As race day will get nearer, you’re beginning to fear in case your longest long term is lengthy sufficient. Questioning if 10 miles is a long term? Do you should run greater than 20 miles? How far do you have to run earlier than a marathon or a half marathon is a crucial query.
As a operating coach, I spend a variety of time speaking you out of doing MORE than you must. Which could not be what you’d count on to listen to, but it surely’s true. Doing extra usually mentally makes us really feel higher, however on the expense of our efficiency.
Immediately we’re going to dive in to the distances you should full and why they’re sufficient. How far you run earlier than a half marathon or how far you run earlier than a marathon are depending on quite a lot of components we’ll focus on.
Plus we’re going to bust some myths like you may’t run over 3 hours!
We’re going to sort out this query for each distances since you’ll see a variety of overlap!
How Lengthy Ought to Your Longest Lengthy Run Be?
The vast majority of half marathon coaching plans for newbies will prime out at 10 miles and for marathon runners 18-20 miles. Does that imply it’s the longest long term you must do?
The explanations that operating coaches so usually advocate you observe a plan from begin to end is that all of them construct in direction of peak runs barely in a different way.
I’ve in contrast the prime marathon coaching plans right here.
- You possibly can see that whereas the Hanson Technique may advocate solely a 16 mile lengthy, it’s based mostly on excessive mileage and excessive depth the remainder of the week.
- In the meantime a Strolling Marathon Coaching Plan might concentrate on an extended stroll day of 4-5 hours slightly than a particular distance.
- Superior marathon coaching plans will usually comprise 22 and probably even 24 mile lengthy runs.
Ought to You Run 26 Miles Earlier than a Marathon?
No. Arduous cease until you’re a very long time runner who can be coaching for an ultramarathon or doubtlessly an Olympic Qualifier. Although truthfully whereas elite runners hit enormous 100 mile weeks, they’re hardly ever operating 26.2 within the coaching for a purpose race.
The rationale we don’t run 26.2 miles previous to the race is the period of time it takes to get better from this long term.
That restoration time can impression the standard of your subsequent run and set you up for harm when you don’t do sufficient straightforward days or take day without work.
Ought to You Run 13 Miles Earlier than a Half Marathon?
Now we begin to see a bit of little bit of a change within the reply as a result of for skilled runners it’s a particular risk, whereas for first time half marathon runners it’s a NO WAY.
Very long time runners aiming for a half marathon PR might run as much as 16 miles. That is what I’ve accomplished myself up to now and what works for a lot of athletes working for 1:40 and sooner races.
NOT REQUIRED, but it surely does work for some athletes. That is largely since you’ve pushed your endurance a bit farther after which there’s a psychological part to figuring out that on race day you don’t must go as far so you’re feeling extra assured selecting up the tempo.
For a primary time half marathon save that HUGE milestone for race day! Don’t freakout about not having coated the total distance in coaching.
Once more this is the reason you observe a good newbie half marathon coaching plan.
- Throughout coaching you’re constructing your whole endurance
- Every week you’re operating on barely fatigued legs from the space and any velocity work
- After your longest run (roughly 10 miles for first timers), you go in to taper
- Throughout taper for a race, your physique has time to totally get better
- Race day sees your muscle groups stuffed with glycogen and in peak form to carry out.
- Plus you get the added bonus of race day adrenaline which is able to carry you a lot farther than you understand!
This graph is a superb visible of how restoration lets you slingshot previous your present stage of health when used appropriately.
How Far Do You Have to Run Earlier than a Marathon?
Let’s break this down a bit of bit extra that will help you perceive what the longest run of your coaching ought to seem like.
Listed here are the components we need to soak up to consideration:
Expertise Stage
How lengthy have you ever be operating? Is that this your first marathon? If that’s the case we need to err on the facet of a extra conservative long term to keep away from any accidents that can forestall you from making it to the beginning line.
Extra skilled runners are sometimes going to be doing extra or longer runs. And by skilled we don’t imply you’ve run 1 marathon, we really imply that you simply’ve been operating for years with out harm and you know the way your physique responds to lengthy runs.
