Long run % of volume
AsellusReborn
Posts: 1,112 Member
Okay, this has been on my mind a lot lately. I am in week 4 of training for my first marathon, using the hal higdon nov2. His plans are recommended pretty widely, but his long run % of total weekly volume definitely doesn't match the recommendations I've seen here in this group.
That discrepancy actually had me hesitant to use his plan initially, but after a lot of thought and talking to a lot of friends who have been running a whole lot longer than I have, I went ahead and committed to the plan.
So...what is the theory behind long run being a quarter to a third to a quarter of MPW? Why are the Higdon plans so popular when they flout this pretty substantially? I guess since I've already run today my brain is stuck on this question haha.
That discrepancy actually had me hesitant to use his plan initially, but after a lot of thought and talking to a lot of friends who have been running a whole lot longer than I have, I went ahead and committed to the plan.
So...what is the theory behind long run being a quarter to a third to a quarter of MPW? Why are the Higdon plans so popular when they flout this pretty substantially? I guess since I've already run today my brain is stuck on this question haha.
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I've been wondering this too.
Also the weekly mileage for the Hal Higdon plans (I'm also using Novice 2) seems to be a lot lower than I see recommended on this forum.0 -
My long runs are usually almost half of my weekly mileage. To have it be a quarter or third, I'd have to run 5-15 more miles per week, and my schedule and my body just can't do that (I don't think many novices can). I'm using a Hal Higdon plan as well, with some modifications here and there. I'm not sure why 1/4 or 1/3 is the magic number, but I'm definitely not doing it and my training has been going just fine
I want to hear other people's opinions, maybe from some others who have experience with much higher mileage!0 -
I usually run anywhere from 40-75 miles per week any given week.
When training for a marathon: I run 60-75 long runs usually 16-22.. So no more than 30%
When maintaining/off season: I run 40-55 long runs usually 9-12.. So 15-22%..0 -
I'm trying something new this time: I will run higher mileage, but I won't do long runs over 16 miles.
I really think that those 20 milers on 55 MPW was screwing with me more than anything. I needed a day off before to be able to do it, and a day off after to recover. Ridiculous. I'm hoping that by running shorter long runs I'll be able to maintain a higher volume as I should need less rest and I should be able to actually run 6 days a week.
I know that I can run 26.2 miles; I don't need to run that distance (or close to it) other than in an actual race.0 -
My long runs are usually almost half of my weekly mileage. To have it be a quarter or third, I'd have to run 5-15 more miles per week, and my schedule and my body just can't do that (I don't think many novices can). I'm using a Hal Higdon plan as well, with some modifications here and there. I'm not sure why 1/4 or 1/3 is the magic number, but I'm definitely not doing it and my training has been going just fine
I want to hear other people's opinions, maybe from some others who have experience with much higher mileage!
I did a Hal Higdon for my first, and even now - 4 marathons & 2 50K's later, my long runs are still more than 30% and I haven't had any trouble (yet). It's just hard for me to get more mileage than that in during the work week... I'm also doing a lot this year (at least 1 marathon a month) and don't want to get burnt out trying too hard to hit a certain weekly mileage. I just run what works for me during the week (usually 3-4 times, anywhere from 4-8 miles), and then 1 long run on the weekend (which if I'm not racing, is usually an 18-20 every other week, with a 10-12 for the between weeks).
I'm really only logging in between 30-45 mpw depending, even though I'm running at least 1 marathon a month.
I think it's all about finding what works for you!0 -
I think that Hal feels (as do many others) that you need to build up your long run to a certain point in order to run a marathon. So he's trying to do that, but he's also trying to balance it out for beginners and novices by keeping the overall mileage down.
You commonly hear that you should do at least one long run of 20 miles when preparing for a marathon. You'd have to be running 66-100 miles a week for that to be 20-30% of your weekly mileage. If you're not running that mileage already, some exceptions to the "rule" need to be made. The lower your weekly mileage is, the more you're going to have to make exceptions in order to fit the requisite long runs into your program.0 -
I think that Hal feels (as do many others) that you need to build up your long run to a certain point in order to run a marathon. So he's trying to do that, but he's also trying to balance it out for beginners and novices by keeping the overall mileage down.
You commonly hear that you should do at least one long run of 20 miles when preparing for a marathon. You'd have to be running 66-100 miles a week for that to be 20-30% of your weekly mileage. If you're not running that mileage already, some exceptions to the "rule" need to be made. The lower your weekly mileage is, the more you're going to have to make exceptions in order to fit the requisite long runs into your program.
That makes total sense. So the percentage is a good goal to work towards then? I feel better about the plan now.0 -
I find if I stick to my plan of getting a middle distance run in ("steady state run" as Mcmillan usually denotes them), then I have no problems with the percentages and my long run. There is usually one week were the long run is more...but usually that middle distance effort really bumps me up past 60 mpw when the LSD is 20+ and still lets me get two full rest days a week in. This time around I want to experiment with some doubles here and there.0
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Are y'all counting the warmup/cooldown mileage in the Higdon plans? The speed/pace work days are typically 2-3 per week, and if you count a 2mi WU and 2mi CD, you got an extra 8-12MPW right there.0
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Are y'all counting the warmup/cooldown mileage in the Higdon plans? The speed/pace work days are typically 2-3 per week, and if you count a 2mi WU and 2mi CD, you got an extra 8-12MPW right there.
same with mcmillan -- you have the fartlek days that might say something like 12-16 x 1 min on , 1 min off but there is suppose to be 2 miles warm up and cool down; that really ramps up mileage. I couldn't figure out why my husband was only doing 40 mpw on the same plan I was doing 50+...0 -
There is only one pace run in the novice 2 plan, and it is not every week. That said that didn't occur to me, I always run my first mile slowly and then the rest of the mileage is at pace. I guess I should add an extra mile on pace days!0
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I think that Hal feels (as do many others) that you need to build up your long run to a certain point in order to run a marathon. So he's trying to do that, but he's also trying to balance it out for beginners and novices by keeping the overall mileage down.
You commonly hear that you should do at least one long run of 20 miles when preparing for a marathon. You'd have to be running 66-100 miles a week for that to be 20-30% of your weekly mileage. If you're not running that mileage already, some exceptions to the "rule" need to be made. The lower your weekly mileage is, the more you're going to have to make exceptions in order to fit the requisite long runs into your program.
This sums it up nicely right here.
The 25% to 33% goal is a good one to work toward. I think when you get to that range, that's when you are starting to think about actual performance in the marathon, racing it, not just getting through it. At 33% with a 20 mile LSD, you are looking at 60 miles a week. That's most definitely not a novice plan, so you are getting into the intermediate range.0 -
That makes total sense. As a relatively new runner (about 2 years now) it is sometimes hard to sort through what applies to novices and what to veterans and what to both! I appreciate the clarification, thank you.0
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Thank you so much for asking this! This exact question has been bugging me for a long time and you phrased it much more eloquently than I could. It's also nice to know that some runners' long runs ARE actually more than 20-30% MPW.0
