Time Vs Distance?
travelerscode
Posts: 24 Member
Who trains running time and who dies distance? For me, because I do so much of my training by heart rate rather than pace, time us the determining factor. For instance, today I'm supposed to run for 2 hours IN zone 2. But I also do distance. Thursday I'm doing 4M at my LT pace. Who prefers what method and why?
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When I'm getting ready for a specific race, I will train by distance. Between races, I just run for a certain amount of time. I like mixing the two, it keeps things interesting.0
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Distance.
Currently training for a half. I mainly do lots of easy miles, with a bit of lifting and cross training as well, and the odd speed work session.
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I mostly prefer time. Partially because your body doesn't really care how far you go, but it does know how long it spent exercising. One person's 5 mi run can be a lot different than another's, and time is a way to make your exercise independent of pace. But it's also partially because I'm old and I started running before wearable GPS was available, and knowing distance meant measuring your route with your car's odometer, measuring it off of a map, or doing endless laps around a track. Using a cheap sports watch was easier and you weren't locked in to a specific route. I just got used to training plans based on time. Old habit, I guess.
If you are training for a specific event, then training by distance becomes more important. I'll do more running for distance in that case.1 -
Not a runner, but I cycle. If I'm training for an event, I train by distance. In regards to general fitness riding, it's mostly by time because I'm not concerned with having to be able to ride X number of miles.0
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I train in a percent of lactic threshold or up to lactic threshold on my interval days. all sessions is time based.
So in Garmin world it will look like this: (melkesyreterskel means lactic threshold in norwegian)
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Distance.0
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As Janejellyroll - by time normally, include some longer distance when getting closer to an event.
I only have so much time to squeeze a run in so that's why it's by time for me. Have to do some estimating on distance and route to get it close, usually a tad under since I don't like to rush and miss stretching/cooldown afterwards.
Intervals - track or hill sprints - is by time too, never got into the distance based ones. I'll just figure that out later by the Garmin info.0 -
travelerscode wrote: »Who trains running time and who dies distance? For me, because I do so much of my training by heart rate rather than pace, time us the determining factor. For instance, today I'm supposed to run for 2 hours IN zone 2. But I also do distance. Thursday I'm doing 4M at my LT pace. Who prefers what method and why?
What workout has you slogging for 2 hours? Marathon training? If training for a specific distance, it's best to train by distance.0 -
I use distance mostly, but If I am doing run/walk intervals where I am only running for 30 or 60 seconds, I use time. But even when I do that, I still do the intervals over a certain distance total.0
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I also train by distance.0
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travelerscode wrote: »Who trains running time and who dies distance? For me, because I do so much of my training by heart rate rather than pace, time us the determining factor. For instance, today I'm supposed to run for 2 hours IN zone 2. But I also do distance. Thursday I'm doing 4M at my LT pace. Who prefers what method and why?
What workout has you slogging for 2 hours? Marathon training? If training for a specific distance, it's best to train by distance.
The long SLOW run is the single most important workout for a runner, and will benefit you the most. All my long runs is between 1, 45 hours up to 2,30 hours, and my next race is "only" 10K1 -
travelerscode wrote: »Who trains running time and who dies distance? For me, because I do so much of my training by heart rate rather than pace, time us the determining factor. For instance, today I'm supposed to run for 2 hours IN zone 2. But I also do distance. Thursday I'm doing 4M at my LT pace. Who prefers what method and why?
What workout has you slogging for 2 hours? Marathon training? If training for a specific distance, it's best to train by distance.
The long SLOW run is the single most important workout for a runner, and will benefit you the most. All my long runs is between 1, 45 hours up to 2,30 hours, and my next race is "only" 10K
I understand the concept of long slow distance. No professionally designed training plan would have you run 2+ hours to train for a 10k.
If that training regime isn't a holdover from training for a much longer distance, you're either overtraining for that 10k or are training really inefficiently. It's not a big deal as long as you enjoy it and aren't incurring any stress injuries but note that it is possible to train at too slow a pace to really improve your conditioning.
