When is it too late to do a long run?

In general the advice is that you should not try to makeup workouts. Given this is your first marathon and it is in two weeks, I would rather be undertrained than tired and/or injured. Skip the long run.

It takes a couple weeks for any work to turn into new fitness, so don't bother. Run enough to maintain fitness and get some rest. You've done all you can.

There are training programs where your longest run is 26 km (or 16 miles). I would say that you should just carry on with your training as it calls out on your plan and not try to make anything up. It would be a bad idea to try to make it up. What does your training program call out for on the last weekend?

Agreed that you shouldn't look back. Just move forward and you'll be fine.

Don't start out too fast on the 16th. The last thing you want to do is run 1:30 the first half and then blow up and run 3hrs for the second half.

Agreed with other posters, you need rest not more long runs. You need to be confident that any "more" is now less.

Igy

Echo the responses here… A big long run now will not help at all for the 16th. The best thing is to follow the taper plan (assume your program has one?) and arrive at the start line fresh and ready.

Some other things to focus on that WILL help your performance on the 16th:

1) Mobility: Lots of foam rolling, plus regular, but sensible, dynamic stretching

2) Sleep: It is not unusual to have less-than-ideal sleep the night (or two) before the race, so make sure in the two weeks leading up that you are getting lots, so that one or two nights of sub-par sleep right before the race won’t be a disaster

3) Nutrition & hydration

Pick another race. You're not ready. Trust me.

Too Late wrote:

It takes a couple weeks for any work to turn into new fitness, so don't bother. Run enough to maintain fitness and get some rest. You've done all you can.

But he has "a couple weeks"

ogalvin wrote:

I'm running my first marathon on October 16. Yesterday, I did what I was hoping would be my final long run. I aimed to run for at least 2hr45mins and/or 32km. Poor preparation lead to me stopping at 26km.

Would it be a bad idea for me to have another try this week?

FYI: I am aiming to go sub 3hr30mins; I run 4 times a week, and follow a McMillan training plan on Strava.

Why did you stop? Depending on the answer, you may have to rethink your goal pace.

Whatever your fitness level, a good test is a 16 miler 10 days before race day.

You try to fit into that run 6 miles at goal pace or preferably a little faster. It should feel easy, and should be easy to imagine running 10 more. This assumes that your training has peaked, you are tapering properly, and that your body is recovering and you are getting stronger. If you are fit you can run this workout fairly hard, even running 10 of the miles at goal pace. There is plenty of time to recover. Especially if you have been averaging high weekly mileage.

MarathonMind wrote:

There is plenty of time to recover. Especially if you have been averaging high weekly mileage.

ogalvin wrote:

I run 4 times a week, and follow a McMillan training plan on Strava.

I'm guessing he has not been averaging high weekly mileage.

I'm with the guy who says find a new race. If you were just doing it to see if you could or for fun, that would be one thing, but you're aiming for a specific time, and it really sounds like you're not ready.

That said, if you decide to do it, forget everything I just said and go for it!

Don't start a long run after 10am. It gets too hot.

kmaclam wrote:

Too Late wrote:

It takes a couple weeks for any work to turn into new fitness, so don't bother. Run enough to maintain fitness and get some rest. You've done all you can.

But he has "a couple weeks"

No. He HAD a couple weeks. If he was planning on doing it "later this week" then he has less than 2 weeks to October 16. If he would have said on Oct 2 "I'm going to try to squeeze in one more long run today" then my answer would probably be different.

Too Late wrote:

kmaclam wrote:

But he has "a couple weeks"

No. He HAD a couple weeks. If he was planning on doing it "later this week" then he has less than 2 weeks to October 16. If he would have said on Oct 2 "I'm going to try to squeeze in one more long run today" then my answer would probably be different.

12 days then, OK? And of all the various training effects, I've never read anywhere where it took more than 10 days for a body to 'absorb' a workout.

There are 7 days in a week - put in the effort before wasting our time

I would do a lighter effort of your long run-either distance or pace. But you should do it today (Tuesday 10/4) for you to have any benefit next weekend. It's a short time until the race, but I think most runners get a training effect starting about a week after a workout, if they didn't push too hard. Don't do anything hard or really long after Thursday.

6/10...

"They hay is in the barn Pre" - Bill Bowerman (Donald Sutherland)

This.The question is not whether you should squeeze a long run in but whether you should race at all. Not to mention comments like "foam roll" and stretch lol. Yeah, those will really help make up the difference.

4 wrote:

Pick another race. You're not ready. Trust me.