Introduction
The long run is an important part of the competitive runner's training plan,
and although the length of one's long run will vary according to the length
of a target race all runners should make long runs an important part of
their training regiment. Arthur Lydiard had Peter Snell, an 800 and 1500
meter Olympic gold metal winner, run hilly 22 mile runs. OK, so you're
not an elite runner and not ready to run 22 hilly miles just so you can set
a new 5K PR, but you can still benefit from long runs.
This article is not about if or when or how long you should make your long
runs. It is about how fast or slow should you run during your long runs?
To answer that question we first need to look at what benefits you should
expect to gain from your long run.
Here are the benefits long runs bestow upon us:
- Cardiovascular Adaption
Well this generally happens with all training. By running more
we strengthen our heart and improve its ability to pump oxygen
rich blood to our eager muscles.
- Adaption of fast-twitch fibers
As Pete Pfitzinger points out in both Advanced Marathoning and Road Racing for Serious Runners, general endurance training can
help fast-twitch fibers, especially Type IIa, fast-twitch fibers,
to act more like slow-twitch fibers. Tim Noakes, in
Lore of Running
states "There is also a recruitment sequence during prolonged exercise,
with Type I [slow-twitch] fibers being activated first. One theory is
that as Type I fibers become progressively energy-depleted, the Type IIa
fibers become active, followed finally by the Type IIb fibers."
- Increased Size and Quantity of Mitochondria
If you are a runner competing in longer distance races where aerobic
energy production is important, then building Mitochondria is critical.
Pfitzinger states that "Mitochondria are the only part of your muscle
fibers in which energy can be produced aerobically." Numerous authors
refer to Mitochondria as powerhouses. Simply stated, the more Mitochondria,
the more energy provided to your muscles.
- Increased number of capillaries and capillary density
Your capillaries carry oxygen rich blood to your working muscles,
so this is another case where more is better: more capillaries equals
more oxygen, which means you can run faster and longer aerobically.
- Increased Glycogen Storage
Although there are other sources of fuel and even other sources of
glycogen, muscle glycogen is your body's primary source of fuel during
exercise. With low muscle glycogen stores your body will quickly need
to turn to fat, which is a less efficient fuel, and will therefore slow
down. This is especially true for marathoners who wish to avoid hitting
the wall. Long runs teach your muscles to store more glycogen.
- Increased use of fat as a fuel source
If you are planning on running a marathon or longer race, your glycogen
stores may not be sufficient. Consequently, although fat is a less efficient
source of fuel, the more your muscles can use it early on in a race, the less
likely they are to become depleted of muscle glycogen. Noakes, however, presents
some evidence that training doesn't improve fat metabolism in men but does in women.
- Experience with long runs and glycogen depletion
There is something to be said for gaining experience. The more you run long
and to depletion, the more confidence you will have that you can handle the
discomfort of a marathon.
Although all training does provide these benefits, your long run will ensure that your
aerobic engine is properly trained.
So after that rambling intro, how fast or slow should you run your long runs.
The response you get depends on who you consult.
Jack Daniels
Jack Daniels, in Daniels' Running Formula,
states that long runs are "still considered
an easy day in terms of intensity." They should be "free from trouble or pain" and
run at the same pace as recovery runs, or at a conversational pace. Daniels points out
that long runs are all about spending time on your feet and that you don't need to run
fast to benefit.
But runners who follow one of Coach Daniels plans are working hard, they are just not
working hard on their long runs. Interspersed with his scheduled long runs are tempo
runs and marathon paced runs, so the long runs can be run at an easy pace because the
faster paced runs are scheduled elsewhere. Interestingly, Daniels' programs designed
for more advanced and experienced runners tend to have fewer long runs scheduled and
more tempo and marathon paced runs. Well, advanced runners are running more total
miles each week and those big overall miles provide the benefits mentioned above,
decreasing the reliance on the long run.
Generally, Daniels suggests that long runs be paced so that your HR is between 65% and
79% of your max HR, which puts me at a HR of between 120 and 146.
Pete Pfitzinger
Pete Pfitzinger, the venerable author of Advanced Marathoning
suggests pacing your long runs so you heart rate is between 73% and 83% of your maximal
heart rate or between 65% and 78% of your heart rate reserve. For me that means a heart
rate of between 137 and 155. This range is substantially faster than the range proposed by
Daniels. How can two of the most prominent coaches and authors be so far apart when
prescribing long run pace.
Well, there is a method to their madness, and it all has to do with their approach to
the long run. While Daniels generally prescribes long runs every third week, Pfitzinger
schedules them almost every week. I say "almost", because Pfitzinger does replace a
couple long runs with marathon pace runs in his program. If you're going to have a long
run scheduled every weekend, then you better run them faster than if you only ran them
every third week. It is also worth noting that the weekend quality runs Daniels schedules
between the long runs are not short runs, at least not in his marathon training plans.
The important quality workout on weekends between the long runs in a Daniels marathon
program are still long workouts, sometimes over 20 miles depending on the program, and
they are packed with tempo and marathon paced miles, making them quite exhausting.
But back to Pfitzinger. In addition to giving a heart rate range, he also provides
his readers with a pacing suggestion: he suggests that you run your long run at 10% and
20% slower than your goal marathon pace. Start at the slower end of that range and workup
to the faster end.
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