What Pace Should Your Long Runs Be?
Ever wonder if you’re running the “right” pace for your long run?
For example, you want to run under a 4 hour marathon, which means your marathon pace is 9:10 or so.
But in training, you find it really hard to run 9:10 for more than 5 miles.
If you have a coach, they are probably prescribing a pace that is far slower than that, and you’re questioning why you would run for 12 miles at 10:50 pace when you’re trying to run 26.2 miles a 9:10 pace!?
If you don’t have a coach, most often I find that runners with a 4 hour goal are running more like 9:45/mile in their long runs – which isn’t 9:10 and isn’t that 10:50 that a coach might recommend.
Does it matter!?
Well, yes.
Why Long Run Pace Matters for Marathon Training
For a highly trained marathoner, who often runs 10-12 miles on Saturdays, running 12 miles at a pace 2+ min/miles slower than their goal marathon pace is simply going to maintain fitness safely.
For a first time marathoner, or someone who is starting marathon training after having run 15-20 miles per week for the last few months, running 12 miles at 2+ miles slower than their goal marathon pace is building fitness safely.
Long Run Strategy for Advanced Marathoners
When Faster Long Runs Make Sense
The highly trained marathoner DOES need to run their long runs faster – but usually this isn’t just a “steady” run at 9:45 pace.
Instead, the long run in that early stage of marathon training would be something like: 3 mile warm up at 11 minute mile pace, 4 x 5 minutes at 8:45 pace with 2 minute recovery jog, cool down to 12 miles.
The 20 minutes this runner is spending at a harder-than-marathon-pace effort is going to prepare their body for longer marathon pace runs later. And this is better than just running 12 miles at a more “moderate” 9:30 pace.
Long Run Strategy for Beginner Marathoners
Build Endurance Before Adding Speed
The first or 2nd time marathoner who hopes to run sub 4 hours needs to build the foundation of their long run fitness before adding intensity. By building a foundation of endurance before speed, you’re far less likely to get injured, and you’ll be able to handle long faster runs later.
This runner needs to run 16 miles slower first, before they can run 16 miles faster. And the truth is – you can’t rush endurance and fitness. If this marathon training cycle you’re not ready, you’re building fitness that you can use in the next cycle.
Does Long Run Pacing Apply to Half Marathon Training?
Does this apply to half marathoners? You bet. Once you have a solid foundation, your long runs can and should get faster and harder – whether that’s including a progression (starting slower, building faster), threshold intervals (ex: 4 x 5 min just slower than 10K pace) or half marathon pace tempo intervals.
When to Increase Intensity in Long Runs
For Experienced Runners Stuck in Easy Pace
Warning: If you’re more of an advanced runner who has gotten really used to zone 2, like me – it might be time to step out of your comfort zone more often in your long runs.
After running countless easy long runs chatting with friends, I’ve realized that in order to get to the next level in my running I need to run a bit faster in my long runs. Of course, the first few miles will always be nice and slow (1.5-2+ min/mile slower than marathon pace), but dipping into the forbidden “zone 3” can actually be quite useful for those of us runners who have been doing this a long time and have gotten quite comfy running very long and slow.
How to Balance Long Run Pace, Effort, and Recovery
Long story short – if you want to get faster at long races, your long run pace needs to challenge you enough to create new fitness, but not so much that you get burnt out, injured or totally bonk.
It’s a fine balance – and honestly one that not every runner truly cares enough to fine tune. Sometimes you’re just in a season of “I want to run long with my friends” and sometimes you’re in the season of “I need to warm up with you guys, but then do my own thing today so I can achieve my running goals.”
Real Life Training Example
Last weekend I took the “I’m just going to run with my friends” route before heading out for a mini getaway to the mountains with Mike to celebrate his 45th birthday.
Final Reminder About Long Run Pace
And today, I’ll be warming up with my friends and then going into my workout. Cherry Blossom 10 Miler is 2 weeks away so this is the last big long run!
And one last thing – no one actually cares what your Strava long run pace is.
Happy running,
Nicole Dobransky
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