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Whenever we get into marathon training season we start to see a lot of questions roll in about long runs. Often people focus a lot on that long run because when we do the actual marathon event, it is a LONG RUN! However, we often see people overemphasis this long run and it can cause athletes to compromise the rest of their training. The question we want to be asking ourselves as we gear up for the marathon is always: am I training… or am I testing? It can be tempting to hammer out 20 miles at marathon pace, but what is the purpose of that run? Is it what is best for our overall fitness? Or are we simply hoping to see where our fitness is at or boost confidence for race day?

 What pace should most of your long runs be?
 What distance should most of your long runs be?
  Why is there a 3 hour long run rule?

The rationale is that after 2.5-3 hours, metabolic adaptations reach a point of diminishing returns.
Every training decision is a balance of risk vs reward-
-Individual factors also affect recovery from long runs:

  Is the athlete eating enough during the long run?
  Is the athlete eating enough in general or are they struggling with low energy availability (intentional or unintentional)?
  What was the intensity of the run?
  Did the athlete run on a hard or soft surface?
  Was footwear cushioned enough?
  How well are they sleeping?
  How often are they doing these long runs? Are they exceeding three hours weekly or was it an uncommon occasion in peak training?
  How were these long runs periodized?


  Accumulation of miles
  Back to back longer runs

Adequate preparation -but not excessive – is key in the marathon. Periodize your training to prioritize race readiness

215. Back To Back Long Runs & Are You Running Too Long On Your Long Run Days?

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Long runs are the cornerstone for many half and full marathon training plans. Many people have bucket list goals to train for a full marathon and train their body how to run 26.2 miles at a time. This endeavor will require a person to be able to run for long periods of time. It can almost seem unfathomable to build from a 3-4 mile long run to 20 miles as a long run. We often see athletes struggle to get to a place where they feel comfortable running for 90+ min at a time. While it is always a challenge to run for long periods of time, it is something that can be trained for and done without leaving you feeling like you were hit by a truck! We are going to do a deep dive into how to build your long runs and the common mistakes we see in building up longer runs.

 What is the prerequisite long run to begin training for a full marathon?


 90 min is a good benchmark

  Long runs in marathon training are usually 2-3 hours 2-3x a month


  What type of weekly mileage do you need to support long runs


  We have used the 30% rule in the past which states your long run should not be more than 30% of total aerobic volume

  If you workout 6 hours in a week, no more than 2-3 should be a long run

  There are exceptions to this rule & we need to find what works best for the individual

  Marathon training is more than just the long run & the more volume we do on one day the higher the chance for injury.

  Balance risk vs reward


  10% rule: We don’t want to increase long run too much too soon


  10% of time of mileage

  Do not increase every week

  Having a cut back week


  Consider having every other week be a build long run


  We don’t need to run long every single weekend

  More to marathon training than 1 single long run


  SLOW THE F DOWN


  You need to go slow enough to be in zone 2

  Run/walks work well


  FUELING


  Fueling will allow you to run better

  Carbs are fuel for long distances




243. How to build long runs & make it feel easier to run long

We spend a lot of time focusing on the training for race day but sometimes athletes find the art of racing to be complicated. We rarely practice racing for the obvious reasons because we can only have so many A races a year without burning out or compromising our training.
However, if we never practice digging deep into the well, the already daunting task becomes even more daunting. It is similar to a lot of things in life. Like public speaking, we can prepare and rehearse everything perfect, but we rarely get the exact opportunity to speak in front of the large group. For this reason, many people fear public speaking. Although, those who do practice regularly seem to have less of a fear.
I know public speaking and road racing are not entirely the same, but they do share some similar principles. Today we are going to talk about the things you can do to become a better racer.

 Pacing Practice


 How you do anything is how you do everything

  Practice negative splits in workouts & you will find it comes naturally on race day


  Practice a Positive Mindset


Confidence boosting when you have experience. People who ran in high school or were athletes in high school. Some people are naturally more aggressive physically and they naturally want to push themselves more. Others more cautious

  How do you talk to yourself during training runs?

  What do you tend to focus on?

