Run fast or run long? (Read 919 times)

You can do both, but you're right, your priority does need to be with one or the other. For a crazy story about running a marathon for pure fun on a minimal amount of training (have been focused more on running fast lately), read on: I decided about a week ago to run yesterday's L.A. Marathon -- I had, up until yesterday, completed 6/7 marathons (had to drop out of Boston AFTER Heartbreak Hill, had strep throat and probably shouldn't have even made the flight, painful), but not since 2002. For the past year, I've kept a base long run on Sundays as the anchor to my mileage, running an hour and a half alternating with a two hour run every week, usually at about 8 minute pace. Three days after, do an 8 mile tempo run and another 6 miler later that week, filling in the cracks with swimming and biking. So not a lot of mileage overall--at best, 29 mile weeks. Then, like an idiot, I saw Spirit of the Marathon and got the itch again. I went out for an 18 miler the Sunday before the L.A. Marathon and had a great, great run. I decided to lay off the booze, carbo load, and stay off my feet for a week before going to the start line yesterday. I also opted for the Jeff Galloway 8 minute run, 1 minute walk plan. My goal was just to enjoy the race, and to finish. I haven't been able to do that in the past when I have run mainly for time (3:17 PR, usually run about 3:20). Felt surprisingly good at the half (running 9 minute mile pace), decided if I felt good at 20, I would take off. Blasted through the last six miles, had a smile on my face the whole time, ran a 14 minute negative split from the half and never enjoyed a marathon like that in my life! Finished slower than I ever have (3:48), but what a blast. Still feeling good today, my feet are in good shape for the first time ever post-marathon. So I guess my point is, if you want to enjoy a marathon and run it for fun, it can be done if you have a decent base that you have developed over the years--on a relatively lower total amount of mileage than would be expected if it were your first...so consider building base simultaneously with speed, focusing on the latter if you feel you can put off the marathon until you're ready.

Do both. Run fast sometimes, run long some times. Why is this a dilemma?

LOL. Yeah, I know. But the question was more to ask about focus. I doubt most people run 20+ miles on a long run to train for a 5k.

Ah, but this doesn't mean they shouldn't. Pretty well all my PR's from 5k to full occurred during marathon training. Don't think that, since you're training for 'just 5k' that there's no need to be doing runs to, like 15 miles. Personally, I'm pretty weak across all distances if I'm not getting in those big runs a couple of times a week. Right now I'm getting one run of 15 miles a week and I need to get that other 10 miler in as well to really bring myself back into a strong running state, and I'm doing no marathon training right now.