5 Essential Long Runs for Crushing Your 3:30 Marathon Goal - Lee Grantham

Aug 13, 2025

Intro: This is a quick summary of 5 Essential Long Runs for Crushing Your 3:30 Marathon Goal from Lee Grantham. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points:

All long runs serve a specific purpose: aerobic base, marathon‑pace locking, strength, or hill efficiency.
The target marathon pace is 5 min/km (8 min/mi).
Progression is built on a weekly 10 % volume increase, starting from your current longest run.
Keep effort in Zone 2 (conversational) for LSD runs; avoid Zone 3.
Use terrain (uphills/downhills) and pace variation to develop leg strength and confidence.

Workout Example (pick one to fit your week):

Classic Long Slow Distance with a Twist – Run 10 mi (16 km) on rolling terrain at a comfortable Zone 2 pace. Start with a 1‑hour run and increase weekly volume by ~10 %.
Marathon‑Paced Run – 15 km total: 5 km easy (Zone 2), 5 km at 5 min/km (marathon pace), 5 km easy. Gradually extend the middle marathon‑pace segment as you improve.
Progressive 8‑8‑8 Run – 8 km easy, 8 km at marathon pace, 8 km easy (or 10 % slower for the middle segment if you need a step‑back).
2 km Pace Alternation (20 km total) – Alternate 2 km at marathon pace (5 min/km) with 2 km 10 % faster (≈4:30 min/km) or 10 % slower (≈5:30 min/km).
Hill Long Run – 10 km at marathon pace (or 10 % slower), 5 km uphill at 6‑7 % grade, 5 km downhill recovery, finish with 10 km at marathon pace.

Practical Tips:

Track effort, not watch the clock – flip your watch or set it to heart‑rate only.
Warm‑up within the first easy segment of a marathon‑paced run; you’re already priming the body.
Gradually add distance or time each week; keep weekly mileage increase under 10 % to avoid injury.
Use hills to strengthen glutes, hamstrings, and quads, then practice the same effort downhill to train a negative‑split finish.

Closing Note: Try one of these long‑run formats this week and adjust the paces to match your own training data in the Pacing app. You’ll feel stronger, faster, and ready to own that sub‑3:30 marathon—so lace up and get out there! (And don’t forget to watch the full video for deeper insights.)