WEDNESDAY WORKUP WK 02
Good science, a second look, the ANC take.
Does a Longer Long Run Make You a Faster Marathoner?
The question athletes keep asking
"How long should my long run be?" It's one of the first questions marathoners ask us. So let's look at what the research shows.
What the study looked at
A 2020 meta-analysis in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport pooled 85 studies covering 137 groups of elite and recreational marathon runners. The question: which training habits line up with faster finish times?
The researchers looked at seven training habits:
- + Weekly distance
- + Runs per week
- + Biggest single week
- + Number of runs of 32 km (about 20 miles) or more
- + Training pace
- + Longest run
- + Hours of running per week
85 studies, 137 groups of marathon runners
What they found
Every one of them lined up with faster marathon times. More of each habit, faster finish on average.
Also worth knowing: about 7% of starters didn't finish.
A second look
The long run didn't win on its own. Each habit was tested separately, and the data compares groups of runners, not individuals. That shows a link, not cause and effect. Faster runners may simply train more across the board. And only about a quarter of the runners were women.
The long run didn't stand alone.
The ANC take
The long run gets a lot of credit, but in this data it never showed up alone. It came with more runs, more hours and bigger weeks. A long run only helps if the rest of your week can carry it.
A long run only works if the rest of your week can carry it.
How we coach it
Long easy running sits in our Durability Base zone, set from your Critical Speed, not a guess. We don't chase an arbitrary mileage target. We build the foundation your current load can absorb, then let the long run grow.
If your long runs leave you wrecked for days, that's a signal to hold, clean up fueling and recovery, and rebuild before adding more. StressLogic reads state first, then sets the dose.
And if you fade late in the marathon, more speed work usually isn't the answer. A late fade points to fueling or a durability foundation that cracked.
What this means for your training
Build the whole week first, then let the long run grow with it.
Want your long run built around your week? Start with a coaching inquiry.
The study
Doherty C, Keogh A, Davenport J, Lawlor A, Smyth B, Caulfield B. An evaluation of the training determinants of marathon performance: A meta-analysis with meta-regression. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2020;23(2):182-188. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2019.09.013