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travelerscode wrote: »Who trains running time and who dies distance? For me, because I do so much of my training by heart rate rather than pace, time us the determining factor. For instance, today I'm supposed to run for 2 hours IN zone 2. But I also do distance. Thursday I'm doing 4M at my LT pace. Who prefers what method and why?
What workout has you slogging for 2 hours? Marathon training? If training for a specific distance, it's best to train by distance.
The long SLOW run is the single most important workout for a runner, and will benefit you the most. All my long runs is between 1, 45 hours up to 2,30 hours, and my next race is "only" 10K
I understand the concept of long slow distance. No professionally designed training plan would have you run 2+ hours to train for a 10k.
If that training regime isn't a holdover from training for a much longer distance, you're either overtraining for that 10k or are training really inefficiently. It's not a big deal as long as you enjoy it and aren't incurring any stress injuries but note that it is possible to train at too slow a pace to really improve your conditioning.
Yeah? My PT happens to be someone that set 6 world records on track (5K, 10K), have several gold medals, won NY marathon, Boston marathon, Chicago marathon and London Marathon to name a few.
Her personal best on that distance was 2h, 21min
When she made my current program, she failed to mention the program was really inefficient though.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »Not a runner, but I cycle. If I'm training for an event, I train by distance. In regards to general fitness riding, it's mostly by time because I'm not concerned with having to be able to ride X number of miles.
Same. But then distance doesn't mean very much on a bike. A mile into a headwind is a different beast than a mile with a tail wind, and the difference between two tires is like flat vs uphill.0 -
travelerscode wrote: »Who trains running time and who dies distance? For me, because I do so much of my training by heart rate rather than pace, time us the determining factor. For instance, today I'm supposed to run for 2 hours IN zone 2. But I also do distance. Thursday I'm doing 4M at my LT pace. Who prefers what method and why?
What workout has you slogging for 2 hours? Marathon training? If training for a specific distance, it's best to train by distance.
Dude my goal is to build up for an ultra. So yeah I'm gonna be going for a looooong time. I'll be logging some 6-8 hour runs later this year if I keep good on injuries.1 -
travelerscode wrote: »Who trains running time and who dies distance? For me, because I do so much of my training by heart rate rather than pace, time us the determining factor. For instance, today I'm supposed to run for 2 hours IN zone 2. But I also do distance. Thursday I'm doing 4M at my LT pace. Who prefers what method and why?
What workout has you slogging for 2 hours? Marathon training? If training for a specific distance, it's best to train by distance.
The long SLOW run is the single most important workout for a runner, and will benefit you the most. All my long runs is between 1, 45 hours up to 2,30 hours, and my next race is "only" 10K
I understand the concept of long slow distance. No professionally designed training plan would have you run 2+ hours to train for a 10k.
If that training regime isn't a holdover from training for a much longer distance, you're either overtraining for that 10k or are training really inefficiently. It's not a big deal as long as you enjoy it and aren't incurring any stress injuries but note that it is possible to train at too slow a pace to really improve your conditioning.
Yeah? My PT happens to be someone that set 6 world records on track (5K, 10K), have several gold medals, won NY marathon, Boston marathon, Chicago marathon and London Marathon to name a few.
Her personal best on that distance was 2h, 21min
When she made my current program, she failed to mention the program was really inefficient though.
If your goal is to specifically run a 10k and not to ultimately progress to longer distances or to run a world class time at 10k, you do not need regular 2+ hour long runs. If, on the other hand, you are training to build up to a half, full, or longer or will be seriously competing at the 10k distance then 2+ hour long runs as a regular thing is totally normal.
Sounds like your PT is Paula Radcliffe based on a quick Google search. As a recreational runner, it is absolutely not necessary to train like Paula Radcliffe. If you do have aspirations of running professionally/competitively, then you are an outlier on this board and should already understand that your training regime will be enormously different than what most of us would ever need to go through.
So I will clarify but stand by my original statement...if your goal is just to run a recreational 10k, it is not necessary to have regular 2+ hour long runs in your schedule. It is either massive overkill or terribly inefficient.2 -
Let the flame war begin0
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travelerscode wrote: »Who trains running time and who tries distance? For me, because I do so much of my training by heart rate rather than pace, time is the determining factor. For instance, today I'm supposed to run for 2 hours IN zone 2. But I also do distance. Thursday I'm doing 4M at my LT pace. Who prefers what method and why?
