Get Registry Marathon Training: Preparing For The Long Run - Gatraweb

The vast majority of plans recommend running no more than 20 miles in your longest run, and usually suggest doing so 3-4 weeks before race day.

However, many marathon training plans recommend doing a 20-mile run at least once or twice before the actual marathon. This helps to build endurance and mental toughness for the race. It's important to follow a structured training plan and gradually increase your long run distance to avoid injury and overtraining.

It's fine to do a long distance run the day after a regular training run, but if you've been pushing yourself and are feeling burn-out, then that's a sign that you shouldn't be going for epic runs. I try and schedule my longer runs for the day after a typical training run, or a cross-training day.

Marathon Progression Long Run: 18 Miles Begin at a easy run pace (90-120 seconds slower than goal marathon pace) 3-6 miles: 90 seconds per mile slower than goal marathon pace. 6-9 miles: 60 seconds per mile slower than goal marathon pace. 9-12 miles: 30 seconds slower per mile than goal marathon pace.

The Long Run Your next step is to build up to a weekly long run. This should be done once every 7–10 days, extending the long run by a mile or two each week. Every 3 weeks, scale it back by a few miles so as not to overtax your body and risk injury.

Hydrate and fuel up. Start trying different electrolyte mixes in your hydration vest or handheld water bottles. Plenty of fuel-based products such as caffeinated energy gels or energy blocks and bars can help, too. It's good to see how it affects your body before race day, so experiment during the long runs.

The Long Run For example, you might run 12 miles one weekend, 13 miles the next, then 14 miles, and then 12 again before moving on to 15 on the fifth weekend. Doing these runs at a substantially slower pace than usual builds confidence, lets your body adjust to longer distances, and teaches you to burn fat for fuel.