What pace are you doing your normal long runs at, and what distance do you average for them?
What pace are you doing your normal long runs at, and what distance do you average for them?
I am refering to both year long, as well as Marathon specific training phases.
2005: Long runs 7:30 - 7:45 / mile, target sub 3, achieved 2:58 (10km = 37:30)
2006: Long runs 6:45 - 7:00 / mile, target sub 2:40, achieved 2:43 (10km = 34)
Present: Long runs 6:30 - 6:00 / mile (often finish much faster), no marathon race planned until 2008, target 2:24 - 2:28 (10km = 32)
Age: 33
Recovery = I usually rest and don't run if I feel really beat up and tired
Easy Days = ~7:00-6:20
Long Runs = 6:40-5:50
PR 2:36 (dieing the last 5k) on 2:28 through 22miles
10k 32:11
5k 15:24
Someday goal: sub 2:30 finishing strong. My weekly mileage is about 60mpw during marathon prep but that is only running about 6 days a week for rest days. I run very few junk miles.
Just run baby
I think that it is a good question because I think that many people run them too slow. I ran them at a variety of paces. I ran a hilly (long hills) loop ~30 in 5:55 - 6:10 pace, sometimes as slow as 6:30. I did other long runs as slow as 7, especially with other runners or if we were running in the hills above Claremont, which was a bit slower. I sometimes ran 20 miles of a marathon at a pace or at least effort that I was aiming for in a marathon (I would push or not push, depending on how the day was going, but it usually was a hard run with a decent recovery and a bit easier before).
I was aiming for the low end of your range in doing this, so the fastest of these were close to goal pace. I always had trouble seeing how you were training to run fast by running slow. You needed to stress the systems (energy) that will be stressed in a race, and running one minute slower really allows for a lot of fat burning rather than pushing the Gly. side.
6:30 should do the job
30 miles at 8:00 min/mile pace...
Ran 2:48 in Spring...
7:30 to 8:00
2:31 marathoner
31:10 10k runner
15:08 5k
yea i suck, but i train fast when i need to, and i run like crap when i have to, its a must
im 31
This question is so academic yet you gave an answer which I think proves the golden rule: 1 min. to 1:30 slower than MP.
At least that is the most common answer I have ever seen.
MarathonMind wrote:
This question is so academic yet you gave an answer which I think proves the golden rule: 1 min. to 1:30 slower than MP.
At least that is the most common answer I have ever seen.
And everyone I have seen that does that for all their long runs under-performs relative to their other potential. If you are not getting close to only 10% slower from 10K to marathon, you are probably not running fast enough long enough. As above, a 31 10K is 5:00/mile using the 10% rule (or 4.66 x 10K time, which is essentially the same), calls for 5:30 pace/2:25. 2:31 is good, but it is not all that good for a 31 min 10K.
My sense is that a lot of these rules are made so that decent but not good runners can complete the long runs. Running some of them at goal pace (or at least running a good chunk of a few long runs at goal pace) is necessary to give your body the training it needs to maintain the last 10K of a marathon. It is in that last 10K where I always passed a lot of people (typically 20-33% of the people ahead of me at 16-20 miles). You do have to drop your training miles some (I would substitute some biking before and after one of these hard, long runs).
Training runs: 6:30 - 7:15
Tempo 8-15 mile runs: 5:20-5:50
2:31 marathon
In the spirit of Canova I agree that one should close out long runs at close to MP. However, in the interests of aerobic benefit and marathon endurance, starting out the first half of a 20 mile run at 1 to 1:30 down is a good way ease into it and increase time on you feet. It also both encourages and facilitates the habit of progressive pacing- IOW it's a lot easier to close out fast (and strong) if you start out turtle slow.
I usually did 17-22 miles at whatever pace felt good.
YOU SUCK!! TRY PING PONG!!!
ronaldo da costa wrote:
YOU SUCK!! TRY PING PONG!!!
Ronaldo, is it true that you have the fastest closing half of a marathon in history?
Glad to see I'm not alone in running slow on easy days. I'm not nearly as fast as you, but my fall marathon goal is a modest 2:50 and I rarely average under 7:25 for an easy run. Most are up around 7:40. I've found that slowing down to those paces has helped me run faster in hard workouts and races, and I feel more aerobically fit than ever before.
I always vary pace depending on how i feel. If I feel good I'll go out on a marked course and run 7min pace usually working down to marathon pace for the last mile or so for 14-20miles. If I don't feel like pushing myself I just go jog around on trails for a couple hours at 8-9 min pace.