Why The Long Run Is Your Most Important Workout

My 11 years of running and also coaching runners has been a massive learning curve for me. There has been many different methods of training which I have attempted to implement and most have failed. I have read a tonne of books and spent relentless hours researching to find the best training methods to maximise running gains.

The principles of training I discovered work best for runners are a mix between Marius Bakken, Arthur Lydiard and Alberto Salazar (controversial I know). These principles I have developed from these great coaches revolve around a mix of uncomfortable truths and research which has gone deliberately ignored, so now let’s cut the BS you get fed and learn how to run faster.

How are these principles going to make the long run such an important workout?

What are these principles anyway?

Well, whilst many coaches will get you running hard intervals all year round because “you will learn to run fast”, “you need to run hard to get faster” or “all the best runners do them”, we here at GeorgeLewisHealth think that they are ran far too often. Yes, they have their place but the need to be used at the right time or they just destroy progress. Most interval sessions will train your glycolytic system or your Vo2 Max system, and research has shown that both can be maxed out within 4 weeks if trained properly!!!

So, why do coaches make runners do these hard interval sessions so often?

Well, if you take a runner and get them to run hard intervals for 4-6 weeks they are going to improve, so coaches are going to think "these interval sessions are great" and give them more, and when they stop improving they give them more and more. But, the improvement stops and we plateau, burnout or get injured and then take some time off, only then hit the interval again. And then we have the nerve to wonder why a huge break-through isn’t happening for us.

"You have to train to be able to be able to train." - Arthur Lydiard. Without the aerobic base you simply are not ready to run intervals.

So, the focus should be on aerobic development first and anaerobic intervals later. You have probably heard that before so how is this any different?

Well, most coaches believe that the base building is simply a method to build athletes back as fast as possible to get them ready for more endless and hard intervals sessions. They set a period aside for a training block where the athlete will run at a very easy pace and run high mileage, this is an elementary version of an aerobic base. There are so many different sessions you can be doing to benefit the energy systems which take ages to develop. My athletes see huge improvements in their sprint speeds through winter because we can safely work on sprints during the aerobic base without ruining the aerobic development. Winter is also where we get strong in the gym and perfect our form with good warm ups.

We think that the intervals are the icing on the cake at the end. However, the energy systems that interval sessions train can be maxed out in a short amount of time. But, there are things which take a lot longer to train such as; aerobic capacity, raw sprint speed, strength, power and mental strength. This is why during this huge training period we spend our time trying to develop the skills above.

So, for my athletes the months September through till March (which is a standard base phase for many of the worlds best) is spend doing long run workouts, easy runs, sprints, tempos, hills, strides, long warm ups, and gym sessions.

For most the aerobic base is very boring, but for my athletes are actually able to run very fast during their aerobic base because they are training things which take time to develop so they aren’t going to plateau as fast. Also the workouts can be made to be much more fun.

It is not uncommon for me to have pretty good runners get very close to their 5K PB at the end of the base training, even if they have not done a single interval yet.

What is so special about the long run?

During the building of your aerobic base there are many different sessions which a good coach would have you focus on such as; hills, tempos, easy runs, strides, sprints, gym workouts and most importantly long runs.

The main goal of the aerobic base is to increase your aerobic capacity, and the long run is the run which is going to help you to achieve this the best. This is because after a certain amount of time running you will become glycogen depleted, this is where your body runs out of glycogen and you have to start using fat as your primary fuel.

The benefit of running when glycogen depleted:

Teaches your body how to burn fat as a fuel. This will teach you how to run better when you run out of glycogen.
Increase fat metabolism.
Increases how efficient your body is with fuel.
Increase glycogen stores in your body.
Increase how long you can run for before you hit the wall.

Other long run benefits:

The long run is the most important workout because it increases the amount of anaerobic work you can do later down the line. The more long runs and the longer they are, more anaerobic work your body will be able to handle in the summer, meaning you will be able to run even faster.
Increased red blood cell count
Increased amount of oxygen red blood cells can carry
Increased lung capacity
Decreased amount of oxygen muscles need to work
Increased bodies efficiency with oxygen
Increased mental strength
Increased strength
Improved fat burning

Think about it, if your body has more oxygen, uses the oxygen better and requires less oxygen to run the same pace, then this means you can run faster before building up any lactate acid. If you can do that then you are a far better runner than before and can expect some big PBs when you start putting in some faster sessions.

Overall, long runs are an important workout because they offer the most returns from the work you do, they hold all your training together and if you run them consistently through your base phase then you are bound to see some big PBs.

Tips for the long run

Build up slowly! It’s easy to see all the benefits of the long run and want to start running longer as soon as possible. However, towards the end of the long run when you are most tired is when you are most susceptible to injury.
You become fully glycogen depleted after roughly 90 minutes, however your glycogen stores will be very low after 60 minutes and you will start getting a lot of benefits for everything you do after 60 minutes. When I used to do 15 mile long runs, I would say I get most of the benefits from the last 3 miles.
Take it slowly. This is especially important if you are on 3 sessions a week because your long run becomes a session which you go into tired so you cannot afford to do it fast! However, if you are someone who is on 2 sessions a week and have an easy day before and after your long run then I highly recommend you try out some long run workouts.
Stick to softer surfaces. You will take a lot of steps on a long run so you can save your legs by sticking to softer surfaces such as grass or trail.
Take your post-run recovery serious after. There is no point in doing a really good long run and not doing all the proper recovery afterwards, as you will not be able to get the proper adaptations from the long run.
The long run should make up 20-25% of your weekly mileage. If you run 40 miles per week then you long run can be 8-10 miles or if you run 100 miles per week then your long run should be 20-25 miles. But, this is just a guideline and should not be stuck to if it does not work for you. If you are someone who can not handle high mileage but still want the benefits of doing a good long run, then just build up your long run slowly and feel free to ignore this rule.
Don't take on any calories throughout your run. You should not be consuming calories during your long run as this delays you becoming glycogen depleted and therefore decreases some of the benefits of your long run workout.

Anyway, I hope this guide has been clear enough to help you understand how the long run can benefit your performance, I wish for you to be consistent with your long runs and see it as the workout which can help to prevent plateaus.