Additional Articles (click link)
• 10 Simple Ways to Avoid Injuries
• Hydration During Training
• Ethiopian Marathon Hydration Tips
• Marathon Pace Chart (pdf)
• Overcoming Obstacles
Going Long
• Surviving an International Flight
• Race Week Nutrition
• Marathon Morning Tips
• Running Checklist
• Walking the Marathon
Going Long
Making the Long Runs Easier
There’s no doubt about it: The most important element in your training program for the Haile Gebreselassie Marathon will be the long run. This is true for any marathon training program. It’s absolutely essential for any HG marathoner to consistently log several long runs during the marathon buildup in order to run well on race day. There’s no substitute and there’s no way around doing them. Do long runs properly and the training will make you stronger and tougher (mentally and physically). Neglect them (or don’t run them well) and your chances for having a good day at the HG Marathon will be compromised greatly.
Even though the long run is critical to success, it is also the hardest obstacle to overcome for many runners. Particularly beginners. There are certainly numerous ways to make your long runs more manageable and easier to complete, but you must keep in mind a simple tenet: The long run is a marathon. And the marathon is just a long run. That is, you must treat your long runs with the same respect and attention to detail as you do the marathon. If you do, you increase your chances of success in the HG Marathon. Here are several tips to make the long run more palatable:
Rest. Before any long run, get plenty of rest the day before. Don’t do anything physically taxing that you wouldn’t do the day before a race. If you run the day before a long run, make it very short and easy. Then, avoid at all costs such physical activities as soccer, golf, mowing the lawn, long bike rides or moving furniture. Pick up a book or watch a football game. Just chill. Go to bed at a normal time and get plenty of rest.
Plan ahead. Decide beforehand, how long you’re going to run and where. Pick a course, map it and if necessary drive it the day before. Make absolutely certain there won’t be any confusion while you’re running which way to go. You don’t want to get lost or go too far (or too short). Also since you are going to need to hydrate every half hour or so during the long run, you’ll need to hatch a plan so you can drink along the way—either at drinking fountains, gas stations or bring money to buy Gatorade or water at stores. If stores aren’t readily available, either plan to carry your own water (or Gatorade) in a water carrier system. Better yet, the day before cache several water bottles along the way that you can easily find. If there’s any concern with someone tampering with them, tape the nozzles shut. If you’re planning to use Gu or Hammer Gel, you can also hide a few packets next to your water bottles.
Get loaded. That is, load up on carbohydrates the day before your long run. Carbo-load for your long run the night before just like you’ll do for the marathon. You don’t have to get fancy. Simply eat a healthy meal, rich in carbohydrates to fuel your muscles for the long run the next day. Pasta always works; pizza doesn't. This is a good time to find which foods work best before a long run and then plan your pre-marathon meal based on what has worked well.
Partner. If you’re not in a training group, find someone of equal ability to run long with. A long run can get awfully darn boring and a friend can only make the run seem shorter by sharing the miles. Try to find someone who can run within your pace range and who is willing to go as long as you need to go. Or find someone who can run at least a good part of the long run together. If it’s impossible to get anyone to go, ask your spouse, child or a good friend to ride a bike at least part of it with you (and make sure they remember to bring water).
Group runs. Even better than running with a friend, is doing a long run with a group of friends. The dynamics of the group are almost always helpful in completing a long run and if the group meets regularly, it becomes one long social gabfest. Since you’ll be running with gobs of people during the marathon, doing a group run is good practice for this.
Go long, go early. When doing a long run, earlier is better than later. There’s less traffic, the air is cleaner, it’s cooler and once done, you have the rest of the day to recover. Beside, the HG Marathon is in the early morning so get used to it. Try and get up at least an hour before your long run so you can eat something and have a bowel movement.
Dress right. The problem on most long runs isn’t staying warm; it’s being cool enough. You’d be amazed how much heat your body will generate on a long run and if you overdress, you will get way too warm. It takes some experimentation to find the right clothing combination, but generally if you’re comfortable in the first couple of miles, you’re probably overdressed. In the fall, you should be a little chilled in the first few miles. Generally—even in cool weather—all you’ll need is a long sleeve T-shirt, shorts and possibly some light gloves and a hat. Unless it’s below freezing, you won’t need tights or a jacket. If you chafe, make sure you use some Body Glide or Vaseline in the sensitive areas.
Wear “fresh” shoes. Obviously you need to wear a good quality pair of training shoes which is right for you, but what many marathoners don’t realize is if their shoes are worn down, it will compromise the cushioning greatly in the latter stages of a long run (and the marathon). The last few miles are tough enough without having to run on a poorly cushioned shoe. (Any shoe will lose a substantial amount of cushioning in two hours of pounding. A “fresh” pair loses less than a worn out pair.) A “fresh” pair with plenty of life still in the shoe will provide cushioning for the length of the long run and make the last few miles a lot easier on your legs. And don’t forget: about 2-3 weeks before the marathon, get a new pair to run in the race. It’s much better to wear a relatively new pair of shoes in the marathon than a pair with 200-300 miles on them. Fresher is better.
Simulate the marathon course. That is, if it’s a hilly course, do long runs over a series of hills at approximately the same point as in the race. If it’s flat, it probably doesn’t matter whether you do your long runs on flat or hilly courses but hills will develop more strength than a flat course. The HG Marathon course is mostly flat so some hills on your long run will build your strength.
