Is a long run considered a "workout"?

takashi yoshi wrote:

I have a theory too wrote:

Here, we understand definition. Mine is correct.

Why is yours correct? What means my definition wrong?

I'd explain it to you, but you wouldn't understand.

Because you do not have understanding.

takashi yoshi wrote:

Because you do not have understanding.

You're too late. I already covered you on that one.

Let me skip over the internet definition pi$$ing contest and answer the question. If you are marathon training then it is a workout. You should be targeting Marathon pace fast finishes. This requires recovery day(s). For other distances, it is not a workout.

So why should you do it?

hereaboutathing wrote:

So why should you do it?

Because it's a workout.

I think we're getting bogged down in semantics. Making claims like "85% of your fitness" is really unbecoming of you.

Easy runs make no difference at all to say an 800m or 1500m specialist. Alan Webb's fitness and speed was in no way derived from his "easy runs." Sure, the easy runs gave benefits to his aerobic system and enabled him to do harder workouts later, but if all Webb did were "easy runs", he would not even make the Michigan track team.

formerD1 wrote:

I think we're getting bogged down in semantics. Making claims like "85% of your fitness" is really unbecoming of you.

Easy runs make no difference at all to say an 800m or 1500m specialist. Alan Webb's fitness and speed was in no way derived from his "easy runs." Sure, the easy runs gave benefits to his aerobic system and enabled him to do harder workouts later, but if all Webb did were "easy runs", he would not even make the Michigan track team.

This is like throwing out your short irons because, sure you can stiff it close from 70 yards, but they suck off the tee.

Man, I don't play golf so have no idea what that means!

I will say I used to run with Alan Webb, and we NEVER referred to easy runs as workouts.

But yes, I do agree that easy runs have phsyiological benefits. Just saying, top runners don't refer them to "workouts." Well, maybe marathon runners do. But the mid-distance guys I ran with, we were either working out, or getting our bodies recovered enough to do our next workout. We get our speed and our endurance from our workouts and our ability to do our workouts.

it depends. if 16 miles is long enough to be a difficult stimulus for you, then yes. but if you do it all the time it's not.

generally i don't consider long runs to be workouts unless there's a workout planted inside the long run or the long run is pretty fast. however, if i went out and did 22 miles instead of my usual 15-17, i would consider that pretty taxing and might call it a "workout."

formerD1 wrote:

Man, I don't play golf so have no idea what that means!

I will say I used to run with Alan Webb, and we NEVER referred to easy runs as workouts.

But yes, I do agree that easy runs have phsyiological benefits. Just saying, top runners don't refer them to "workouts." Well, maybe marathon runners do. But the mid-distance guys I ran with, we were either working out, or getting our bodies recovered enough to do our next workout. We get our speed and our endurance from our workouts and our ability to do our workouts.

Let's say that you are a professional runner. Half of your job is hard, the other half is easy. Both parts are your job and equally important. Meaning, all work related physical activities are workouts. However, you wouldn't here me say "man, that 5 mile run in 32:00 was such a killer workout ".

formerD1 wrote:

if all Webb did were "easy runs", he would not even make the Michigan track team.

Ridiculous. If all Webb did were easy runs and strides he would have been pretty damn fit. And perhaps elite athletes do not "refer" to easy runs as workouts - but still: Easy runs are TRAINING. When you run 10 sessions per week: 7 x easy, 2 x track, 1 x long it's pretty self evident that the easy runs are most important. If they weren't you wouldn't do them 7 out of 10 times. At least that is my belief.

Enh don't agree with that analogy.

Let's say I'm a chef. Let's say I go to the store and buy groceries. I wouldn't call that "cooking." Cooking is when I start making the food on the menu ordered by the customer.

Or let's say I'm a pilot. There's flying, when I'm actually in the cockpit of a plane. Then there's the portions when I'm reading manuals and studying aerodynamics and technical aspects of the plane.

All these things enable me to do the thing that makes my "job" what it is. In fact I may spend more time preparing to cook than actually cooking, I may spend more time studying to be a pilot than actually flying, and just the same, I probably spend a lot more time recovering and taking easy days than I am actually pounding the pavement during my workouts.

I know what you mean but still:

Say you ran 14:00 for 5k. Cut out all the easy runs for a year except track sessions. Then cut out the track sessions for a year. For sure you will be fitter by the high easy mileage than off of 2 track workouts per week.

Let's say I did 2 track sessions, 2 "hard runs" a week, 1 long run and 2 easy runs a week.

For a 5K runner, I think cutting out the easy runs would have the smallest impact, followed by the 1 long run. Obviously for a marathon runner probably it would be the "2 easy runs" and "2 track sessions" that would have the least impact.

It's just a generational difference in usage. Sometime in the last 20 years, the kids started using "workout" it to mean "hard workout," while their predecessors used it to many ANY running.

The same applies to "flats." The kids use the term to mean "racing flats," while their elders distinguish between "racing flats" and "training flats," as opposed to spikes.

By general definition anytime you exercise may be considered a workout. However, I consider a running workout as anything that is broken up by planned various speeds. So a normal long run wouldn't be a workout but a long run with 8 miles at MP in the middle would be a workout.

Here's how the terminology is used today.

A workout is above easy pace running and requires recovery days to perform another workout as well. A hard or long tempo is a workout. A short tempo might be an easy workout, but thats still a workout. Intervals or repeats on the track are a workout. A run much longer than your normal run distance is a workout, though I suppose you could do it at like 10 min pace and have it not be a workout, but then it would be a hike, not a run.

No, but it is the most important run of the week.