Your longest marathon training run: How far should it be?
How long should your longest marathon training run be?
It would be lovely and neat if there was a definitive answer to this question. Perhaps even an equation or formula – your number of miles averaged per week, divided by pasta consumption, times by race goal time in minutes, perhaps. Alas, as so often in life, the answer is 'it depends'. What there are, however, are some pretty good rules of thumb – and a lot of very firm don’ts.
Perhaps the most important rule is: don’t do more than you can recover from. As Tom Craggs, England national team coach, says, 'While it’s important to have banked some good time on feet in your longest long runs, if you go too long you’ll struggle to recover, and start your marathon already tired. Nothing magical happens at 20 miles in a training run.'
For most people, around 3 hours 10 mins to 3 hours 20 minutes is as long as you should be out for, for your longest run. 'Any more than that and you risk not recovering in time,' says Craggs. 'If that does get you to 20 miles, great, but many runners ruin good marathons by trying to get to 22-24 miles in training and seeing the wheels come off at mile 18 in the marathon itself.'
So always limit yourself by time not distance – and remember to moderate effort within that, too.
But how will I know I can complete the distance?
Another golden rule of long runs in marathon training is this: just because you can do something, it doesn't mean you should do it. It’s completely natural to feel nervous about getting to that finish line. It’s a long way. But doing it on race day is, after all, the main point of the challenge. Proving to yourself in training that you can run 26.2 miles by doing just that – or nearly that – is not only unnecessary but actively counter-productive. If you do it slower than race pace, you’ll be running far longer than you will on race day, which is therefore a huge effort that you may not recover from. And if you do it around the same pace, then you’ve essentially just raced your marathon already… without the medal, but with the same huge effort that requires more recovery than you'll have time for before race day. Don't leave your hardest efforts in training: that's what race day is for.
Should all my long runs be at easy pace?
Many of them should be, yes. And what easy pace feels like will vary considerably according to terrain, how tired you are, weather and more. But while easy running is important, adding some blocks into your long runs at your goal marathon pace is also a good idea, says Craggs: 'It adds a great mental and physical stimulus.'
And after all, it’s a good idea to know what race pace 'feels like' to you. 'So a peak long run might be something from 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes, including four sets of 20 minutes at your goal marathon pace, with a five-minute steady recovery in between,' suggests Craggs. Just make sure all the other miles are easy, as this is a tough session.
Even within that session, do not focus too hard or worry too much about hitting the exact marathon pace splits you'd like. What 'feels' like marathon pace will also vary – again according to terrain and the freshness (or not) of your legs. Come race day, you are highly unlikely to run precisely even mile splits, so it's important to learn not to focus too much on every single individual km or mile, and think more about the average or overall pace on race day.
What is my race day pace, then?
You might already have a goal marathon time, but even if you don't, it's not a bad idea to have a rough idea of what pace to at least set off at. That way you'll avoid going out too hard and blowing up.
If you have no idea what to aim for, there are a range of ways to guide you on your marathon pace. One very rough rule of thumb is to times your 10K PB by 5, and take away 10 minutes (so if your 10k PB is 45 minutes, then you are looking at 215 minutes or 3 hours 35 minutes). Or you could double your half marathon time then add 10-20 minutes (or about 105-108% of your half marathon time). Of course that also depends on the PBs or half marathon time being relatively recent – if your half marathon PB was set 30 years ago, do not go out at 105% of that pace... These formulas or rough guides also assume that you have not been injured or missed big chunks of training, in which case you will probably need to reassess your goals.
What else should I be thinking about on my final long training runs?
'Fuelling on the run is a really good way to ensure you get to the final 10km of the marathon strong and ready to hold your pace. It takes time, though, and the next few weeks are when you need to practise your race-day fuelling strategy,' says Craggs.
'Feeling psychologically primed and ready is a key weapon on race day and you should think about working on this too over the next few weeks. Race day should feel familiar; this will allow you to stay calm and focused'.
Gels are the most commonly used and very effective way to get energy into your body quickly while running. Just don't try and 'down' them in one go. Sip the gel gradually over the course of a few minutes, which will stop you feeling out of breath from having swallowed it all quickly, and potentially also help your stomach cope. As a rough guide, target one gel after 45 minutes, and then one every 30 minutes or so, but always stick to what works for you and you've tried and tested. If gels don't work for you, try other options, just make sure you do that on long runs.
It's also a good idea to practice your whole race-day routine on one or two of your key runs. So time it to the same start time as your marathon, wear your race day kit, have the same breakfast you'll have on race day.
'Try out a few different positive self-talk techniques – these could be focused on relaxation ('breathe and relax your shoulders'), giving yourself instructions ('keep your leg speed up and snappy'), getting motivated ('I’ll dedicate this mile to XX person'), or getting focused ('pull in that vest in front!'), advises Craggs.
What else should I be doing in the month before a marathon?
'The basics,' says Craggs. 'This is what I call the little things that glue your training together. Routine stretching, core work, snacking healthily and getting into a good bedtime routine is crucial this month,' Sleep is particularly important to help you recover from the longest runs and peak mileage weeks in time for race day.
At some point in the last month, sit down with a piece of paper and write down a list. 'Write down your own top five personal recovery commitments,' suggests Craggs. 'Five things that you will do each week to look after your body and keep recovering well. It could be a yoga class, refuelling quickly after your runs, or turning your phone off an hour before bed.' Then keep a note and check at the end of the week if you've ticked the boxes – and try to adjust any imbalances.
But everyone else is running more than me?
If you spent March and April looking at Strava or social media, it can seem like everyone is doing more miles and longer runs than you. Runners: stop it. This will not help you. Everyone is different, with different recovery needs, different physiology, different goals and different schedules in which to train and recover. Stick to YOUR plan.
Look back over your training diary over the last few months and remind yourselves of the key positives. Perhaps you nailed a half marathon PB along the way, or are just proud of how you got out of bed on those miserable January and February weekends and toughed out the long runs. If you feel like you've 'missed' training, then relax. It is always better to be 10% undertrained than 1% over trained on race day. Whatever you do, do not panic and try to add in runs you skipped or couldn't do.
Before race day, write down three key things you are really proud of, and remember them during your race when you have a bad patch – everyone does. But thinking of these positive things can help lift you out of your negative thoughts and remember what got you here in the first place, fit and ready to smash that 26.2 miles. Good luck.
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