Proper pace. There are different schools of thought on what the ideal long run pace is, but suffice it to say it should be slower than the pace of your normal (shorter) training run and slower than the pace you expect to run in the marathon. If you start the long run out too fast, the last few miles will be agonizing (just like in the marathon). Rather than suggest you run a minute or two (or more) slower per mile, my advice is to do the long run under a controlled pace. That is, a pace you can maintain for the length of the run—and even pick up in the final miles.
Rather than trying to maintain a certain pace for the length of the long run, I believe the most effective pace is a varied one. That is, start off relatively slow and easy for the first 4-5 miles, pick it up gradually over the next 10 and then attempt to close at your marathon race pace. Or try to run the second half of a long run, four or five minutes faster. Or try to run the last five at 10-K race pace. Or charge the hills, relax on the flats, finish strong. Regardless of the different types of paces you use in your long runs one type of long run that is absolutely critical to marathon success are long runs at marathon goal pace. You should do at least 2-3 long runs at whatever your goal pace is for the race, but the length of these long runs shouldn't exceed 16 miles.
How often. Completing that perfect long run and feeling pleasantly tired but not exhausted, is a matter of conditioning and experience. The more long runs you do, the easier they become. Many runners do a long run every week—regardless of whether they are building up for a marathon. Most experienced runners do a long run every week or 10-12 days, depending on the training cycle they follow. Most first-timers are probably best off doing a long run every other week. That way, you have plenty of time to recover.
How many. Again, it depends on your experience, your fitness level and several other factors. There isn't a single number (or distance) which works for everyone. I have a friend from Australia who was a world-class marathoner and he used to do a 32-miler as part of his marathon buildup, but most marathoners usually don't cover more than 21 or 22 miles in their longest long run. Some marathoners do as little as six long runs, but I generally get in no less than 10 long ones during my race build up. Of the 10 long ones I do, that usually includes a few 16-milers, a couple of 20’s and at least two of about 22 miles.
My advice is that before your marathon you should have at least five or six long runs under your belt and at least one long run should take as long (in time) as your projected marathon time--but within reason. If you are planning to run a 4-4:45 marathon, try one very long that takes about that long to complete. The mileage doesn’t really matter; the time on your feet does. But it should be about 21-23 miles in length. But if your marathon goal is 5 hours, I would not suggest doing a long run of that duration. It's simply too long.
Your longest long run should be about five or six weeks out from the HG Marathon. And your very last long run shouldn't be any closer than three weeks before the marathon date. Four weeks is probably better for most first-timers.
Walk. Sure, why not? There’s nothing illegal about walking in a marathon. Even so, there’s been a controversy brewing on whether it’s OK or not to take walk breaks during long runs—and during the marathon. Some experts advocate them as a way to make the last few miles of the marathon less grueling. Other coaches, don’t promote walking in training or racing. You choose. What is undeniable is that if you’re new to long runs (and are having difficulty extending the length of your runs), a 30-45 second walk break every mile (or 10 minutes) will definitely make the long run easier. But if you choose to take walk breaks, do them consistently right from the first mile—even though you aren’t tired.
Punt. That’s right. Just because you have a long run scheduled for a specific day, doesn’t mean you have to do it at all costs. If you’re dinged up, you may have to postpone or even cancel it. If you turn an ankle during the course of the long run, don’t assume you must gut it out to finish at all costs. Doing so, will just further your chances of having a more serious injury. And if you miss a long run (due to a commitment, injury or whatever), don’t necessarily reschedule it for the next possible day. Let it go. There’s still plenty of time to get one in next week. Don’t panic. Assuming you complete several long runs before the marathon, missing one (or even two) along the way won’t make a substantial difference.
R&R. Rest & recover. You should have rested before the long run. You should also rest and recover afterward. There’s no getting around it: Long runs are tough. They are supposed to be. And you will need at least a few hours immediately afterward to recover. Give yourself plenty of time to re-hydrate and refuel your body with carbohydrates. Something I’ve always done is the night before a long run I have a pasta dinner, but I make way more than even I can possibly eat. Then, I have plenty left over for the next day after I finish my long run when my body is starved for more carbs. Whatever you do, eat what your body craves after the long run. You’ve earned it.
Take a walk or bike ride. Assuming you’ve done your long run on a weekend morning and have some free time in the afternoon, go for a walk or gentle bike ride with your family. It’ll help your recovery and keep your muscles from stiffening too badly.
Give yourself a break. There’s one last bit of training advice that was given to me several years ago by Mark Coogan who made the '96 Olympic marathon team. Coog always took a training break six weeks out from his marathon to give himself time to recharge and regenerate. Just when he was starting to get worn down by all the training, he cut his mileage in half for a week before the final five-week stretch.
I've used the same approach. Six weeks out, I do my longest long run and then the next week I cut my mileage in half. All my runs for that one week are easy and stress-free. No speed work, no hills. I might run a short race but that's about it. It's time to relax and give myself one last training break before the final three weeks of hard training.
You should give yourself a one-week break too. Don’t stop running. Just don’t do any long runs or hard workouts for a week. Simply take all short, easy runs that don’t stress you out. After that “rest” week, you can put in two or three more solid weeks of training feeling refreshed and energized for the marathon.