Forums >General Running>Half Marathon Training Long Runs
Waltons ThreadLord
I will be running a half marathon in March. As I'm generally more successful at getting out and running when I have a plan on my calendar, I've been looking at some half marathon training plans. All the ones I've seen have long runs of 10 - 12 miles at most.
I have run a couple of marathons in the past 18 months and plan to run one this fall. As such, a long run of 14 - 16 miles is something I'm familiar with and capable of.
For the half marathon training, am I OK putting in long runs that are longer than the training runs, and indeed longer than the race itself? Or would I be better off with the shorter long runs, perhaps run a bit faster?
5k 23:48.45 (3/22); 4M 31:26 (2/22); 5M 38:55 (11/23); 10k 49:24 (10/22); 10M 1:29:33 (2/24); Half 1:48:32 (10/22); Marathon 4:29:58 (11/23)Upcoming races: Clinton Country Run 15k, 4/27; Running is Back 10k, 5/12
KillJoyFuckStick
It depends on your goal for the half. If you're trying to PR then I wouldn't worry about runs longer than 11 to 12 miles. I'd focus more on making those runs done with some miles at "race pace."
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Sure you can run longer...for many runners, a good approach for HM training is to have the interior 8 - 10 mi of a longer run be at tempo effort.
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I had my best Half marathon while training for my first marathon. Long run was about 16-17 miles. Not sure if I could've run a faster HM with training specific for the race, but that race is close to my HM PR (under not so ideal conditions) so not complaining.
Looking at your current Half PR, 14 would be about right, IMO. That would be abut 2:20 easy pace. Run easy out and pick up the pace on the way back working on goal Half pace every other week, building to 6 miles @ goal Half once or twice before the race. The other week just easy pace or some MP if you feel like it. Get use to not using gels in training, then use one or two come race day.
Make sure you get one session of V02 Max in during the week, like 6-8 X 800 @ 5K/2-230 JR, one week. 4 X1 mile @ 10k/2-2:30 JR, the other. Start with 2 miles worth and work up to 4 miles over the cycle-just like the Tempo in the LR. That should do.
Also naturally depends on what kind of weekly mileage you plan on. I have the Pfitz book on 5k to HM training. In his half plan peaking at 47mpw, he has LRs up to 14 miles; at 63mpw, 16; and at 81mpw, 18. Most of them are run at progression, finishing around LT.
Dave
According to Jack Daniel's you wouldn't need to make your long run as long and instead focus on quality and frequent easy miles. The long run shouldn't exceed 25% of weekly mileage.
However if the HM is just in between full marathons maybe its really not worth cutting back.
HM: 1:47 (9/20) I FM: 3:53:11 (9/23)
2024 Goals: run a FM & HM + stay healthy!
Any race plan I've looked at, has suggested no longer than 10-12 miles.
Marathons and ultras are weird in that you generally don't cover the full distance until race day (ok, sometimes super elites will run >26 miles in training for a marathon). That's because the volume puts too much stress on your body. Shorter races don't have this problem.
If your training supports a 14-16 mile long run (you're running more than about 60 MPW) then do it. If I'm in half marathon training, my long run gets up to 18 miles (training 70-80 MPW). You'll have the psychological benefit of being familiar with the distance, you'll get the training benefit of running longer, and you won't trash your legs with too long of an effort.
Know thyself.
According to Jack Daniel's you wouldn't need to make your long run as long and instead focus on quality and frequent easy miles. The long run shouldn't exceed 25% of weekly mileage. However if the HM is just in between full marathons maybe its really not worth cutting back.
Yeah, the slower you run a half, the more aerobic it becomes-compared to using the lactate system. So longer runs and more mileage will help for sure. Running for 2-2:30 is a good compromise unless you just want to run more, IMO.
The 25% rule works well for the high mileage runner, but that goes out the window when you are only running 30-40 MPW. Longer runs help in longer races unless you are doing very high mileage, and then an occasional LR is probably wise to keep in the mix, esp. if you are a marathoner.
Runs in the rain
I have had similar concerns about long runs in my training. My own thought was to do a few runs longer than race distance prepares you for the race. When I mentioned this in a forum concerning marathon training many people wrote that it was the wrong way to train. No one, except for some elites, runs greater than 26 miles as part of their training plan. Research found that the latest emphasis is running less miles and that doing series of short bursts of maximum high intensity is the more effective way to train. Indeed, many people now refer to those long, slow distance runs as "junk" miles, the idea being that you are wasting effort and risking injury on them and would be better saving it for speed workouts. That being said I have to say that, for me anyway, high millage and slow, long distance are less demanding than pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone in speed workouts and are effective over time in getting into shape to prepare for running faster. I would say that 14 to 16 miles or even longer are not going to hurt you as long as you don't run the whole distance too fast, but if you are ready for them, then shorter tempo runs might be a better plan for best race results.
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I have followed the rule that your long runs should be capped at 2 hours for a half marathon and 3 hours (2:30 if you're competitive) for a full. It's served me very well. I also think time on your feet is a much more important long run metric than distance. For me, that means my long runs for a half are right around 16 miles for a half.
You can, of course, go as long as you are physically capable of. However, the idea in half marathon training is that super long runs are not useful because a) the distance doesn't require that much endurance and b) half training requires more rigorous speed work, which can be jeopardized by very long runs.
5K: 16:37 (11/20) | 10K: 34:49 (10/19) | HM: 1:14:57 (5/22) | FM: 2:36:31 (12/19)
Lots of interesting responses here, not all in agreement with each other, which is to be expected. As OP, I appreciate the suggestions.
SMART Approach
Instead of one "long run" consider 2 medium-long runs per week - 10-12 miles but include quality in each in middle of warm up and cool down miles. One day marathon pace miles or faster finish runs and the other day Fartleks at 10K pace (like 5 X 1K) rotated next week with some shorter faster quality stuff (like 10 X 400m at mile pace). The other days per week would be more comfortable paced runs and striders a couple of those days. Put your quality work and focus on those 2 longer days. This is great plan or training technique for half marathon training.
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... Research found that the latest emphasis is running less miles and that doing series of short bursts of maximum high intensity is the more effective way to train. Indeed, many people now refer to those long, slow distance runs as "junk" miles, the idea being that you are wasting effort and risking injury on them and would be better saving it for speed workouts. ...
Can you point me to some of that research? I came in here with that theory, but have been shot down repeatedly and only found the traditional "lots of mpw" advice. If there is a such a thing as a "junk" mile...I don't want to run it.