The Long Run 30% "Rule": Training for Aerobic Endurance by Sage Canaday 

Another aspect to consider is that the Sunday long run for many people is their favourite part of running. Spending a long time on the trails is what keeps them going mentally, and is their main reason for running in the first place. If 2 or 3 runs a week with a big day on the trails is what keeps someone running and staying healthy, I say go for it.

My only goal is to be able to run far as I want whenever I want to. Being able to stay out in the mountains all day (8-12 hours) sounds like a good day. I'm trying to figure out the best way to program my training to achieve that with the time that I have. It's helpful to get perspectives on volume. I'm going with trial and error now and adjusting as my needs arise.

You are a stud. Thanks a lot for sharing your wisdom with the community. Stay healthy and all the best

I'm loving all this recent content! Very applicable to me right now as well since I decided to use lockdown as an opportunity to reset and start an aerobic base building phase.

Sage, mate, thanks for the great vid. Not only are you a world-class athlete, but you also give world-class advice. God bless, Dave.

Some of the most sensible advice of any of the running channels I've followed.

Thanks for delivering Sage, I was having trouble sleeping anyway

I'm always struggling with my long runs, or rather limiting the duration of them. I tend to do them on (non technical) trails and they're a great way of just chilling in a forrest for me. I've been pushing my weekly mileage just to be able to accomodate the 30% rule (barely if I might add; 45km during the weekdays and 20-25km on my long run). I'm taking it easy during my long run and haven't been injured yet, but it's just so addicting. Loving the amount of content you're putting out in these peculiar times sage, keep it up!

Love the knowledge Sage lays down. A lot of beginners do those runners world easy plans and get hurt bc they think they can just bulldoze through a marathon plan for Instagram and have no idea why they are doing specific workouts lol.

Another great video. Thanks, Sage.

Super educational and helpful for me. Thank you for the content! :)

Thanks a lot Sage! like always great information.

Everyone has different goals for running, but for me the main goal is to improve health- especially to lower blood pressure. I've tried a lot of plans, but my current plan is working by far the best of anything I've ever done, and it is simple- do three runs per week, and make them all long runs. Obviously this is no formula for speed success in distance running, but after trying many different changes to my running routine, this has been the best approach so far for lowering blood pressure. Basically I do three long, slow runs in the range of 90 to 150 minutes, always taking a day off after a run. Just another perspective (obviously not the norm).

That was helpful. Thank you for sharing.

I went from 50k average to 100k weeks still feeling great, the more i run the more i enjoy it😀

Hi Sage, as always thank you for this tips and sharing your expertise in running with us. I actually have rediscovered my long distance running since the lockdown especially here in New Zealand I end up running in my local park and because of the 2m distance rules I was kind of forced to run on grass for the walkers. The truth is I have enjoyed it so much, it is slow but so comfortable for long runs...in fact I run an early Sunday morning 45km most around the park and rest road. This is the longest ever run. Bottom ligne I'm 50 years old and pace doesn't bother me, as longer as I stay injury free and enjoying long distances. Cheers

great point you made about if only running 3 times a week with the long run at the weekend, this being a big percentage of the weekly mileage putting alot of stress onto the body. this is something i have been guilty of with my running. i have started now to increase volume of runs a week but mostly at a lower intensity. want to build on my weekly mileage spread out during the course of the week & not just by increasing the long run

Great advice Sage :) , gidday from fellow plantbased Runner in Aus! Cheers bro.

Thanks, some excellent new idea's to put to the test.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and giving motivation to all of us 👍 Greetings from Berlin, where we still don’t know if the Marathon this year is happening. Half marathon was already cancelled. Keep on running 🏃‍♀️ wherever you are 🏃‍♂️

You hit the nail right on his head!

Some really good tips, but most importantly: Thanks for the anchorman quote!

You had me in the first 15 seconds with the classic Anchor Man quote about jogging! LOL!

thx Sage very usefull!

Liked for the anchorman quote!

The same for you Sage and The Sage Running crew :D

Awesome video

Should have watched this video a few weeks ago! Backstory : I am a 6’3 225 pound runner, and I was doing 3 runs a week. I wanted the days off for recovery. I then suddenly started doing slow long runs (150% my weekly mileage .. ouch) on weekends because I wanted to up my mileage and my knees didn’t like it at all! Inspired by Sage I am now going to get trail running shoes and add two(later three) extra days of trail running, upping my weekly mileage so that I can eventually do that 30% long runs I am craving. I guess it is trial and error and figuring out what works (and what doesn't :D)

Thanks Ron.

