Marathon Workouts: Take The Long (Fast) Road Home

The long run – what’s not to love about it?  It builds stamina and endurance, teaches our bodies to burn fat more efficiently, and forces us to keep our ipods loaded with fresh tunes.  Best of all, as marathoners have been told repeatedly, the long run gets us to the finish line. The question is – how quickly does it get us there? Only as quickly as we train, unfortunately. Once again, it comes down to the principle of specificity. The unyielding fact that our bodies only become good at the physical tasks we force it to do again and again. Thus, if our training mainly focuses on running long slow distances, we become really good at running long slow distances.

That may be fine for runners who are just starting out, or for people who simply want to finish their first marathon.  But what about athletes who want to improve on past performances?  What do they need to do?

“Most people come to us after running two or three marathons,” says Kevin Smith, a running coach and president of Marathon Dynamics in Toronto. “They’re proud of their accomplishments, but they want to see some improvement in their finishing times.  That’s where pace becomes very important.” Smith points out that most training programs ignore speed in favour of endurance.  And while hill training and/or intervals are given some attention, he feels that pace is largely overlooked. “There’s a vast chasm in pace that is uncharted territory,” he explains. “The farthest most marathon training programs get people to run is 20 miles. Will that get you to the finish line?  Sure.  But will it get you there faster than you did last year? Probably not.”

The harsh reality is, if you want to run fast for 42.2K, you need to practice running at pace for the better part of that distance.  To that end, Kevin steers his runners toward what he calls the Race Pace Workout (RPW). Once a month, he has his clients run progressively longer distances, at speeds approaching their target pace. “We only program these workouts once a month,” says Smith, “but we run them as if we were going out for the New York Marathon.

We even schedule a short taper and plenty of rest afterward.” Not only does the RPW accelerate the physiological improvements that are usually associated with slower long runs, it also acts, in Smith’s opinion, as a psychological confidence-building bridge. “I’m of this earth to believe there is race day magic,” Smith says, “but there’s nothing like the knowledge that you’ve already done all the hard work in your training.”

Tara Quinn-Smith is Canada’s top female marathoner. She won the title with a 2:33:58 performance in Ottawa last May. Race-pace long runs figure prominently in her training schedule, although she refers to them by another name. “I call them marsh runs,” she laughs, “because I do most of my long runs up around the Holland Marsh, north of Toronto.” Quinn-Smith’s long runs range anywhere between 24K and 42K. She takes it easy for the first half, then accelerates until she’s running 30 seconds per kilometer slower than her half-marathon race pace.

“These are hard efforts, so it’s important to keep yourself healthy,” Quinn-Smith says.  “You’ve got to watch the little things. Be sure to get lots of sleep, and program in some rest days. Drink your fluids. And keep fueling during and after your hard workouts. That’ll help you recover in time for your next run.”

John Halvorsen agrees on the importance of staying healthy. He’s a former Olympian (10k, 1988 and 2002), and two-times Canadian Cross Country Champion. “I always trained at race pace,” Halvorsen explains, “and I was always on the verge of tipping over.” As Race Director of Ottawa’s Race Weekend, Halvorsen offers advice that’s sure to please the masses. He suggests cutting back on one training session a week. “The most important element in marathon training is the long run, so you want to preserve that at all cost.  Interval training is important too, because that gives you the ability to run faster. But if you look at the people who win marathons, it’s not often the person who’s accelerating at the end.  It’s almost always the person who maintains the same pace throughout.”

Want to incorporate some Race Pace Workouts into your training?

First, identify the race you want to run, and what you want your finishing time to be.  Be conservative.  If your goal is to run a 4-hour marathon (or a 2 hour half), your target pace is 5:44 per kilometer.  Don’t run these RPWs at that pace immediately; gradually build toward that goal.

Once a month, substitute your weekly long run with the following RPW:

4 months before your race: 15K long run, including 9K near target pace

3 months before your race:  20K long run, 12-14K near target pace

2 months before your race:  25K long run, 18-20K at target pace

1 month before your race: 30K long run, 22-25K at target pace

Always start with a 3K warm-up, and cool down with an easy 2K.