As race day will get nearer, you’re beginning to fear in case your longest future is lengthy sufficient. Questioning if 10 miles is a future? Do you might want to run greater than 20 miles? How far must you run earlier than a marathon or a half marathon is a vital query. Proper alongside, must you restrict your future to three hours!
As a longtime working coach, I spend quite a lot of time speaking you out of doing MORE than it’s best to. Which could not be what you’d anticipate to listen to, but it surely’s true. Doing extra typically mentally makes us really feel higher, however on the expense of our efficiency.
As we speak we’re going to dive in to the distances you might want to 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 all kinds of things.
Plus we’re going to bust some myths like you’ll be able to’t run over 3 hours!
We’re going to deal with this query for each distances since you’ll see quite a lot of overlap!
How Lengthy Ought to Your Longest Lengthy Run Be?
Nearly all of half marathon coaching plans for newcomers will prime out at 10 miles and for marathon runners 18-20 miles. Does that imply it’s the longest future it’s best to do? Usually, sure.
However let’s break down some extra precise numbers to assist primarily based in your state of affairs.
The explanations that working coaches so typically advocate you observe a plan from begin to end is that all of them construct in direction of peak runs barely otherwise.
I’ve in contrast the prime marathon coaching plans right here.
- You’ll be able to see that whereas the Hanson Technique would possibly advocate solely a 16 mile lengthy, it’s primarily based on excessive mileage and excessive depth the remainder of the week. You run that future at purpose tempo on drained legs.
- In the meantime a Strolling Marathon Coaching Plan could concentrate on an extended stroll day of 4-5 hours reasonably than a selected distance.
- Superior marathon coaching plans will typically comprise 22 and presumably even 24 mile lengthy runs.
Can Your Lengthy Run Be Over 3 Hours?
Sure.
As famous above there are conditions the place you’ll completely must observe being in your ft for longer than three hours. That is an unlucky generally relayed message that isn’t backed in research.
It was initially from Jack Daniels, who is a superb coach, however labored largely with elite degree runners. And what they cowl in 3 hours is vastly completely different from the runner averaging 12-15 min miles.
A giant variety of runners shall be doing 3:30-4 hour lengthy runs, run/walkers and walkers could completely be on the market for 4 to six hours.
That is NOT to say it’s best to power your future to be longer than 3 hours simply because you’ll be able to. Observe the plan that guides you thru what’s greatest on your objectives and your physique. We frequently have again of the pack athletes construct to a 3 hour Saturday and a couple of hour Sunday in peak weeks.
Actually, that is such a giant subject that I wished to offer you extra science and extra information to make your individual knowledgeable alternative!! Run Coach Laura Norris and I chatted about this on our podcast Tread Flippantly.
Ought to You Run 26 Miles Earlier than a Marathon?
No. Arduous cease except you’re a very long time runner who can also be coaching for an ultramarathon or probably an Olympic Qualifier. Although actually whereas elite runners hit enormous 100 mile weeks, they’re not often working 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 recuperate from this future.
That restoration time can affect the standard of your subsequent run and set you up for damage should you don’t do sufficient simple days or take break day.
Ought to You Run 13 Miles Earlier than a Half Marathon?
Now we begin to see slightly little bit of a change within the reply as a result of for knowledgeable 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 could run as much as 16 miles. That is what I’ve accomplished myself prior to now and what works for a lot of athletes working for 1:40 and quicker 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 realizing that on race day you don’t must go as far so you’re feeling extra assured choosing up the tempo.
For a primary time half marathon save that HUGE milestone for race day! Don’t freakout about not having lined the complete distance in coaching.
Once more because of this you observe a good newbie half marathon coaching plan.
- Throughout coaching you’re constructing your complete endurance
- Every week you’re working on barely fatigued legs from the space and any pace 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 completely recuperate
- Race day sees your muscle mass full of glycogen and in peak form to carry out.
- Plus you get the added bonus of race day adrenaline which can carry you a lot farther than you understand!
This graph is a superb visible of how restoration lets you slingshot previous your present degree of health when used accurately.
How Far Do You Have to Run Earlier than a Marathon?
Let’s break this down slightly bit extra that will help you perceive what the longest run of your coaching ought to seem like.
This isn’t a precise science and it’s why 1:1 teaching exists, however listed below are some pointers that will help you out. For a primary marathon or half marathon the bounds are decrease as a result of the muscle mass, bones, tendons and ligaments want extra time than your cardiovascular system to adapt to the calls for.