Your Tempo
As an alternative of specializing in the mileage for a long term, most runners ought to be contemplating whole time on toes. In reality, it’s why lots of the lengthy runs I prescribe have a run interval adopted by a number of miles of strolling.
Complete time on toes issues.
Coach Greg McMillian makes use of the next formulation for runners underneath a 5:00 marathon:
Most long term = [Marathon time – 30 minutes] as much as [marathon time + 15 minutes]
In different phrases in case your marathon purpose time is 4:00 then you definately may do a long term of three:30 to 4:30 hours. Whereas this prime finish is unlikely to be on most coaching plans for a 4 hour runner, it’s one methodology that really takes tempo in to account.
Merely saying 20 miles ought to be your long term may not be correct if it takes you 5 hours. We’d nonetheless cap your time on toes at 4:30 usually and fewer in others based mostly on extra components.
Harm or Sickness Historical past
Some runners merely are likely to get injured extra simply. Might be because of genetics, operating gait, lack of power coaching or the basic coaching errors: an excessive amount of, too quickly, too quick.
Both manner in case you have discovered your self plagued up to now with getting injured or sick throughout marathon coaching it pays to be extra conservative with the long term.
On this case, you might discover a larger profit from doing a long term that maxes out at 16 miles after which doing 8-10 miles the day after. That is just like what number of extremely runners prepare. It reduces the stress of the total long term and forces you to apply doing a good run on drained legs the next day.
Do not forget that each coaching cycle and run will probably be totally different. Which suggests you might want to regulate the length of your long term because of life, operating within the warmth and humidity or a shift in objectives.
Don’t count on them to all really feel good.
I really like this assertion that about 1/3 of your coaching ought to be enjoyable, 1/3 ought to really feel arduous and 1/3 ought to be straightforward. It’s a reminder that it adjustments and studying to embrace the arduous helps on race day.
When Ought to You Do Your Longest Marathon Run?
After months of slowly build up your mileage, the most important long term for the marathon or half marathon ought to be TWO weeks from race day.
Old skool coaching plans used 3 weeks, however almost each operating coach I do know now agrees with the expertise I’ve seen in our athletes of a two week taper.
Which means two weekends earlier than your race you’ll do your large run on Saturday or Sunday after which start to taper. The week earlier than your race your long term will most likely be 8-10 miles for the marathon and 6-8 for the half marathon.
Can Your Lengthy Run Be Over 3 Hours?
Sure. As famous above there are conditions the place you’ll completely must apply being in your toes for longer than three hours. That is an unlucky generally relayed message that isn’t backed in research.
An enormous variety of runners will probably be doing 3:30 lengthy runs, run/walkers and walkers might completely be on the market for 4 hours.
That is NOT to say you must drive your long term to be longer than 3 hours simply because you may. Observe the plan that guides you thru what’s greatest on your objectives and your physique.
How Many 20 Milers Ought to I Run?
Now that we’ve satisfied you 20 miles is lots for the long term, the query turns to how usually do you have to run them.
First time marathon runners will doubtless solely do 1 run of 20 miles throughout peak week. You’ll most likely additionally solely do 1 run of 18-19 miles. The purpose is solely to construct your capability for operating lengthy, nothing extra.
Skilled runners who’re aiming for a Boston Qualifying time, will doubtless have a few 20 mile lengthy runs, plus 18 mile runs that embody purpose marathon tempo miles.
What’s the Shortest Lengthy Run To Run A Marathon?
As a coach I all the time hate this query as a result of it’s normally a sign that you simply haven’t accomplished sufficient coaching, however are decided to do the race and both hate it or get injured.
I might say at least 16 miles, assuming you haven’t been following the Hanson Technique.
Operating a half marathon may make you’re feeling just like the marathon is completely doable and so that you choose one out in only a few months. I really like the passion, however belief me when you hit 18 miles it seems like a complete totally different factor than the half marathon.
Your bones, ligaments and tendons want time to adapt to longer distances.
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