Does unfinished long run counts?

From Chris Wardlaw's training program:

2.2. Long Running

This is the most critical element in all the schedules.

Long runs are developed over a period of time regardless of the level of performance of the athlete. Long runs contribute to performance levels in the following ways:

- increased aerobic capacity ie. heart/lung fitness

- strengthening leg muscles

- development of rhythm ie. efficiency of running style

The importance of long runs cannot be overestimated. The schedules build in a weekly long run and a medium long run weekly for all athletes.

Nice trolling but I’ll give you a solid 4/10.

Actually laughing out loud. You’re quite the convincing comic.

I think your plan looks fairly good but missing a few key ingredients to round out your quality training.

I would add the following:

3 doubles weekly

3-4 weight sessions

1 hard hill sprint session

Also due to the increased work load that your body needs to adapt to, I would recommend eliminating your carbohydrate intake and instead increase the amount of cream in your diet. Not whipped cream but cream as in creamed spinach or chicken piccata, etc.

Capers are also very important to add to your diet daily, along with a multi-vitamin.

Thanks for your advice!

Yeah, I will try to do doubles whenever I can. I just did some easy 3 miles run and will possibly go to do another one in the evening.

I did a lot of body-weight exercises in the past and now I'm doing some controversial strength training which is unusual but effective. I'm more bulky than many gym rats. I'm looking like an above intermediate fat power-lifter. Rarely meet someone with a bigger chest. Shoulders also big and wide, arms were smallish but now decent. I have a strong legs with raging quadriceps.

By getting leaner slowly I'm looking more and more muscular. Even if I did things which nobody would advise, I'm still possibly the most improved in terms of strength and looks than anybody I know when compared to few years before. I went from sedentary obese to lean and fit, but in the last few months got fat again, but this time bulky and muscular. Now time for fat to go away, but not too fast. I feel that long-distance running is the best way of training for me, I feel much better when increasing endurance versus increasing strength and size, or doing martial arts.

There is a nice steep hill near one of my favorite tracks so I will look to incorporate hill sprints into my schedule.

And yeah, I need to work on my diet, I cut the overall food intake a little bit, so I'm slowly losing weight. Taking care of the quality was always the part I neglected the most.

Malmo was a very good runner, but that doesn't mean he knows everything. Like most, primarily he knows what works for him. For example he said you could do a progression run 5x a week! The fact is everyone is different and there's maybe 1 or 2 people I've ever trained with who could handle that kind of workload. From what I've read Malmo seems to be of the school of thought that if he could do it everyone could, but that just isn't the case. Some get injured a lot more than others and that is a fact.

I'm 100% behind the importance of doubles, but most programs have the long run down as a crucial element. It's less important the shorter the distance, but still extremely beneficial for a 5/10k runner. And yes, more important for some than others. You'll never do a HM or Marathon to your potential without one though, no matter who you are.

Back to the topic. Slow down! You've been running a month. It takes years to develop the strength to handle regular workouts, long runs and decent mileage.

If you set out to do 22 miles and you bag it at 19, it counts. If you set out to do 12 and you stop at 7, no, it doesn't count.

A run is a run. Doesn’t matter what you call it. It’s all about short and long term progression. How far did you run today compared to yesterday? This week vs last week? How fast today? Yesterday? This week? Last week? This month? Last month? This year? Last year?

Alan

Everyone is different. I don’t think I ran 2hrs until I was in college maybe after.

When I first started running as a freshman in HS my daily runs were 5mi and a long run of 8mi. I remember running 40mi my very first week of running ever. I remember quickly moving up to 10mi long run that winter and 12mi long run that summer then 14mi long run sometime during my sophomore year and running 70+ mi a week during the off-season and eventually 80+mi a week during the off-season.

I remember those 12-14mi really being a struggle at first those last 3-4mi. Basically the last half hour of a 90+ min run. Later on, years later, 12-14 was just another run. It’s all about perspective.

Alan

None of what you said is factual. Your "example" exposes your lack of experience and understanding. Everyone can do progression runs 5x a week if you are doing them right. It's not even difficult. Ignorance is no substitution for knowledge.

Oh, yeah, long runs are the least important piece of the puzzle.

Depends on the distance. I can't imagine training for a marathon without them.

2/10. Trollometer reading through the roof after using words as fartlek, tempo session etc after running for a month.

Sledge_hammer wrote:

malmo wrote:

None of what you said is factual. Your "example" exposes your lack of experience and understanding. Everyone can do progression runs 5x a week if you are doing them right. It's not even difficult. Ignorance is no substitution for knowledge.

Oh, yeah, long runs are the least important piece of the puzzle.

Depends on the distance. I can't imagine training for a marathon without them.

No kidding sledge. That's not the point I'm making. Master the other six days of the week before you worry about the long run.

aussie rules running wrote:

The importance of long runs cannot be overestimated.

This statement is the exact reason long runs are overrated.

IvanK wrote:

So, while I feel awesome and progressing very well, there is still one problem. Namely, I can't run a long run of more than two hours.

Why do you need to go over 2 hours? 2 hours IS a long run.

True story. My first marathons I did 4 hour long runs. Galloway 1st edition. No walk breaks, that's the second edition. Almost no mileage during the week. The result was I ran 3:30-4:00 in the marathon.

Now I never go over 2:30 for long runs and break 3 hours. I focus on weekly mileage and do what I can for the long run and I run it fast.

The slow LSD run taking up your entire day is a complete waste of time. It's why most runners quit too. I have family that quit marathons and running because they got tired of the prescribed 3-4 hour runs. The truth is they are not needed and detrimental. Throw that training philosophy in the garbage.

Over/ under until op gets a stress fracture?