Long runs for slow first-time marathon runners

19 watchers

Maz Heeps Jan 2015 2:26pm, 20 Jan 2015 7,181 posts	0 Maz Heeps I shall be following this one too..... A coz i love barbara, and B coz i am in for LNM 2015
Mungo Shuntbox Jan 2015 5:30pm, 20 Jan 2015 9 posts	0 Mungo Shuntbox Gromit - much appreciated, I'll give it a wiggle.
Hippity Jan 2015 5:57pm, 20 Jan 2015 3 posts	0 Hippity Also following this with interest. I am training for London 2015 and unlike Mungo, am a complete marathon noob. I am (mainly) following a Hal Higdon plan and would like my longest run to be 22 miles as the jump from 20 to 26 scares me a bit. So far everything is going to plan. This week's long run is a shorter one of 9 miles and the following is 14, which will be the furthest I've run. An educated guess at my finishing time is somewhere between 4 and 4:20, probably closer to the latter. I'd love to do sub 4 but I think that's aiming too high for my first time! Good luck to everyone else training, and on that note I'm off out for a run
Mandymoo Jan 2015 6:10pm, 20 Jan 2015 1,324 posts	0 Mandymoo Am doing London and always aim for 2 x 20 milers' 2x 18 and 2 x 16 if I can. Always always always run using the gels and drinks they give out on the day and always try out breakfast on long runs and the kit I will be wearing. Good luck everyone
Surelynot Jan 2015 6:10pm, 20 Jan 2015 425 posts	0 Surelynot Welcome Mungo and Hippoity and good luck with the training. I've only gone the marathon distance twice but did 22 as the longest on both occassions before tapering back. The key for me was taking ot slowly. Foirs time round I stuck to the recommended pace on my LSR's and finished a shade under 4.30. Second time round I ran the LSRs a bit too fast I think. Although I marginally improved my time, I didn;t do as well as I hoped. So nice and easy is my advise.
FenlandRunner Jan 2015 6:15pm, 20 Jan 2015 4,024 posts	0 FenlandRunner I think the secret to the lsr is the run being sufficiently challenging that you feel like you had to work BUT it doesn't ruin the next weeks training.
Tim of MK Jan 2015 6:53pm, 20 Jan 2015 2,027 posts	0 Tim of MK Before several of my past marathons (none of which turned out great), I've slavishly followed training schedules built around a number of short midweek runs and the weekend "long run". I dreaded these outings, which I found dispiritingly slow and a total drudge. Both mentally and physically, they left me drained, drained, drained - wrecking many a Sunday afternoon/evening. Well, not this time around. I'm trying something totally different. That is three or four midweek runs of 6 to 8 miles each, all at considerably faster than planned race-day pace. Then, a weekend longer run of no more than 15 miles or so maximum (10 miles only in Week 1), again at nearer or faster than race-pace. Time will tell.
Tim of MK Feb 2015 7:56am, 13 Feb 2015 2,028 posts	0 Tim of MK So, now well into Week 5 of 6. Have carried on with doing each and every training run much faster than planned full-marathon race-day pace. So far, so good. Longer run now up to half-marathon distance (13.1 miles) and fine. With regards to the longer run, I've still no intention of going beyond 16 or 17 miles. I'd rather do this kinda distance at a goodly pace than the 'comfort blanked' 20-mile slow effort so beloved of many.
Tim of MK Feb 2015 7:57am, 13 Feb 2015 2,029 posts	0 Tim of MK Oops! Week 5 of 16.
becca7 Feb 2015 11:41am, 13 Feb 2015 6,082 posts	0 becca7 It will be interesting to see how you get on with this approach Tim of MK - I hope it works for you. It is a bit dismissive to say that the orthodox way of running 20 miles is a "comfort blanket" though (I think that that is what you meant). They obviously didn't work for you. However this is an approach that has worked for me and for countless others. This is a thread for first time marathon runners who won't have built stamina sufficient to run a comfortable marathon yet. The conventional approach of long slow runs is the most advisable way for them to do this.