Your RECOVERY is the determinant. Nothing else matters, as Metallica say. Its the RECOVERY that matters. Only think about how you recover. How many days do you want to be flat? How sore or tired, for how long, do you want to tolerate? If you are on holidays then it may be no limit. However, if work and chores are to be done, as John Lennon said, life is what happens as we think about what we want to do.

Love your channel Sage. Thanks for all the "sage" advice. ~A fellow former Oregonian

Topic suggestion: peaking/tapering and how to responsibly handle training before a target race

The 30% long run rule still works for me. I am now in my mid 60’s and have been running for 50 years. I run 4 x 10K + a 15K long run per week. So 55K total....thus, my 15K long run is about 30%. That’s enough for my age. I still run pretty solid at 4:30 p/klm base training pace with faster 5K tempo runs at the track.

"yogging" LOL!

Thanks for the video Sage. I used to do 40K (around 2:45-2:50h) long runs once in my marathon training in the past and it was so helpful to me to run around 2:44-2:47h in my marathons. I had learned that elites like Ryan Hall and Josh Cox would even do 45-50K runs during their preparations for their marathon races as it would take 2.5hours to complete those runs. Have you ever done that long runs before your road marathons?

Hi Sage! Always interesting as usual! Is the long run essential during base building? I usually do a base phase of 4 to 6 weeks before a specific training of 14-16 with several long runs up to 22 miles. During base, I run up to 100 mpw but I do a double most of the time for my long run for about 18 miles total. I don't know if the stress of a long run is crucial so far from the goal race? Thank you! Cheers!

Running 5 days a week is way too frequent for me to recover properly.

So I watched this video a year ago while injured. Since that time I have religiously stuck to this rule. No injuries since

Thanks for this Sage (from Italy!). One question: which max distance for an ultra trail? Is 70% 3 weeks before suffcient to the purpose? Is it better a 2 consecutive days or a sole long run? Many thanks!

Some training plans like the one I’m on are low mileage with only 4 days of running a week and lots of cross training because I tend to be more injury prone. My long run is like 40% of my weekly mileage and I feel like I respond best to this haven’t had a serious injury since I started this method 4 years ago and have seen way more improvement from this than running 6-7 days a week.

In the winter here in VT I strive to run 1 long solid day a week, 2+ hours. Often this would be my only run of the week but the rest would come in the form of XC skiing, hiking, back country skiing, or skinning. 2.25 hours is probably 28% of my total weekly volume (8 hours). I guess that the principal could be applied to your total volume of all training if you are not JUST doing running.

At the moment I’m hitting 45km a week with a long run of 15k. Building that aerobic base whilst getting some speed work in for the half marathon. Hoping to build up to 70k ish a week with a long run of 20k before I taper.

Ah yes, yoghing. This is making me rethink my super long Saturday runs.

Thanks Sage, excellent video, I’ve applied the advice in your videos over the last few years 80k- 100k weeks with one 30k long run a week at 700m elevation & it definitely has helped me, my last 5 half marathons have come 1st 2nd or 3rd in my age group, another thing I’ve learnt lately is after any hard workout race like say 5k 10k half marathon is the week after your race do very little or just walk or few easy bike rides, then the following two weeks slowly build up your milage again with fairly easy intensity don’t just go straight back into your high milage, hope that sounds right & makes sense 😀

Happy for you that you try out this jogging thing. Might consider doing the RW couch to 5k plan.

Hey Sage. I'd love to hear a training talk about when to take a recovery week in a training block and what mileage to do during a recovery week, taking the whole training programme into consideration and the gradual increase in mileage during the whole programme

I run 13.1 on Sundays 1:40ish Tuesday 30mins. Thursday hills 30mins

How do you manage your effort in race? I don't have experience and always reserve my stamina, and I left with a lot of energy after my race. I don't know how to manage that and afraid I will burn out and dnf in the middle of race, or is it about experiment? Any tips?

Do you have this feeling where you are running for 2h and you can't stop. You are literally flying and in another planet

Nice

Hello. What is a good rotation for a whole year of 1600m training. When should each phase start and what would each phase look like

Hey Sage you doing the ISO slam at the start of May I heard Mike Wardian and few other Hoka guys doing it ??

