The Really Long-Run Continued...

So, a while back I wrote about my experimentation with a long runs of 25 and 30 miles as opposed to the recommended long runs of most plans maxing out at 20 miles.  I promised to report results so here they are:  This year I ran the marathon in 3:58:59 unofficially (officially, they fucked up my time).  That is an improvement of four minutes and 29 seconds from last year.  Now on the surface this improvement is probably less than can be expected normally running your second marathon, however there were a number of other factors at play:

• The race was wet and windy this year.
• The race was bigger and I started further back contributing to a slower start.
• The base of running mileage was much less this year.  During the first week of April in 2010, I was able to run a 12-mile long run and about 22 miles for the week.  This year, I was only able to run about five miles at a time and a total of around 15 for the week.
• I wasn't any better running this race tactically than last year.  Last year, I picked up the pace in the middle of the race, this year I did the exact same thing.
• Because of injury and missed weeks of training, I aimed to run only slightly faster than last year.  If you don't intend on running significantly faster in a marathon it won't happen.

The Really Long Run

Marathon training programs typically rely on several things: A lot of miles, long runs, threshold runs, and a small amount of speed work. The accumulation of miles is designed to develop the aerobic energy system and among other things, get you used to running. The long run is typically what most programs are built around. They are designed to force your body to adapt to long distance efforts, further develop the aerobic energy system, force the body to use more body fat rather than glycogen for energy, and prepare your body to go 26.2 miles. Threshold runs are run at a "comfortably hard" pace and are designed to raise your lactate threshold so you can hold speed for longer durations. Finally, speed work is designed to increase efficiency in movement, enhance lactic acid buffering, and improve "fast twitch" muscle fibers.

Normally, the most important workout is the long run because it most closely simulates the marathon. The least important for most people (except the most experienced runners), is speed work because there is both an increased risk of injury and the conditioning element is of minimal utility for most marathoners. Ideally, you have all of these elements in your training plan. Unfortunately, life is seldom ideal.