Run fast or run long? (Read 919 times)

I have been running off and on for the last 3 years, competing in several 5ks in that time. I am overweight, but in better shape than I've been since college. This year I have gone from an "off and on" runner to a more serious one. I'm at a crossroads, wondering if I should start to train for my first marathon (run long) or if I should try to knock down the 5k time, 26:47 (run fast). Currently I'm running 12-18 miles per week. What would you do in my position?

Yes, as Laura say, no matter what you goal is more miles will make you faster. Training for a marathon and getting your miles up will allow you to hammer your PR in the 5K by a lot. Decide your goals but either way, more miles (with most of them comfortably paced) will make you faster in all events.

You'll need to run longer whichever direction you decide to go. Your current mileage is good for general fitness but won't allow you to improve your 5K time and certainly isn't enough to start training for a marathon. Being over weight is also an issue when it comes to running. Dropping a few pounds is the quickest way to a faster pace. Tom

Run more, and please don't listen to the 90% of posters who will make statements like "you need to be running at least 20-25 miles a week to train for the marathon". Baloney! You should be able to handle 40 mpw to even start training--just my opinion. A marathon is 26 miles for God's sake! Marathon times are, on the average, a full hour slower than they were 15-20 years because people listen to all the nonsense. I would advise you to gradually build your miles for a full year, running only shorter races, before even thinking about a marathon. I'm so glad that I walked into the Runner's Den and talked to a REAL runner when I first started. He gave me the same advice I'm giving you and I listened. If I would have had access to these Internet forums back then I probably would have been struggling through a marathon within 4 months off a base of 30 miles a week.

Like others have said, you're not really at a crossroads yet. You need to run more for either goal. Some folks can go out and run sub-20 min 5k with little to no training. You and I do not appear to be among them. What would *I* do? I'd continue to build my base for several years working on shorter-term goals in the mean time. Sometime early in my running, someone planted the bug in my mind of running for many hours on trails through the woods and above treeline. That appealed to *my* spirit of adventure. (others have different interests) Each year as my long runs have gotten longer, I'll run longer races. First 5k, then 10k, then 8 mi, then 16 mi, then 38mi (no aid stations), then .... My shorter races haven't gotten noticely faster yet, but my recovery times have gone way down and long runs have gotten farther so I can run more to feed this addiction. (My 5k time is somewhere in the 35-40 min range, but that's on hilly trails, snowshoes, etc. and courses may be long. Course conditions may change from year to year.)

If the motivation is to get lean/ lose weight, I'd really focus on eating properly while increasing your weekly mileage. When I started running 2 years ago, I was 30 pounds heavier than I am now. Running more only made me hungrier, and when my mileage increased, I tended to justify my poorer food choices "because I just went on a long run" type of thing. Now that I try to make better food choices, including post run snacks, I am much happier with my body comp and my running performance. When I deviate from eating properly, I can see it in how I feel when I run. I'm not a perfect eater, and there are times when I make bad choices....but I'm heading in the right direction and can see a huge difference in my body and in my running. Good luck!

I think what you should do is gradually increase your target race distance. I don't see the point in going from 5k to a marathon, b/c you'll probably be slow and maybe hurt yourself. Why not focus on the 10k, and when that's done, focus on the HM? I always wanted to run a marathon, and sort of still do, but that thought was quickly re-evaluated after feeling the pain of a HM. The HM is a huge accomplishment, is something that can be raced, not just endured, and you're far less likely to hurt yourself. After you've done that, then you're at a crossroads as to whether or not you should run a marathon. As far as weight loss-what others have said is right-food matters more than exercise. Looking at it from the other angle, though-you will run faster when you lose weight.

I sort of have a different take on this. From my experience with running, to much of one thing just doesn't work. I did lower mileage(25 MPW)with tempo runs and V02 max workouts weekly and ran a 5k PR of 18:43. Wanted to run a marathon so increased my mileage to 80 following the Maffetone low HR method and my 5k speed went down to a 20:08. I didn't run a good marathon either3:50.??. All my other race times(10k- half marathon) floped as well. My advice to any beginner runner is to think in balance. Their are many components to a running program and before you can expect to specialize in one thing you have to learn what kind of a runner you are. If I were you you I would focus on increasing the volume over a few yeas slowly while maintaining all types of running. Do long runs, tempo's, v02 max intervals, sprints, hills, recovery etc.. Work off a 14 day cycle to touch on all aspecs of running. Just pick a 5-10k 6 weeks out and do workouts specific to get you a new PR. Recover and repeat. When you are runnning 40 or so miles per week WHILE MAINTAINING THIS BALANCE OF RUNNING picking a half marathon 8 weeks out and training specific to that isn't much of an issue meaning the stress shouldn't be much more than 5k training. When you build up to 80 or so MPW WHILE MAINTAINING THIS BALANCE OF RUNNING picking a marathon 12 weeks out isn't a big deal. Make sure to race all different types of distances per year. As time goes on you will learn your strengths and what gets you PR's. It is than you can tweak you training to suite your needs. Lots of long running works for some people. Lots of fast running works for others. I know a guy in his late 40's who can not run a step over 50 MPW without getting injured. He ran 4 HARD workouts per week and races every weekend. He runs 4:30's for the mile, high 16's for 5k and 2:40 something for the marathon. Thats just the kind of runner he is. He shifts his workouts around throughout the year to to peak for different distances but admitts the mile is his race. At any rate I think you would be doing yourself a favor by mastering the short distances first. All great marathoners have YEARS of middle distance,/cross country season's under their belts. Thses years of running will build a strong base of strength, endurance, and boots running economy needed to master the marathon. Look at the perfect form on these guys that comes with years of balanced training. Going from couch to marathon is so trendy these days. Not the way to go if your in it for the sport IMHO.