+1 for «powerhouse of the cell»

Split it up into 10 day cycles and do a really nice long run which it takes a few days to recover from. Having a long run within the context of 7 days doesn't make sense empirically as we observe human physiology. Powerlifting record holders also deadlift once every 10 days even though they may bench every 3 days in the same training cycle. Body seems to take 10 days to recover from a big effort CNS effort. And this seems to be the same for people who are using PEDs and who are not using PEDs

The runners world program (which is really the Furman program) just replaces the easy runs with other aerobic training, like biking, swimming and rowing. You do six days of aerobic training in that program.

They’ve done studies, you know. 60% of the time, it works every time. You stay classy Sage

I've never trained for anything longer than a 10k. Thus, I've always been a fan of the 20%+1 mileage for the long run

Any thoughts about cross-training with cycling? I'm 63 years old and took up running for the first time in my life this winter initially to escape outside on bad weather days for my primary lifetime sport, road bicycling...when I would otherwise be faced with riding the bicycle trainer indoors. BORING. Now I'm majorly hooked on trail running and am building my mileage and speed for a first-in-my-life marathon this year, with dreams of ultras someday. I run for mental and physical health, not as prep for competition. Long solo runs in the woods have become critical for me to escape the worst of Covid Cabin Fever. My typical week, which I've fallen into without much thought or plan, now looks like 5-mile tempo run on day one, 7-mile run on day two, 11 to 15-mile slow run (my long day and 40%-ish of my weekly running miles) day three, 20 slow bicycle miles as recovery day four, 5 run or fast 25 bicycle, 35 to 40-mile bicycle (my long day on the bike...limited by the time available more than by my endurance), 20 bicycle miles day seven...and then back to a short fast run. Thoughts? -- I'm only interested in improving my running, but I don't want to give up my love of bicycling completely to achieve my running aspirations. Plus, getting out seven days a week is key for my mental health and sleep hygiene.

Thanks for this Sage. Totally off the topic, Was some of the footage going up Ben Lomond in Queenstown NZ?? I live in Dunedin, and love that area

As a person who can only manage three runs a week, with two days of rest and two days of S&C, yes my weekly long run is around 50% of my weekly mileage. And it’s my favorite part of the week. There is no math on earth that can change that. So the 30% long run are for people who can manage more days and many more miles, not for average runners.

I love long runs and I do two of them of the same lenghts on Saturday and Sunday. I only switch to single run for the longest ones (ca 20 miles) just before I taper. It just seems silly to me to miss out on half of weekend running opportunity.

Hi Sage, is it better to run a 20 mile long run at around marathon pace (eg, 7:25) or run slightly longer long run of 22 miles at a bit slower pace (7:35)? Thanks!

I run between 50 and 80 miles per week. My normal run is a 10 mile fasted run before breakfast. Low HR (for me) easy 9 min mile pace trying to build cardiovascular base...Normally max distance is 16ish. Thoughts?

My long run this week as 42% of my running: 3+4+4+8

Hey - where do you get all those great HOKA Shirts to run in?

Great content as always! Just a thing, who's that guy which Sage compliments at the end of that 3:39 race? He seems familiar but I can't recall his name.

An anchorman reference 😆

I am running 45 miles per week and doing 2.5 hrs(20 miles) long runs a lot. It is just impossible for me to run a lot during the weekdays. Works are stressful. I can have time to do one workout midweek and that gives me 10 miles. The rest of the mileage comes with mid week easy runs. That's it. Adding more during the week days are hard. If I did get time during the weedays for another tempo workout sometimes, I will reduce my long run mileage and intensity to keep the total at 45.

that intro is gold hahahah

Hey Coach, I saw in one of your running clips you had leg compressions on. Is that helpful to protect against shin splints? My left shin is always hurting on and off for years now.

10:03 He said it. He said the line.

@01:00 I could be wrong but diversity is an old old wooden ship that is used during the civil war era.

Sage, you need a lapel mic!

I'm 39 I'll be 40 in July I run about 30 miles a week for a while now and once a week I do a long run of 11 miles which is more than 30% of my weekly mileage. Do you think that's too much? I just run because I like to run I have not been training for any specific race or distance. Although I do want to get better and run farther. I've been running for a few years

It interesting isn't it. I run 4 times a week and cover about 40 miles, but I'm often doing 20-25 miles on a long run. Just generally take it easy but sometimes I include some faster sequences but I don't run long runs every weekend, I usually have one or two weeks where I include a shorter 8 or 10 mile long run inbetween. I guess I've been running for 20 years and it makes no difference to me. I enjoy the long runs, always have.

