The 30% rule: Long run milage vs weekly milage

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marofmtl Apr 2018 4:54pm, 18 Apr 2018 4 posts	0 marofmtl A question for the Fetch community: I keep hearing that our long run distance should not exceed 30% of our total weekly mileage. Does anyone actually know why? I'm currently running a 21km long run on weekends, but have dropped one of my weekday runs to go down from 5x a week to 4x a week given some hamstring and knee pain. This brings my long run to much more than 30% of my weekly mileage. But why should I reduce it just so that it fits with this rule?! Cheers, Mar
larkim Apr 2018 5:03pm, 18 Apr 2018 4,442 posts	0 larkim It makes no sense really as unless you're doing 66 mile weeks you're not "allowed" to add a 20 miler in there. And, whilst there are opinions about 20 milers in terms of fitness, I think most people would benefit from knowing that they can at least run 20 miles if they are approaching a marathon, especially a debut one. Recently I've been averaging about 45-50mpw, mostly with a 20 miler in there. Might not be ideal, but I've not noticed the world coming to an end. Having said that, I'm sure there are people with far, far more experience and knowledge than me that can debunk my opinions so don't do what I do or listen to me on the subject!
Wriggling Snake Apr 2018 5:07pm, 18 Apr 2018 18,314 posts	0 Wriggling Snake That is a new wine on me. Makes sense if like me you are running 30 odd miles a week and my lo g run is 10 or so. If I were to do mara train I g off of that it would go all wrong. Of course ypu should be runni g more during marathon train i g in general a d perhaps there is some truth in it. I will have a look about.
Velociraptor Apr 2018 5:24pm, 18 Apr 2018 38,133 posts	0 Velociraptor I have also seen this number quoted, and it really only "works" for marathon training when you get to high weekly training mileages and doesn't work at all in the context of some training plans such as Furman, which only has three weekly runs, one a long run, plus cross-training. If you're able to tolerate your long run but need an extra running-free day to allow extra recovery time or reduce the load on your joints and soft tissues, and if your weekly long run is an essential part of your training, it would seem reasonable to continue to do it.
fetcheveryone Apr 2018 5:37pm, 18 Apr 2018 19,197 posts	0 fetcheveryone This might be useful: fetcheveryone.com/marathonprediction
DavidAP Apr 2018 5:47pm, 18 Apr 2018 8 posts	0 DavidAP I know of a lady runner who completed her first marathon at Paris the other day in sub-2:55. Her longest run was 14 miles.
SPR Apr 2018 6:35pm, 18 Apr 2018 26,005 posts	0 SPR The rule (you can question the specific percentage) is about effective use of training miles and not making your training in essence one run, and also not overstating the benefit of a long run. So if you are doing a marathon and need to do 20 mile runs, you'd have a lot more miles going on around as part of a good training plan. I guess if you're doing marathons on relatively low mileage, then you'll have to compromise somewhere though.
marofmtl Apr 2018 10:10am, 20 Apr 2018 5 posts	0 marofmtl Thanks everyone! What I'm hearing that it won't do anything detrimental to my training, though it might not be the most efficient way to train. I'll balance things back out when the hammy feels better and I've done my HM.
icenutter Apr 2018 11:52am, 20 Apr 2018 142 posts	0 icenutter Podcast here on long runs scienceofrunning.com In summary; customise them relative to the training effect you want, not based on habit or rules.
Wriggling Snake Apr 2018 12:06pm, 20 Apr 2018 18,347 posts	0 Wriggling Snake The guy talking about 'sandwich' runs is good. I often tell some of mine to use parkrun like that, run 3,4,5 miles easy, run a parkun as a tempo, follow with 3,4,5 miles easy.