My coach assigned us a 2 hour run today.

Awesome!!! OP put your skirt down!

your legs wrote:

I set my 10k pr this summer 7 days after running a 35 miler. Discuss that, candy a$$.

I hate long runs wrote:

your legs wrote:

I set my 10k pr this summer 7 days after running a 35 miler. Discuss that, candy a$$.

Did you break 40 minutes?

Only by almost 10 minutes.

afterwards

How did your run go? I can't wait to hear how your race goes as well. please post with an update!

2 hours with three days rest in between? and your still in the base part of your season? not seeing whats all that wrong with this as you are running a 5k, not a 400 or 800 where you would get wrecked for saturday. just ice bath after and realize that this is the time where you usually train through early season meets, you'll have the benefits from this run later on when youre actually trying to save yourself for that one big race rather than the "holiday classic season opener"

"Only by almost 10 minutes."

Rounding right? So, 34:29 rounds to 34...and that rounds to 30...so yeah...10 minutes!!

The real problem isn't the 2 hour run per say. Its you are being forced to race in December which is just idiotic. Most colleges avoid having their distance crew actually race until at least late Jan or even Feb.

Now a 2 hour run is really a bit excessive if the 5k is your planned longest racing distance. If you will also race 10k's in the spring then perhaps its appropriate. While some coaches will try and justify such a long run for 5k runners the truth is its not worth the trade out of increased injury risk. Same as saying well if we get our distance runners into the weight room and have them lift really heavy that will help their performance. Some lifting might but at a certain point you reach diminishing returns on your investment in lifting and cause more negative than you gain (see Alan Webb).

Who by chance would you care to say you race for? Always insightful for board readers to learn about the policies of various programs especially for potential recruits.

I run 2-3 hours each and every day and I can guarentee if we lined up I would destroy in a 5k. Just run baby.

I hate long runs wrote:

Our first indoor meet is this Saturday. I'm running the 5000.

Discuss.

Early season, great idea to get in a two hour run. In fact until taper you should be getting them in at least once a month. Not like you're going to race it. Man up and stop whining.

I hate long runs wrote:

I want to know what you all think.

All I have done since cross country is long tempo workouts. All of them being about 6-9 miles in length.

OK, a predictably boring mainstream opinion: if your longest run (based on the above) is an hour or so, suddenly doing 2 hours might make you a bit too tired for Sunday. If there is no pace target, I think you should break it up with walks, and taking on some fuel, and you'll then find it no harder than a 9 mile tempo.

A more normal approach might be to make the long run 75min one week, 90 the next, 1:45 the next and so on. You adapt very quickly to volume at easy paces. There is nothing wrong with doing it midweek rather than on Sundays.

More importantly, have you asked WHY he wants this? Maybe he's fed up with you guys caning it in tempos every day so deliberately set something you'll have to slow down for. Or maybe the 5000 is not important, he wants your volume up, and is trusting that 3-and-a-bit mile tempo on Saturday to keep the speed end maintained.

Branchy wrote:

Running long and slow has massive cardiovascular benefits. You need those kind of runs to progress as a runner.

And what are these, exactly?

And how do these benefits differ from the benefits obtained on any and every other run?

Thanks.

Dude, find a nice trail for you and your teammates to run on and that 2 hours will fly by. Just don't twist an ankle or anything.

Apparently you know better than your coach on how to train athletes so why don't you go pro. Or realize it is December and train through the meet. Maybe you are running this weekend to assess your training, break up the monotony, etc.. Either way, put on your big boy pants and run or do your coach a favor and transfer to another school.

I'll play wrote:

I hate long runs wrote:

I want to know what you all think.

All I have done since cross country is long tempo workouts. All of them being about 6-9 miles in length.

OK, a predictably boring mainstream opinion: if your longest run (based on the above) is an hour or so, suddenly doing 2 hours might make you a bit too tired for Sunday. If there is no pace target, I think you should break it up with walks, and taking on some fuel, and you'll then find it no harder than a 9 mile tempo.

We don't do tempos everyday. I thought you could read my mind, sorry.

I am a lousy troll... sorry.

My strategy for all runs, (long or short) is always start off really slow and back it way down from there. Hope this helps.

FLOrealOL wrote:

i did a 2 hr 10 minute run, 5 days before winning a big ass race in high school! Just take an ice bath after words!

which words?

Be glad he didnt assign long intervals. You'll recover much quicker from the long run then almost any other type of 'hard' workout. Suck it up cupcake.