You need to have a realistic target finish time in mind.  A good simple formula is double your half marathon time and add 15 minutes, this will depend on several factors.  My target for my first marathon was 3 hours and at the time my best half marathon was 1:25, I had no doubt I would achieve this and I ran 2:59:27.  So I doubled my half time and added 10 minutes.  Currently my half PB is 1:22 and my Marathon PB is 2:53.  So this Patten is still working for me.

Long Runs, pace and distance – Target for London 2016 is 2:50:00, target pace for this is 6:33 minute miles so I will run at 6:30 minute miles, in theory building up a bank of 3 seconds per mile or 1 minute and 20 seconds by the time I finish..

From the book – Advanced Marathoning

You must get this book to understand the background!  The below applies to me, but put your figures in and it should work for you.  This will be amended as time goes by.

Maximum long run should be 24 miles (Ideally more like 22 miles)

• Long runs should be 10 to 20 percent slower than your TMP, although a few should be at TMP.  These will be races including the Stamford 30k and East Hull 20.

My TMP is 6:30 minute miles.  This is (60 x 6) + 30 = 390 seconds

• 390 + 10% is 429 seconds, this is 7:09 minute miles
• 390 + 20% is 468 seconds, this is 7:48 minute miles

The best strategy for the long runs is to start +20% and build up the pace gradually to +10% during the last 25% of the run.

So roughly speaking starting at 8 minute miles and finishing at 7:10 minute miles.

Considering Heart Rate, long runs should be run at 74 to 84 percent of maximal heart rate.

Using Fetcheveryone, my maximum HR is 182.  Using the simple formula 220 – Age it would be 181.  A more accurate formula is 207 – 0.7 x your age, this gives 180.  I am sticking with 182 as this is real world data based on me.

• 74% is 182 / 100 = 1.82.  1.82 x 74 = 135
• 84% is 1.82 x 84 = 153

So, my long runs should be between 135 and 153 BPM.  I will not run my long runs any faster than 7 minute miles, unless I am specifically targeting my TMP.

If you do a long run the day after a hard intense session or a race, then keep it steady and if you loosen up then keep it at +20% to +15% TMP.

To work out your max heart rate, just find a 600m long moderate hill, do a gentle warm up run three high intensity repeats, jogging back down.  If you run these 600’s flat out your heart rate should be within 2 or 3 beats of your maximum at the end of the third repeat.  Do a gentle warm down.

My various zones are set as follows based on the heart rate intensities for standard workouts.

• VO2 Max 93 to 95% = (169 to 173)
• Lactic Threshold 82 to 91% (149 to 166)
• Marathon Pace 79 to 88% = (143 to 160)
• Long Run Pace 74% to 84% = (135 to 153)
• General Aerobic 70 to 81% = (127  to 147)
• Recovery Less than 76% = (138)

Definitions of runs:

• Long Run – 16 miles or further
• Medium Long Run – 11 to 15 miles
• Marathon Pace Runs – Just that (6:30 minute miles)

• Lactate-Threshold Runs – tempo runs of at least 20 minutes at approximate half marathon pace (6 minute miles)
• General Aerobic Runs – Up to 10 miles, faster than recovery runs, slower than Lactate-threshold runs (approx 8:00 to 7:15 minute miles)
• Recovery Runs – Relatively short runs (8 minute miles or a bit slower)
• VO2 Max Intervals – Typically 600m to 1600m at current 5k pace, recovery typically between half the time taken to run the interval to the full time taken to run the interval.
• Speed training – Reps of between 50 to 150m.  Typically 10 x 100m with acceleration over the first 70m and the float for the last 30m.   100m walk recovery between.