Ask the coach: Finishing at marathon pace

In your training plans you say most weeks on the long run, to finish at marathon pace, how much would you suggest that should be? Is one mile enough? Or should it be at least 20% of the total run?

Lauren

Running coach answer
Mike Gratton:

It depends a little on which phase of training you are in. If you are in an aerobic capacity training phase and just turning over long runs at a steady pace to build the aerobic base, it is not essential to run at a higher pace very often. However, when in the specific marathon preparation phase it is good practice to build up your ability to run at your specific marathon pace. Part of this is working on muscle memory.

If you start your long runs too fast and finish most of them pretty exhausted then your muscle’s last memory is of being in a shattered state. If you start your long runs more slowly and build up the pace towards the end, finishing at the marathon pace, then your muscle memory is of performing at that pace.

The speeding up only needs to be for the last 5 to 10mins from the end of the run in the early part of the marathon build-up and grows a bit further out as your fitness improves, let’s say up to 25% of the run. This will also help with your mental preparation as you are learning to deal with fatigue as your body is tiring – not learning how to deal with it in an exhausted state because you started too fast, but learning what that fatigue feels like while able to maintain your marathon speed.

Some shorter tempo runs can also be at the marathon pace, while some of your speed work will be at VO2Max speed. These have a different purpose to running your long runs with a progressive pace.

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