We would like you damage free!!
Listed below are the elements we need to soak up to consideration:
Expertise Stage
How lengthy have you ever be working? Is that this your first marathon? In that case we need to err on the facet of a extra conservative future 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 truly imply that you simply’ve been working for years with out damage and you know the way your physique responds to lengthy runs.
- First half marathon: 2 to three hours or 10 miles
- First marathon: 3 hours or 20 miles
- Doing extra is prone to result in damage and stop you from hitting the beginning line
- Runners with a excessive degree of athletic expertise could possibly do extra, however we not often have them do extra as a result of danger is bigger than the reward
- Do not forget that endurance occasions construct on one another, so every coaching cycle you get stronger to do extra and run quicker (if that’s your purpose)
Your Tempo
As a substitute of specializing in the mileage for a future, most runners ought to be contemplating complete time on ft. Actually, it’s why lots of the lengthy runs I prescribe have a run interval adopted by just a few miles of strolling.
Whole time on ft issues.
Coach Greg McMillian makes use of the next system for runners underneath a 5:00 marathon:
Most future = (Marathon time – half-hour) as much as (marathon time + quarter-hour)
In different phrases in case your marathon purpose time is 4:00 you then would possibly do a future 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 truly takes tempo in to account.
Merely saying 20 miles ought to be your future won’t be correct if it takes you 5 hours. We’d nonetheless cap your time on ft at 4:30 typically and fewer in others primarily based on further elements.
- Sure, you can do a 4 hour future.
- No, we nearly by no means prescribe this.
- Athletes who shall be out for six:30, we regularly nonetheless like the strategy above that treats you extra like an extremely runner doing again to again future days
- 4 hour to 4:30 marathon runners could embrace a number of 20 mile lengthy runs of their coaching plan
- Quicker runners (sub 3:30) will do extra lengthy runs within the 22-24 mile vary, assuming it’s not their first
- As runners get extra skilled, lengthy runs will begin to embrace extra pace work and the distances enhance
Damage or Sickness Historical past
Some runners merely are likely to get injured extra simply. May very well be on account of genetics, working gait, lack of energy coaching or the basic coaching errors: an excessive amount of, too quickly, too quick.
Both method in case you have discovered your self plagued prior to now with getting injured or sick throughout marathon coaching it pays to be extra conservative with the long term.
On this case, you could discover a larger profit from doing a future that maxes out at 16 miles after which doing 8-10 miles the day after. That is much like what number of extremely runners prepare. It reduces the stress of the complete future and forces you to observe doing an honest run on drained legs the next day.
Do not forget that each coaching cycle and run shall be completely different. Which implies you could want to regulate the period of your future on account of life, working within the warmth and humidity or a shift in objectives.
Don’t anticipate 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 exhausting and 1/3 ought to be simple. It’s a reminder that it adjustments and studying to embrace the exhausting helps on race day.
When Ought to You Do Your Longest Marathon Run?
After months of slowly increase your mileage, the largest future for the marathon or half marathon ought to be TWO weeks from race day.
Old-fashioned coaching plans used 3 weeks, however almost each working coach I do know now agrees with the expertise I’ve seen in our athletes of a two week taper.
Meaning two weekends earlier than your race you’ll do your huge run on Saturday or Sunday after which start to taper. The week earlier than your race your future will most likely be 8-10 miles for the marathon and 6-8 for the half marathon.
How Many 20 Milers Ought to I Run?
Now that we’ve satisfied you 20 miles is a lot for the long term, the query turns to how typically must you run them.
First time marathon runners will possible 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 just to construct your capability for working lengthy, nothing extra.
Skilled runners who’re aiming for a Boston Qualifying timewill possible have a few 20 mile lengthy runs, plus 18 mile runs that embrace purpose marathon tempo miles.
What’s the Shortest Lengthy Run To Run A Marathon?
As a coach I at all times hate this query as a result of it’s often 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’d say at least 16 milesassuming you haven’t been following the Hanson Technique.
Working a half marathon would possibly make you’re feeling just like the marathon is totally doable and so that you choose one out in just some months. I really like the keenness, however belief me when you hit 18 miles it appears like an entire completely different factor than the half marathon.
New research present that growing your future greater than 1.1x your present future will increase damage danger by 30%. Which makes me terrified for folk leaping from 16 to 26.2.
