following my 28-30 mile runs. I am thinking of doing one 7 days before my next Marathon.

I mean, why not? why wouldn't it work?

Without knowing the background of other marathons you have ran I can't make comment to that...each one you learn something from either it be the race, the pace, or the training.

I would suggest that you start dropping the long run miles at about 5-6 weeks out. But you state they are three hour runs. Those three hour runs could only be 15 miles for some people and can be 23-24 for others, so that don't help much either.

I do suggest to people to do runs by the minute, however, I normally also include they do it at a pace...like 3 hours at 8:30 pace, that way you have some indication of how well they handle that particualr pace for that long of time. And you know what the milage might be.

Your on the right track so I think you will have some success and I wish you the best in your marathon.

BostonGuy wrote:

What does your coach say?? If you're doing this much mileage, you should either know what you're doing or work with someone who does. Posting a question on a message board is pretty stupid because we all have different systems and schedules, so you'll get a bunch of conflicting answers.

"Pretty stupid" seems a little harsh. This is what message boards are for.

We're 7 weeks out from Chicago, which leaves 5 weekends for quality long runs, assuming that a week out you do about 13 miles steady. (September 9/10, 16/17, 23/24, 30/1 Oct, October 7/8, 14/15).

It all depends on what you consider a "really long run," but I would say up to 2:30 is a long run, 2:30-3:00 hours is in-between, and over 3:00 is for most purposes a really long run. With 7 weeks to go, you need specific marathon pace work, not really long easy runs. IMHO.

If you're comfortable with the distance of the long runs I would try and use the next 5 weeks to get in at least 3, perhaps 4, long runs with some tempo and marathon pace running in them, and on the intermediate weekends do a steady long run that is shorter than you have been doing.

September 9/10: 2:20. Warm-up for 15 minutes. 30 minutes at marathon pace. Hour easy. 20 minutes at marathon pace. 15 minute cooldown. (Or more if you feel energetic)

Sept 16/17: 2:30-40 steady

Sept 23/24: Warmup for 20-30. 3-4 x 20 minutes at marathon pace with 2-4 minutes between. 20-30 cooldown.

Sept 30/Oct 1: Easy running for an hour. 50 minutes at marathon pace. 15-25 cooldown. Or 2:20-2:30 steady if you want a break from the faster long runs.

Oct 7/8: Easy for 35-40 minutes. 20 minutes at tempo. Easy for 35-40 minutes. 20 minutes at tempo. 15-20 minutes cooldown.

Oct 14/15: 90-100 minutes easy.

If you do these kinds of long runs you shouldn't do more than one other workout the rest of the week. The long marathon pace stuff can wear you down subtly, so be sure to run on the easy side of normal on other days of the week.

This is on my mind too, as I just completed my longest run yet- 22 miles in exactly 3 hours. I maxed out whatever endurance I currently have as well, as I began to slow in the 21st mile, and was about finished- taking a walk break in the 2nd. However, I felt like I could have gutted out the final 4.2 miles if this had been race day, since I ran fully 12 miles (8 to 20) faster than goal pace, and so overall I am feeling pretty good about it, with my goal race 5 weeks away.

I am thinking of taking an easy 18 miles next weekend, and the following week being 3 weeks out- running another falrly agressive 20 (2 easy, 16 at pace, and close with an easy 2), before running 16, and then 12 the final weekend before the race.

I think a lot of people feel if you run 22 you are pretty much close enough to the marathon distance as far as training goes. SInce you are running 27, I would bring the distance down to 24 and 22 and work on pace- running faster.