  Practice saying 5 positive things after every run



  Have Realistic Expectations & A Plan


  Look at how your training went & develop a data driven plan


  Practice doing uncomfortable things/pushing yourself


  Many people say once they become a mom, they have ‘new strength’. I don’t think this is physical. It may be mental. Perhaps you realize you can handle more than you thought

  Practice mental discomfort every day in non-running related ways






242. Get better at racing

Assessing your strengths and weaknesses is key for building self awareness and also knowing what you should work on! When we know where we could use a little work, we can channel our energy to that area of life. This is important for your personal life as well as for your running. You will be able to better reach your potential when you know what direction to go. We have 3 areas of runner traits we are going to address in this episode as well as ways to turn your weaknesses into your strengths. For more information on this we have a commit60 mental training toolkit on our website that goes into this in depth.
Weaknesses
1- impatient- you want results right away, you speed up at the end of runs
Forced into a waiting pattern with winter, illness, pregnancy, etc.
Some people say they can’t slow down on their easy days: 

 Make yourself wait

 Meditation/mindfulness

  Deep breathing

  Yoga

  Read

  Do a puzzle

  Accept what you cannot change & practice empathy


2- Too negative/self critical- you beat yourself up, perfectionist tendencies, unable to see positives, can lead to black or white thinking

  Mindfulness

  Recognize your triggers

  Come up with neutral statements instead

  Try a gratitude journal


3- inconsistent- lacking organization or discipline

  Routine

  Run streak

  Accountability buddy

  Building a habit/habit stacking


4-insecurity- doesn’t believe in themselves, races workouts, pushing it on easy days

  Practice self care: nutrition, sleep, boundaries

  Maybe you always wanted a coach or to buy a certain pair of shoes: do it!

  Step away from toxic people, spend time with people who make you feel good

  Write down a list of things you are good at


5- Lack of experience- pacing, grows with time, technical

  Get experience

  Sign up for races

  Hire a coach

  Try new workouts


6-over analyzing- focusing too much on the details

  What do you over analyze?


  Weekly mileage (run 49.5 miles one week)

  Paces (don’t hit your paces)

  Run streaks (break it)

  Certain workouts (eliminate something you think is super important- IE yassos 800)

  How many 20 milers (run 18-19 milers)


  Focus on trusting the big picture 





241. Strengths and weaknesses as a runner

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Most runners know that we want to build our aerobic system while running. The marathon and half marathon are said to be 99% AEROBIC in nature. It only makes sense that distance runners should focus on that aerobic development the most. However, when it comes to the shorter distance races like the 1 mile or 5k, more of our performance is going to require development of the anaerobic system. We want to chat today about the different systems used and the type of workouts you should focus on for each type of distance you are training for.
What is the anaerobic system?
How long can you run at an anaerobic pace?
What is the aerobic system?
How long can you run at an aerobic pace?
The marathon & half marathon are 99% aerobic in nature: TEMPO, progression, LT, MP, steady state
What kind of workouts will help build the aerobic systems?
What kind of workouts should you avoid during marathon training?
If you did only speed work during a marathon training cycle, could you still run fast in the marathon- why/why not?
Training specifically for the distance matters
The 5k is 90% aerobic. I said earlier it is important to develop the anaerobic 10% because that is a 1-2 min of the race.
How would you train 5k runners?
What type of speed workouts?
How often do you do a speed workout vs threshold?
How long of a long run?
The 1 mile is like 60% aerobic. A lot more of this race is anaerobic. How do we develop runners for this?
What type of workouts do you run?
Would running long make you slower?
Why do college xc coaches not allow their runners to do a marathon?

 What are running workouts?


 Track workouts


  What is an easy run? Why do we do easy runs most of the time?


  We need to go slower to build the aerobic base

  You need to go slow enough to recover from workout days

  “I can’t slow down. My legs won’t let me”


  Your workouts aren’t hard enough

  You aren’t running enough


  “9 mile marathon plan”

  Mileage is key to success: You can get away with less mileage if you have a strong aerobic base like a masters runner or a triathlete


  What are the best time of running workouts to do?


  Training for a 5k 10% anaerobic


  Speed work comes into play


  Training for a 10k

  Training for a half 99% aerobic 

  Training for a full


  Video on youtube that goes over all of this


  Medium long runs

  Steady State Runs

  Threshold workouts

  Long runs in the mid-zone not hyper focused on the 20



  Training for an ultra


  What are the most common mistakes we see athletes make


  Running in the gray zone

  Not doing the correct workouts

  Only doing workouts they are comfortable with

  Not progressing stress

  Doing too much too soonMara






240. Marathon in 99% aerobic


 I can't complete 20 miles in 3 hours, can I do 5 easy + 10 mp + 5 easy?239


 3 hour long run rule

  Marathon pace work- when is it good


  Can I run a marathon 6 weeks after running a marathon?


  Marathon manics

  Ultra marathons

  Racing vs running

  50 states 


  What should be the fartlek pace?


  Fartlek = speed play

  


  How to get constant speed for a longer run


  How are we measuring this?

  Do we need to go fast on long runs?


  Is HR too high 170-180 for MP?

  Easy Pace only improved by 30-60 sec after a year of zone 2… is this normal?

  What is the best shoe for a first time marathon?



215. Back To Back Long Runs & Are You Running Too Long On Your Long Run Days?

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