Running hills has been used for many years as an intermediate step in building strength and endurance on the way to speed work and later racing. Arthur Lydiard included hills as an integral part of his training program.

Long distance training came first. Hills followed. And later speed work was undertaken before peeking for the racing season.
Hills can be begun after you’ve done some distance runs. Ease into them. They shouldn’t start off too steep or too long. A good distance is between 200 and 300 meters. We’ll let you select what slope to run since your choices are likely limited.

Don’t charge up the hill. Move up it steadily. The uphill run is when gains are made. Use the down slope for recovery. People have used a variety of mental imagery to help on the way up long hills. Some have even thought of  “the little engine that could” saying “I think I can, I think I can”.  Whatever it takes is fine.

Don’t run back down the hill. Running down will place unnecessary stress on your knees.

Remember to just start with a few hill repeats. Two to three is fine and every one or two weeks can you add on one more repeat. Work your way up to 6 hill repeats. If you are just starting your marathon distance training now, it is probably not the correct time to start hill work. That time will come a few months from now for the runner who is competitive and fit to do so.

Hills are not for everyone. Be sure you are cleared by your physician for an exercise program and particularly for a vigorous exercise program before undertaking new forms of exercise.

Enjoy, have fun. Start off slow and easy. Build up gently. Avoid injury.

Don’t get the Summertime Blues. You can avoid them by paying your dues. Plan those long runs. Build up, drop back. Let your body adapt to the stresses and strains of going long. Then you’ll be ready to do your fall marathon.

The long run is still the cornerstone of marathon training. If you complete  3 runs of 18 – 22 miles during the 8 weeks prior to the marathon you’ll have a very high likelihood of being able to complete the marathon . The long run is also an important element for middle distance runners. The 10K runner will benefit from runs of 8 miles, 10 miles and even up to 14 miles or more. A 5K runner will benefit from runs of 6 miles, 8 miles and up to 12 miles or so. This isn’t needed by everyone, but by those who are trying to excel. Slower 5K and 10K runners spend enough time on the roads and do not have a need to do 12 – 14 mile runs just to complete a 5 or 10K.

The long run has been emphasized as the building block of training for over 30 years. Arthur Lydiard and many others have made it the base component of training programs for distance runners. All of today’s programs including Hal Higdon’s and Jeff Galloway’s highlight the importance of the long run. Just what magic does the long run do? Long distance aerobic running lays the strength and ground work on which everything else will be built. Lactate threshold training, speed work, and stamina will all come later, but the ability to run long has many benefits.

VO2 max will increase from running within your aerobic training range. Capillaries will grow, enhancing the blood supply to the muscle fibers. Training increases the number and size of mitochondria. The mitochondria are the aerobic powerhouses of the cell. A variety of key aerobic enzymes will also increase. More myoglobin will be found in the skeletal muscle fibers. The significance of the increase in capillaries and myoglobin are the assistance that this will provide to the part of the VO2 equation specifying the difference in concentration of oxygen in arterial and venous blood, these changes facilitate oxygen transfer into the muscles.

We’ll have an updated area on the long run on the running injuries website shortly. In the meantime, here is a rough outline of a beginning to intermediate schedule of long runs. We call this the two steps forward, one step back approach to the long run.

Beginning Marathon Long Run

Weeks to Go/ Distance

19: 8
18: 9
17: 10
16: 6
15: 12
14: 13
13: 8
12: 15
11: 16
10: 10
9: 18
8: 10
7: 12
6: 18
5: 10
4: 12
3: 20
2: 12
1: 8
Marathon: 26

Summertime Blues

Many people are beginning their fall marathon training in June. So keep tuned for training tips.

Gradually Increase Your Running Distance:

One of the keys to increasing your running distance is the long run. I don’t recommend that beginning marathoners increase their running distance and long run invariably each and every week. The tips I recommend follow:

Do not increase your running distances too quickly. The usually quoted rule is 10% per week. But week after week of increases of 10% will soon demonstrate that even this will  be too much. Make sure that as your running is on the upward swing you drop back and have an easy week at least every third week. Don’t combine an intense program to increase your distance, while dramatically increasing your hill work or  speed work.

Most people will benefit from rest and recovery time built in to their exercise week. Absolute rest, strength training, or cross training can all be helpful.

Make sure during increases, you are eating carefully and healthy. Sleep is good and may come even easier as you improve your fitness.