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Should You Train With Miles or Minutes?

Long Runs

So when should you run based on miles?

If you're training for a marathon or half marathon, there are times you should train at race pace. For example, the half marathon runner might do two miles to warm-up, four to six miles at half marathon pace, then one mile to cool down. If this workout falls on a weekday—which it would for all of my clients—you need to figure out how early you need to get up so you won't be rushed, or worse, have to cut the workout short.

For marathon training, runners should incorporate very long runs—18-, 20- and even 22-mile runs—into their preparation. When you run these distances in training, even if you aren't running at marathon pace, the thought of running 26.2 miles on race day is less intimidating.

Some coaches assign a run of the same duration their client hopes to race. For example, if you hope to run a 3:30 marathon, you would do one long run of 3:30 in your training cycle. This approach can help, but I believe there's a great psychological benefit to execute an 18-, 20- or 22-mile run during your training. Running a certain number of miles gives you a great sense of accomplishment, while a minute-based workout can mean negotiated miles.

A distance-based long run isn't just for half marathon and marathon training. If you're running a 5K and you're able to knock out seven miles, it's a great feeling to know you can run twice the distance you're going to race. The same can be said for a 10K and a 12- or 13-mile run.

Taking all of the above into consideration, I firmly believe minutes are the best benchmark for most of your running, while miles should be used for long runs and race-pace workouts.

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About the Author

Jay Johnson

Jay Johnson

Coach Jay Johnson works with runners of all ages and abilities. A former collegiate coach at the University of Colorado, he's coached U.S. national champions, adult and high school runners. Visit his blog, coachjayjohnson.com, where you can join Jay's email list to receive exclusive videos and articles. Jay also hosts the Run Faster Podcast, which you can find on iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Twitter, message him on Facebook, or find him on Instagram.
Coach Jay Johnson works with runners of all ages and abilities. A former collegiate coach at the University of Colorado, he's coached U.S. national champions, adult and high school runners. Visit his blog, coachjayjohnson.com, where you can join Jay's email list to receive exclusive videos and articles. Jay also hosts the Run Faster Podcast, which you can find on iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Twitter, message him on Facebook, or find him on Instagram.

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