What is long? What is slow?

12 watchers

Gobi Dec 2012 7:43am, 31 Dec 2012 49,742 posts	0 Gobi Nellers - to be honest NO, one suspects your training was wrong if you blew out at 16-18 miles You have a descent half PB, 4 months to train and 3.45 is such a soft target for a man of your obvious pace that I am not sure you will get much sense of achievement. If you do it right then you should be looking for a much better run. I'm not even allowed to train but recently ran a 1.35 half off no miles. If suddenly I had to run a marathon next month(doctors said "of course you can") I would target 3.10 because I know I didn't run flat out, I believe in myself and my good aerobic conditioning even if it hasn't been running. A life lived in fear and all that.
Curly45 Dec 2012 7:49am, 31 Dec 2012 1,388 posts	0 Curly45 Nellers if it helps at all I'm in a similar position... I jogged a 3:56 (previous pb 4:31) in the summer and was initially aiming for a sub 3:30 tnis time, but as training progresses there is a definite trend to a much tougher target. Its scary, but even if I shoot and miss, I'll get a decent time anyway. You need to push yourself otherwise you'll never know what you can achieve, but have back up targets too in case race day goes all wrong.
Nellers Dec 2012 8:29am, 31 Dec 2012 23,626 posts	0 Nellers I know what you mean and it is tempting BUT having blown it last time I'm still thinking 3.45 safely in the bag is a step along the road and on e I've done it I'll be better able to try for the 3.35 or the 3.30 or whatever. Then again, I have got a while to train and if it all goes well then who knows?
Curly45 Dec 2012 8:38am, 31 Dec 2012 1,389 posts	0 Curly45 Just keep an open mind about targets until 4 weeks out. Hope training goes well!
Nick Cook Dec 2012 10:07am, 31 Dec 2012 10,645 posts	0 Nick Cook I don't run marathons any more, so for me 7 miles is a long run and 9:30 pace is slow.
DeeGee Dec 2012 2:52pm, 31 Dec 2012 13,345 posts	0 DeeGee All the feedback that I've got, here and elsewhere, is that incorporating marathons into a training plan for a fast marathon is wrong. I've taken that view on board and in the three months before my A-race marathon in October, I've dumped any ideas of running other marathons. Which leads me to think that it's not, strictly-speaking, mileage that's important, but "time on your feet", and to that end a social jog with the slower members of the club can be as valuable as a run out on my own in the wolds, so long as it's about 3 hours in total, in my case. Is that along the right lines? And likewise, someone aiming for 4 hours should run for about four hours a few times, same with five hours and so on... So the difference between my training and that of a 4:30 runner is that, because it's easier to build a three-hour run around family-life, I can run more runs of marathon "duration".
paul a Dec 2012 2:58pm, 31 Dec 2012 9,872 posts	0 paul a There is of course the school of thought that 'long slow runs male long slow runners'. I have always not done the whole LSR thing and more of the LR thing. This is the minority view.
paul a Dec 2012 2:59pm, 31 Dec 2012 9,873 posts	0 paul a Apologies.....make not male.
Curly45 Dec 2012 3:03pm, 31 Dec 2012 1,391 posts	0 Curly45 I do some runs at a faster pace and some with sections of faster pace, but I'm a big believer in not killing yourself in every run. I enjoy running long so have no problems going out for 20 milers week in week out, but for my recovery to be decent for the next week's session, some of the long runs need to be slow. This week I have XC on Saturday so thoughts of keeping Sunday's long run to even MP + 90s will go out of the window and it will be about getting round and enjoying the views - I pick hillier courses for these sort of runs so I dont put too much pressure on myself to watch the clock!