Forums >Running 101>20 miler in marathon training -- what's your take?
rectumdamnnearkilledem
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
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#2867
Run to Win25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)
You'll ruin your knees!
""...the truth that someday, you will go for your last run. But not today—today you got to run." - Matt Crownover (after Western States)
However, I think if you cap it based on time, you're missing out. If the longest you've run is 3 hours, and it takes you 4-5, that's a big chunk of time that you're not mentally prepared for. Me, I generally do somewhere between 18-21, and it works for me. I've done longer, and I will use other marathons as practice. This is my opinion, so take it as that. The best thing to recognize here is that there is no one right answer. Why does this article intrigue you? Is it because being out that long for a run has you nervous? All the more reason to actually go out and run for that long.
I do think that if the supporting mileage and workouts are there, the long run becomes less important. The lower the mileage, the more important the long run.
E-mail: eric.fuller.mail@gmail.com -----------------------------
I like all of the replies so far. I don't tend to believe that there are any hard and fast rules. You need to go long enough to give you confidence for the big day, and short enough to keep training trough the following days. Physiologically, I doubt there's much benefit from going beyond 3 hours. Personally, I will have a couple of 30 milers peppered into my training. It has not hurt my times - in fact it has improved them greatly. That's me. I'd rather go out and run 30 miles easy than run a 21 miler with the last 10 miles at MP. (actually, not even sure if I could do that. Pretty sure I could not do that.) There are many paths. I do think that if the supporting mileage and workouts are there, the long run becomes less important. The lower the mileage, the more important the long run.
"He conquers who endures" - Persius "Every workout should have a purpose. Every purpose should link back to achieving a training objective." - Spaniel
http://ncstake.blogspot.com/
For what its worth, I'm not sure you qualify as a beginner runner anymore. You're consistently in the 30-35 mile range, you've run races, you've run for years, and you're now hitting 40 miles per week. For a true beginner, I'd say quit asking questions, ignore everything I just wrote, and follow the dumb program. Do that 3 X 20 milers. For you ... if you've got time ... I might tell you to experiment a little. My 4.2 cents.
I'm still planning to do 20-22 at least 2-3 times before my race, but was merely curious to see how the less-than-20 miler long run has worked for others and under what sort of training schedule.
DWARP Marathon Madness Mob
I can't comment on the training for a marathon, since the longest race I've ever run was a 10k in high school. However, I read the blog that was posted and thought people might like a little more on that subject. This is an article about the Hanson's marathon training from the Running Times website, and although it's a little older than the blog post it's an informative read if you're interested in the Hansons.
"The necessity of the 20-miler for marathon success is a farce," says Kevin Hanson... To prove his point, Kevin notes that European training plans often top out at 30 kilometers (18.6 miles). "Does that mean they’re 1.4 miles less prepared than Americans? It’s ridiculous."
To people who question whether the elite Hansons-Brooks athletes do longer runs, he replies, "Sure, they’ll do a 20 to 22 miler, but it’s part of a 130-mile week. So it’s actually a smaller percentage of their total volume than it would be for someone doing less mileage."
The last week of the schedules is a modified taper. "The body thrives on consistency," says Kevin. "The taper is a way of resting without letting [your body] know that something’s up. [A full taper] is like sleeping 11 hours when you normally sleep eight—you sometimes feel groggier."