Boost Your Long Runs: Effective Variations for Runners

Long run workouts are essential for runners aiming to enhance performance and combat monotony. Coaching legend Bill Squires famously said, “The long run puts the tiger in the cat.” Regular long runs provide significant benefits for all levels of runners, irrespective of their race goals. They help increase mitochondrial density and capillary formation in leg muscles, which facilitates better oxygen transport. Runners also become more efficient at burning fat, enabling them to maintain pace without succumbing to fatigue. Additionally, long runs cultivate mental toughness, essential for enduring both training and competition.

Achieving these benefits typically requires maintaining a conversational pace during long runs. However, incorporating harder segments can further enhance fitness levels. Squires trained his runners, including Boston Marathon champions Bill Rodgers and Greg Meyer, using techniques such as fartleks and hill repeats within their long runs. Contemporary coaches like Amy Cragg from Puma Elite and Mark Coogan from New Balance Boston continue this practice, emphasizing its effectiveness for various athletes. Coogan notes, “It’s popular with lots of people partly because with modern shoes they’re not as beat up as in the old days.”

Strategies for Incorporating Long Run Variations

Before attempting these variations, there are four key considerations. First, runners should be comfortable covering the distance before adding any intensity. Ideally, this should include having run the distance twice recently without difficulty. For instance, if a runner has yet to complete 16 miles comfortably in marathon training, they should not incorporate new elements until achieving that benchmark.

Second, half marathon and marathon runners must remember the importance of comfort in their long runs. These variations are designed for those aiming to significantly improve their race pace. A useful guideline is that a conversational long run pace should be approximately 10% to 20% slower per mile than the target race pace. For example, if a runner’s goal is to complete a half marathon at an 8:00-minute mile pace, their long run pace should be between 8:48 and 9:36 per mile.

Third, athletes should schedule additional easy days before and after these more intense long runs. This adjustment should be manageable since a workout included in a long run allows for skipping a regular hard session during that week. Lastly, as Coogan suggests, using “super shoes” or lightweight, cushioned trainers can help runners increase speed during these sessions and recover faster afterward.

The following sections outline specific long run variations suitable for different race distances, including marathoners, half marathoners, and shorter-distance runners.

Long Run Variations for Marathoners

According to Amy Cragg, “There is nothing you can do to simulate race scenarios quite like a long run workout.” Most elite marathoners do not restrict themselves exclusively to what was once termed “long slow distance.” Instead, they incorporate race pace segments into their long runs.

One effective approach is to include segments at marathon race pace within longer runs. Runners can begin with shorter bursts at race pace and gradually extend these segments. It is advisable to schedule the longest marathon pace segment three to four weeks prior to the marathon. These runs should ideally be performed over terrain similar to the actual marathon course.

Examples of structured marathon long runs include:

– **Variation 1**: 15 miles at normal long run pace, 5 miles at marathon pace, 5 miles at normal long run pace, 5 miles at marathon pace.
– **Variation 2**: 3-4 miles at normal long run pace, 6-7 miles at marathon pace, 3-4 miles at normal long run pace, 6-7 miles at marathon pace.
– **Variation 3**: 3 miles at normal long run pace, 6 miles at marathon pace, 2 miles at normal long run pace, 4 miles at marathon pace, 2 miles at normal long run pace, 3 miles at marathon pace.
– **Variation 4**: 7-10 miles at normal long run pace, 10-13 miles at marathon pace.

Long Run Variations for Half Marathoners

Half marathoners can also gain substantial benefits from race pace blocks during their long runs. Similar to the marathon approach, these variations should progressively increase the duration at race pace, with the most demanding workouts performed three to four weeks before the race.

– **Variation 1**: 3 miles at normal long run pace, 2 miles at half marathon pace, 1 mile at normal long run pace, 2 miles at half marathon pace, 1 mile at normal long run pace, 2 miles at half marathon pace, 1 mile at normal long run pace, 2 miles at normal long run pace.
– **Variation 2**: 3 miles at normal long run pace, 3 miles at half marathon pace, 2 miles at normal long run pace, 3 miles at half marathon pace, 2 miles at normal long run pace, 3 miles at half marathon pace.
– **Variation 3**: 5 miles at normal long run pace, 4 miles at half marathon pace, 1 mile at normal long run pace, 4 miles at half marathon pace, 2 miles at normal long run pace.
– **Variation 4**: Runners can also consider participating in a tune-up race, such as an 8K or 10K, flanked by warm-up and cooldown mileage of 2 to 4 miles.

For runners targeting shorter distances like the 5K or 10K, incorporating a time-based workout within a long run can be beneficial. This approach emphasizes achieving target race paces during hard segments while maintaining overall long run pace afterward.

– **Example**: 3-4 miles at normal long run pace, followed by 5 intervals of 3-4 minutes at 5K race pace, returning to normal long run pace for the final segment.

For milers, the focus shifts slightly. While long runs should generally be at a comfortable pace to preserve energy for interval sessions, integrating short bursts of speed, such as strides, can enhance overall performance.

– **Example**: 6-7 miles at normal long run pace, followed by 10 intervals of 1-2 minutes at normal long run pace.

By incorporating these variations into their training, runners can enhance their performance and maintain motivation throughout their training cycles.