I prefer duration along trails and off-road trails with variating inclines in Zone 8/9. I only trail-run for an hour, sometimes for an hour and half (warm-up/warm-down), before I'll work on power-building, sprint and ball handling drills.
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Distance0
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I prefer distance. I used to do time, except for my weekend long runs, and then discovered that I found it more personally satisfying to hit a specific distance -- especially if I'm training for a specific course/race -- and to be doing that distance over a shorter timeframe, than it was to be all "Oh, I'll run for 45 minutes, oK, cool."0
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Distance, just because it's easier to plan. Even when the plan calls for a certain time, I calculate about how far I'd go and pick a route accordingly.
Used to do time in the very beginning (pre-first 5k) when I wanted to be running/walking for about 40 minutes. Then I'd go as an out and back, 20 minutes in one direction, and then I'd have no choice but leg it somehow all the way home.4 -
Definitely distance for me since I aim to hit a certain amount of miles per week.
How I get there depends on the day, how I feel and the other workouts I'm doing for that day.
Some days I do intervals, other days I go at a brisk, steady pace or I go slower on my active rest days.
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I usually do distance. I like to finish on the mile, so if I have say, 30 minutes, I would rather do 3 miles even than 3.37 or whatever.1
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Distance, as roughly determined by time. I plot a course for the approximate time I want to run considering the pace I anticipate and do it. If you run by time only, how do you get yourself back home? I mean if the time is over and you're still a mile, or so, from your home, car or other convenient place to stop?1
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travelerscode wrote: »Who trains running time and who dies distance? For me, because I do so much of my training by heart rate rather than pace, time us the determining factor. For instance, today I'm supposed to run for 2 hours IN zone 2. But I also do distance. Thursday I'm doing 4M at my LT pace. Who prefers what method and why?
It really depends on the run.
My long run is by distance, as is my recovery run and my hill run.
I do an 30min interval run once a week at the mo (I Jeff anything over 10k, because I am more consistent that way) and I'm currently trying to transition from long run to race pace.
And I do a 30min sprint/speedwork session with my pt once a week.
The other 2 days I just run 1-2 miles either to the gym or to bootcamp neither to time or distance just to get me there and warm up0 -
Both sort of. This time of year, I have a running window between 4:30 and 6pm while my son is at soccer practice, so that's when I get my mid-week shorter runs done. My weekends I do a long run, which are based on distance.1
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If you run by time only, how do you get yourself back home? I mean if the time is over and you're still a mile, or so, from your home, car or other convenient place to stop?
Since I commented on doing it by time, we have option besides the out & back method.
Mid-west here - main mile and half mile streets that usually cut through.
So by time does require a rough estimate of distance expected to go, but it does allow an out and back to be almost totally different route, and yes the desired time may float by 5 min.2 -
since you mentioned ultras, i was talking to a friend/cc coach and i mentioned i have limited time for training. and he said make the time count. try not to have a lot of garbage miles.
so while i have long slow runs, i also do a lot of fartleks, speedwork, trails, etc during the rest of my runs.
sometimes, i'll do 2 long runs in a weekend, one easy, one fartlek.0 -
If you run by time only, how do you get yourself back home? I mean if the time is over and you're still a mile, or so, from your home, car or other convenient place to stop?
Since I commented on doing it by time, we have option besides the out & back method.
Mid-west here - main mile and half mile streets that usually cut through.
So by time does require a rough estimate of distance expected to go, but it does allow an out and back to be almost totally different route, and yes the desired time may float by 5 min.
So, outside you run by distance estimating the time you want to run in choosing your course. The distance you cover is exact, you go from here to there and back or you run a loop of an exact distance. The time it takes you varies.
i.e. You want to run an hour at a 10 minute mile pace. You plan a course of about 6 miles. That course is actually 6.5 miles. You don't stop running at one hour you do the extra 5 minutes. Are you running by time or distance?0
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