The long run is a weekly occurrence in your training plan and a key session for improving your endurance and ability to pace yourself over greater distances. The purpose of this article is to explain the different types of long runs you will see in your Runna plan and understand why there is a variation in pace between the sessions.

You can learn more about the purpose and general benefits of the long run in this article.

The length of your long run will be dictated by a number of factors:

It is important to build up your long runs gradually and take de-load weeks to train your body to be able to cope with the demands of running for a long time! This might sound like a lot to think about, but don't worry, if you are following a Runna plan then we will do all the planning for you based on the information you provide us during the onboarding process.

There are 4 types of long runs you can expect to see in your Runna plan.

Your unstructured long runs are less demanding on the body. The idea is to keep the pace easy and relaxed, purely focusing on time on feet. These are great for getting in the miles but not adding extra stress by pushing the pace. Less stress, quicker recovery! We won't set you any punchy pace targets so you can switch off, run to feel. explore new routes and enjoy a chatty wun with friends. From a physiological point of view, these work on our aerobic base (zone 2) as well as increasing our lower limb strength so we can cope with the demand of being on our feet for a long time! These runs will feature between the harder long runs we mention below to ensure you are not pushing the pace week in week out.

These runs will start off relaxed and easy (enjoy this part!) and build the pace as you progress through the run. This will be done in blocks set out in your plan (e.g. every 3k the pace will increase). We are dipping into some intensity here but not pushing it hard for too long. The great thing about a Progression Run is we are only tapping into a small amount of harder work, so we should be able to recover quicker compared to a long run with more intensity. Another benefit of a Progression Run is because the hardest work is at the end of the run, it improves our ability to run faster as we get tired. These runs are also great for practicing your pacing and that all important negative split (where the second half is faster than the first half - a good way to pace a race!).

Another type of long run is what we call 'Blocks'. Here you will have periods of easy-paced running followed by a steadier effort (Zone 3). Steady running is a great way to improve our endurance and strengthen our aerobic system. It pushes the effort harder than easy running but doesn't stress the system as much as running at Race Pace (our final type of long run!). Similar to the progression run, we get to dip into some effort here but because it is more controlled, we shouldn't finish the session feeling completely empty. If you are finding these tough, then make sure you aren't trying to beat the pace targets and also ensure you are fuelling sufficiently. Just because you aren't running really hard, doesn't mean you can forget to fuel before, during and after. Fuelling is essential for any type of long run.

Race Pace runs are the toughest type of long run but the one that gives the chance to dial into our goal race pace. You can get a feel of the pace and hopefully build some confidence! During these runs, you will dip into race pace for intervals followed by a period of easy running. Running at race pace is tough in training! We are running on tired legs so there will be days where it comes together and others where you might have to ignore the watch, focus on the effort and bank the volume. It doesn't mean it won't come together on race day, that is what a taper is for! Some inside knowledge: for every marathon that Coach Steph has trained for her marathon pace has varied in training by 3-8s per km but on the day she has managed to secure a PB.

Often our long run day will be dictated by our weekly schedule. Opting for a day where we have more time and it doesn't compromise work, social plans, other hobbies, childcare etc. It might be that your long run day changes week on week but where possible we would highly recommend trying to stick with the same day each week. This will ensure that the other runs within your plan can be balanced optimally to cope with the demand of a long run. It also gives you enough recovery time before the next long run. For example, if you long run on a Friday one week and a Tuesday the following week then you will have less time to recover, and recovery is key for reducing your risk of injury. If you have flexibility in your schedule, we would recommend doing your long run on the same day as race day, particularly if you are doing a half or full marathon. This gets your body into routine so come race day you are used to a larger demand on the body and you have practiced the routine (let's be honest, a long run takes more prep than a shorter interval session!). It becomes second nature prepping for that long run which is the most similar to race day.

The long run is a weekly staple in every running plan. At Runna we carefully balance the amount of intensity within your long run to reduce your chance of injury whilst still building your endurance, improving your aerobic base and increasing your confidence to run at race pace. The variety of the long runs also keeps things interesting! We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.