Long Run Frequency and Scheduling

Audio Transcript

Coach Hayley: Hey Runners Connect fans. Coach Hayley here with you today and welcome to Runners Connect – Run to the Top Extra Kick podcast.

We have a great question from Scott today. Scott asks, “Should you do a long run once a week, or should you do one, once every two weeks?

How should you schedule your long runs around your other training runs? Should it be sandwiched between two easy runs, or can you do a workout the day before, or after, a long run?”

That’s a great question Scott and I’ll answer the first part first.

If your definition of a long run is a run longer than your usual running distance, or longer than the other runs you complete during the week – which is what my definition is – then my answer is yes, you should complete one every week.

Long runs are the corner-stone of any training program; they improve aerobic base, running economy, and can give you a great confidence boost in terms of covering a distance.

However, how to adjust incorporating them is different depending on your ability level and race distance.

For the less experienced runners, a long run will likely be all easy paced, with the main aim of progressing the distance.

In that situation, I’d suggest alternating weeks, in which you increase the distance; the long run.

For example, you’d have one week where you’d progress to a new long run distance, followed by a week in which you return to a long run distance that you’re comfortable with, and have done before.

By progressing to the long run this way, you perfect every training, and recover between the long, long runs, which you’re doing every other week.

Say a beginner runner is starting out with a longest run of five miles, they might have a long run where they try and do six one week, then next week they might drop it back down to four or five, before progressing to seven the week after.

This technique is also used for marathoners, even more experienced ones who are doing very long, long runs of 20 miles or more.

These marathon runners may alternate very long runs of 20 to 22 miles, with a shorter long run of 16 to 18 miles on alternate weeks.

I know a lot of more experienced marathonists who do this, and it allows them to recover in-between the long, long runs, but they still get in a long run every week.

I tend to do that myself as I find that running a very long run, each week leaves me fatigued.

To the second part of your question – how to schedule these long runs around your other training. Again, this may depend on your ability level, and the distance that you’re aiming for.

Early on in a training program, or for less experienced runners, I’d suggest taking at least one easy day before and after the long run.

This is especially important if you’re progressing to new distances. These days should comprise of an easy and short run, or even a rest day.

As runners get more experienced, and more comfortable with the easy-paced runs, especially if they’re aiming for a marathon, we as runners like to include a slightly harder run, a steady state run the day before the long run.

This isn’t done necessarily every week, but it’s a great training tool to include.

It does mean that you’ll be performing in the long run with a little bit of fatigue in the legs, but that’s just what you’ll be experiencing in the latter half of your race on race day.

This steady and long run combination is best done with an easy run the day before, and after it.

You might do an easy one, the next day a steady one, the day after your long run, and then an easy day after that.

However, you do have that hard day before the long run day.

This training technique is best used by runners who are confident of running the distance in the long run, and have some experience with long runs.

Can you do a hard workout the day before a long run?

In the example above, the steady-long run combination, yes you can. How about tempo and interval runs? Again, you can, and it’s something I’ve done in my training.

However, as a beginner runner, I wouldn’t do it; I’d make sure to have that easy day before and after.

If you’re a little more experienced and it’s unavoidable – for example you can only fit a workout and a long run in on consecutive days in your week – then if the long run is so easy pace, I’d say, that’s okay for more experienced runners.

However, you definitely want to take a rest day after that long run.

I’d also avoid doing this if your long run is quality long run. That includes if it’s a fast finish, or it’s a progression-type long run. I’d avoid doing this too, if you’re building up the distance of your long run.

But once you’re comfortable doing a long run every week, and you’re not adding to it, you’re just maintaining the distance of it, and it is an easy pace, you can include a tempo run or an interval run the day before that long run.

That won’t necessarily be an awful thing.

However, do remember that running so far, on very tired legs, carries an injury risk; your form might not be as good as it otherwise would be, and this can make you injury-prone.

I love that question and thanks so much for asking. For those of you listening, that want to have your questions answered by one of the Runners Connect coaches, head over to runnersconnect.net/daily and click the record button to send your question over.

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Have a great day, and be sure to tune in next time.