Long Run Upgrade

Workout - Long Run Upgrade

• 15min @ 6'30''/km
• 60min @ 6'30''/km
• 30min @ 5'15''/km
• 5 lots of:
  • 3min @ 4'45''/km
  • 2min rest
• 15min @ 6'30''/km

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Here’s what you need from The FOD Runner’s “LONG RUNS Will Make You RUN FASTER - HERE’S WHY”. The key principles are below so you can try this workout this week. Watch the full video for more context.

Key points:

• Long runs build your aerobic base, muscular endurance, and mental toughness. They’re also a good platform to refine fueling and hydration.
• Different long-run formats (easy, steady, structured workouts, race-pace repeats) drive different adaptations.
• The 2-hour rule is a useful guide. Target 2 to 2 h 45 min long runs for a sub-3-hour marathon. Keep them under 3 hours if you’re slower, and adjust intensity accordingly.
• Five ways to make long runs more effective this summer:
  1. Build volume gradually: add 5-10 minutes every 2 weeks, hold for 2-3 weeks, then ramp again.
  2. Layer in surges: near the end, do 5 efforts of 1 or 2 minutes each at a pace a few seconds per km/mile faster than easy.
  3. Negative split: run the second half 5-10 seconds per km/mile faster than the first (e.g. 30 min easy, then 30 min steady).
  4. Steady-state zone-2 runs: hold a pace between easy and marathon pace (around LT1) for most of the run.
  5. Marathon-pace repeats: warm up for 15-30 minutes, then do 3-minute efforts at marathon pace (build to longer intervals) with equal recovery between.

Workout example (marathon-focused long run):

1. Warm-up: 15 minutes easy.
2. Main set (2 h 30 min total):
   • 30 min steady (zone 2, roughly halfway between easy and marathon pace).
   • 5 x 3-minute marathon-pace repeats, each followed by 2 minutes easy jog.
   • 10 minutes easy to finish.
3. Total time: about 2 h 30 min (shift up or down by 5-10 min depending on training phase).

Closing note: Try one of these in your next run, program your pace zones into the Pacing app, and watch the speed and endurance follow.

References

• LONG RUNS Will Make You RUN FASTER - HERE’S WHY - YouTube (YouTube Video)