Long-distance runs for marathon or half marathon

Long distance runs for marathon

The long run is an essential session in marathon preparation or half-marathon preparation. There are several types of long runs in a training plan. Let’s look at the paces, maximum duration, and frequency based on your goal.

The importance of long runs for the marathon

The importance of long runs is multiple. The long run helps work on endurance and tap into resources that are not usually utilized but are needed, for example, for marathons whether in 3h15 or 5h. This is true from a cardiovascular, muscular, and joint perspective.

Indeed, the impacts over the kilometers “break” muscle fibers. In the short term, this stresses the joints (but is beneficial in the medium term to strengthen them). This is felt the next day with soreness. Therefore, it is essential to progress gradually to avoid injury.

Another benefit is ingraining the right paces if you include marathon or half-marathon pace intervals. We will discuss the different types of long runs later. Mentally, it’s also about getting used to patience, which is so useful in a marathon.

Finally, long runs can be used to test your gear and nutrition during the race.

The maximum duration of a long run

The maximum duration of a marathon long run

It is better to think in terms of duration rather than mileage. Indeed, a marathon long run can go up to 2h30, possibly 2h45 for an experienced runner.

If we considered distance, for example, with a fixed mileage of 30 kilometers, it would be 2h (at 15 km/h) for some runners, but 3h (at 10 km/h), or even 3h20 (at 9 km/h) for others. Some runners want to reassure themselves by running a distance close to the marathon in training, but this is often a mistake.

The risk would be going too far into fatigue, while the goal of training is to prepare a runner as well as possible for race day. It would be counterproductive to run a session of more than 3 hours during preparation. It is better to increase your weekly training mileage than to go for long distances in a single session.

In the RunMotion Coach app, depending on your experience, you can have long runs up to 2h30, sometimes 2h45. The previous weeks are progressive to lead you to this duration.

The maximum duration of a half-marathon long run

The maximum duration of a long run for a half-marathon can go up to 1h45 or 2h. For fast runners, a 2-hour long run will exceed the distance of 21km, while a slower runner will cover 17-18km.

Again, you need to weigh the benefit-risk, and it is better to be ready to run the half-marathon on race day than in training. Regular training will get you ready, and the boost of energy and motivation on race day will help you succeed in your half-marathon.

The maximum duration of a 10km long run

The maximum duration of a long run for 10km can largely exceed the race duration. You can go up to 1h15 or 1h30 for a 10km. There is no need to do more unless you are preparing for a marathon later in the year.

Why not run the marathon distance in training?

Long runs should not cover the marathon distance. It would be too difficult during and afterward for recovery. Also, if you run alone, it is hard to find the mental resources you find on race day. You risk not finishing the session and losing confidence. It is also sometimes challenging to keep a constant pace alone. Moreover, it is rare to have access to the full logistics of a marathon, with aid stations.

For preparing a long trail, a 100km, or a 24h race, you can alternate walking and running, like trail hiking, to go up to 4h, 5h, or even 6h. But generally, you will try to run a maximum of 3h during this period.

The importance of progressivity to avoid injuries

When you see your 2h30 long run approaching in a few months, you wonder if you will make it. The goal of the training plan is to have progressivity. We will introduce basic endurance runs of 1h30, 1h45, gradually increasing to 2h, 2h15, and 2h30.

If the long run is well absorbed, you can add a 1h30 session during the week, in addition to the marathon long run, but not every week.

The different types of long runs

The basic endurance long run

This is the foundation for building endurance. Going for long durations in basic endurance increases your mileage and gets your body used to long efforts. For a runner over 4h30 in the marathon, the pace in basic endurance is quite close to their marathon pace.

Therefore, it is often more difficult for these runners to complete these sessions compared to faster runners who have a 3-4km/h difference between their marathon pace and basic endurance pace.

The marathon pace long run

You can include marathon pace intervals in a long run. For example, you can do 2×40 minutes at marathon pace, adding 30 minutes warm-up at basic endurance pace and 10 minutes of cool down. This allows for 2 hours of effort. The goal is to stay relaxed and efficient during the 40 minutes. You will find these in your RunMotion Coach marathon training plan.

For runners in 5 hours or more in the marathon, this marathon pace is very close to the basic endurance pace, and here the goal is mainly to memorize the pace you will have on marathon day.

The half-marathon pace long run

For example, you can do a 1h20 or 1h30 run, including 2×20 minutes at half-marathon pace. You will find these in your RunMotion Coach half-marathon training plan.

The progressive “Kenyan style” long run

In Iten, Kenya, you see hundreds of runners starting at 6 am for a progressive run. It starts in basic endurance, at a very slow jog, at 10 km/h. After 15 minutes, they exceed 12 km/h, then 15 km/h, 16 km/h, up to 20 km/h after an hour. The goal of this Kenyan style training is to cover a range of paces.

You can do it at your level, starting very slowly and gradually increasing the pace. You can cover basic endurance, active endurance, then anaerobic threshold in the last minutes.

Tips for succeeding in your long run

To succeed in your long run, ideally, you should hydrate if it’s hot. With a flask in hand or in a running belt, for example. You can also test your nutrition with what you will have on race day (purees, bars, energy gels).

Eat early enough (at least 2 hours before your run) to be comfortable. If you run in the evening, you can have a snack before heading out (not too sweet).

Within the RunMotion Coach app, you will find these principles for long runs. Your paces are automatically calculated based on your MAS and endurance index. This helps you avoid running at paces that do not match your physiological thresholds.

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Mailis Durif-VarambonMailis grew up in the mountains, where she went hiking and biking every weekend. She loves outdoor activities where she can relax at the end of the day. At RunMotion Coach, she is responsible for communication management.