Runningart2004 wrote:
ScriptedConnection wrote:Instead of running over 150 minutes in one workout, can I, say, run workouts
2 days in a row, 100 minutes each?
You can do whatever you want.
What's the purpose of a 2hr or 2.5hr or even 3hr single run?
I used to run 90min runs daily. Then double with a 3-5mi run. So 13/5 or sometimes 10/5. A 22mi long run and a 15-18mi mid week run. A 5-10 single the day after a long run.
Alan
Switching to bodybuilding was the right move for you.
swank wrote:
Runningart2004 wrote:You can do whatever you want.
What's the purpose of a 2hr or 2.5hr or even 3hr single run?
I used to run 90min runs daily. Then double with a 3-5mi run. So 13/5 or sometimes 10/5. A 22mi long run and a 15-18mi mid week run. A 5-10 single the day after a long run.
Alan
Switching to bodybuilding was the right move for you.
You're hilarious. It worked for me. Never had the talent or bodytype but I did ok.
Alan
SEMich wrote:
Citizen Runner wrote:After trying different approaches to marathon training cycles I eventually settled on running my longest runs strictly by time capped at 150 minutes and thought it worked at least as well as any other approach I tried. I feel that having a second fairly long run in the typical week helped me, that is go longish more often rather than going longer less frequently. This is consistent with Daniels and in the spirit of the Hansons' plans.
I agree with the above especially for beginners. I too was a beginner marathon runner last year. After 10 week off this spring due to injury I feel like a beginner again. OP asked about beginners. I completed my first marathon last year and finished in 5 minutes under my age group BQ time. I am in my 50's. This was with one 8 to 9 mile run in the middle of the week and a 8 to 13 mile run on the weekend. All my other runs were typically 5 miles. I improved my time by about 15 minutes at my 2nd marathon a couples months after the first one. I still did not follow a specific marathon plan when getting ready for Boston but did increase my weekly mileage. I found that one 120 minute (7:30 average pace) to 135 minute (7:50 average pace) run every week or two was hard enough on my body. My form started falling about near the end the 135 minute runs. I also tried to get in one 90 minute run a week. My easy days are 5 miles but I was still running those at 7:15 to 7:30 pace before my injury. A few times a month I would run 5 miles at an average pace of 7:05 when on a training run with a club. My injury was from driving so far to/from Boston and not from the race--lower back issue with associated sciatica. So 20+ mile long runs and/or 3 hours runs may work for some experienced marathon runners and make them faster but a beginner can have success with long runs that are much shorter.
Yes...this a common tale. Most people do better keeping the long run under 2:30...regardless of how much distance they are covering. The recovery from longer runs seems to be too difficult.
I've observed that many people start falling apart when their marathon training schedule starts calling for runs of 2:45, 3:00, 3:15 etc.. They seem to survive the first long one OK but subsequent runs of that duration seem to put them in a hole from which they never recover. I've known a lot of people that, if they thought about it, would have simply like to have performed as well as the day they did their first extra long...i.e. 3 hrs...training run.
My advice to people who feel they need to do training runs of 3 hrs+...usually because they are slower and need to cover the distance...is that they do it with regular walk/breaks (see Van Aaken, Osler, McGee, Galloway, etc). This seems to greatly improve the recovery process.
Hi Alan,
Congratulations on being the best at everything you do!
Keep us posted.
Take care Alan.
Alan