The long run is generally anything from 5 to 25 miles and sometimes beyond. Typically if you are training for a marathon your long run may be up to 20 miles. If you're training for a half it may be 10 miles, and 5 miles for a 10k. In most cases, you build your distance week by week.
According to Runners World, 7 miles is long enough for half marathon training. After all, 6 miles short of a marathon is long enough for marathon training. So 6 miles short of a half marathon is long enough for half training.
So, 6 miles is a great baseline. But just because you can run 6 miles, it doesn't mean you're ready to run 26.2 miles on pure will. To really run a marathon comfortably you need a gradually increasing long run. Most beginners will increase their long runs 2-3 miles at a time and run a long run once every 2 weeks.
Fast-finish long run: ideal for longer-distance runners, this type of long run forces you to run fast while fatigued (which put the benefits I described above on steroids). Most runners will do 2-10 miles between 10k-marathon pace to finish their long runs.
The long run is generally anything from 5 to 25 miles and sometimes beyond. Typically if you are training for a marathon your long run may be up to 20 miles. If you're training for a half it may be 10 miles, and 5 miles for a 10k.
It's best not to run long more often than once per week as the risk of injury outweighs the rewards. Some runners even schedule long runs every 10 days rather than every 7 (but I don't recommend this for the vast majority of athletes).
For a 10k, it's ideal to
run up to
8-10
miles in training for your
long runs. Half marathons will require up to 14-15
miles. To ensure you recover correctly, reduce your
long run for two weeks following one of those 14-15
mile runs.
Method 2.
| Week | Long Run |
|---|
| 5 | 9 miles |
| 6 | 5 miles |
| 7 | 10 miles |
| 8 | 5 miles |
Whether your goal is to cut down some body fat, or live longer, long-distance is likely a waste of your time. An epidemiological study on running injuries reports that runners are at between a 37% and 56% risk for having a running-related injury within a given year (1).
Running is inherently dangerous to your health
Running is good for you: Running brings a whole host of physiological benefits, including an improved cardiovascular (CV) system, stronger heart, greater blood volume and improved resistance to infection to name a few.Specifically, try speeding up on one to three of your runs per week (alternating your faster days with easy days). Running faster burns more calories and helps you lose weight in three ways. After a longer, slower jog you may well be hungry, while after a hard run, you usually don't feel like eating.
Pfitz defines anything 11-16 miles as a "medium-long" run, and only 17+ as a long run. But that's semantics. It's not like 90 minutes specifically is magical. An 89 minute run will be nearly identical to a 91 minute run for your body.
Running coach John Honerkamp recommends capping long runs at 3.5 hours. “A 20-mile run is more mental than physical,” he says. “In most cases, there is no benefit to running more than 20 miles before race day, and there can be significant risks of overuse issues or injury.”
Everyone who runs long enough has had it happen to the: the strange, uncomfortable and troubling phenomenon that is the bad run. A bad run can be of several different varieties. There are even runs that go so badly that force you to walk or to stop running for the day or that may make you physically sick.
For beginners, most experts recommend running three to four days a week. If you've been running for a while and know how to pace yourself, you may be able to up that total to five days a week.
A new study finds that people who run as little as once a week have a lower risk of early death compared with people who don't run at all. In fact, any amount of running was associated with a 27 percent lower risk of premature death. “Any amount of running is better than none.”
Just to run a full 5 miles is an achievement. For a 20yo in good shape, (and I don't mean a regular runner, just not morbidly obese or suffering from any illness,) a time of 40 min or less would be pretty good. In fact, for a non runner of any age, 10 min per mile would be OK as a start point.
' ” Sacheck suggests that one way to fit in a long, slow run might be to run to work or home after work. “You think you have to do a lot of speed work to get faster,” he said, “but after doing most of my runs at a slow pace my marathon finish time was much faster.”
How do I dial in my speed? Orton explains, based on the three energy systems, that your aerobic effort should be approximately 70–75 percent or a pace that feels easy for the length of your long run. Your lactate run should be 85–90 percent effort or approximately 60–80 seconds faster per mile than your easy effort.
Running is a great way to attain a strong and lean body, burning around 600 calories per hour efficiently and effectively. When you start a running program, or simply pick it up as a new way to stay fit, your body goes through a variety of changes, specifically with fat, muscle, and metabolism.
How long should you rest after a big training run? While there's no definitive answer to how long you should back off, you should certainly think about taking two days off running – a swim or easy spin on the bike perhaps, but steer clear of anything intense.
If you are running six days a week, three or four should be recovery runs. And if you are running seven days a week, three to five should be recovery runs. Rest Day Frequency: Here things go from a science to an art. Some runners can get by without ever taking a rest day.
Get Proper Muscle Recovery
- Move your legs-then raise them. After a hard race or run, you can help your leg muscles pump out waste products by walking for 5 to 10 minutes afterward.
- Keep your legs cool. Next you'll want to soak your legs in cool water for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Repeat step one.
- Give your legs a rubdown.
- Walk the next day.
Be Fluid: Drink 8 to 12 ounces of water or a sports drink leading up to the 10-miler to prevent dehydration. On hot days, you might want to "plant" a water bottle midway or stop for a drink along the route. Finish Fuel: Try to snack on something solid within 20 minutes after the run to aid in recovery.
To sum up this routine in one easy to visualize chart:
- Hydrate as soon after your run as possible with Gatorade or electrolyte drink.
- Stretch major muscle groups and anything that is sore or tight.
- Eat a small meal that contains a 4 to 1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein.
- Take an ice bath.
- Eat a decent sized, healthy meal.
On rest and recovery days it is important to avoid doing the worst thing you can do for your body nothing. Examples of rest and recovery activities are walking, static stretch exercises (after a warm up and loosening up period), dynamic stretching, swimming, water running, and riding a bike.
To sum up this routine in one easy to visualize chart:
- Hydrate as soon after your run as possible with Gatorade or electrolyte drink.
- Stretch major muscle groups and anything that is sore or tight.
- Eat a small meal that contains a 4 to 1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein.
- Take an ice bath.
- Eat a decent sized, healthy meal.
Restoring fluids is the first priority post-run. Drink water or a sports drink with electrolytes (such as Gatorade or water with a Nuun tablet). Next, focus on your nutrition. Within 30 to 45 minutes of your cool down, consume a combination of carbohydrates and protein.