In fact it is little bit tricky to compute long run length: Let's say I have run A kms (or miles...) so far during the week except long run and my question is - what length should long run be to be P% of the total week volume? It is not simply A.P/100 kms, because length of the long run should be accounted into the total volume so we have to use some algebra and solve equation (where X is the length of longrun) (A+X).P/100=X, which gives X=A.P/(100-P).

Do you do Q&A live shows ? I think it would be cool to be able to ask you questions about running on a live show. Just an idea for a show topic. Be Positive And Stay Positive❤ Always❤DJ BJ Clark🎧

hi mr, sage....im 65 n have been on a 10 day training sch.......most of which are 5-milers at zone 2...quest..on my long runs..shood i doo it at maybe areobic-then the 2nd half threshold????

How do you set your training by time or distance

Im a freshman in high School and run about 55 miles a week. I run the 5k mainly. We do a long run every Saturday where we go out 35 minutes at a fast but relaxed pace and then turn around and comeback as fast as we can. This typically results in about 11 miles. We then go continuously into our cooldown to 90 minutes. In total, the long run is normally about 14 miles.

Thanks so much for these vids! I want to prepare for multi day fastpacking adventures in the mountains over technical terrain. I want to do give or take 40km a day for consecutive days. I want to move efficiently and much faster than a hiker, but I'm not concerned about going "fast" or setting FKT's / PB's or anything. Is there still going to be benefits from including speed work in my training? Long runs are always my favourite. Can I focus on long slow runs a few times a week to train? I only ask since most training plans seem to aim to improve speed over the distance, but I'm not bothered about speed. The distance in a day isn't going to be a problem but how do I best prepare for consecutive days of long distance? Cheers.

Yeah, I've noticed my body falls apart completely around 3 hours and I can't imagine ever doing a marathon because right now it would take me about 3:40

in other words, you can't think about your training "volume" purely in terms of distance or time. Intensity/effort is a huge part of the equation. Any "percent" rule begs the question, percent of what?

Are there physiological adaptations that you only get by hitting or exceeding 90 minute runs or can you accumulate the same benefits over time with shorter duration runs?

What sneakers do u recommend to run on the streets

Interesting . My long runs are 40% of my 26 mi/week. 10+4+4+4+4. Two days are gym

How often should we hydrate during our easy/long runs? Thanks.

W

Does the 30% percent guideline also count if you do other sports than just running? I'm a rockclimber, I do strength training and I like to do 1 tempo run and 1 long run a week with my other training, the long run is a half marathon mostly around hr zone 2 but it doenst stay under the 30% of my weekly mileage.

You appear to be getting funnier these days! Keep it up! "Yogging"

But what if I just want to be one of those people who can run a marathon or more a day?

My weekly mileage is about 50 or so. Typically 5 or 6 days of 7 miles and a long run of 17-18 miles. Sometimes weather messes up my plans but I try to be fairly consistent.

I want to run 7 days a week, but I have to work three 12 hour days a week. I find it hard to find the energy. I feel like I constantly have to eat or I'm very sleepy.

Welcome to the fold... 'Yogging' is a serious, illustrious sport with a proud proud heritage! [all hail Lydiard] haha :)

Question: I'm quite comfortable with high volume - 80+ miles/week - from training for ultras, but I don't have a lot of road speed. Does it make more sense for me to follow the BQ training plan or the Very Advanced plan even though I know I will never get close to 2:45?

your video is indeed a great great help... in addition to I would like to to request you that my goal to complete 5 k within 30 minutes.. but instead itakes me 29 minutes my ages is 30 years.. therefore I need your suggestions.. how I would be able to complete the 5k within 20 minutes

When long runs were around 50% of my weekly mileage progress pretty much stalled. I got neither faster nor did the long runs become any easier. There's only so much you can pack into one training day.

6:05 is that the UCSB track?

First, I love lamp. 60% percent of the time it works every time. Second, if you're training for a marathon or whatever, why not train like you're going to run 30mi, then when you do 26.2 it feels easy? When I was in high school we often ran 5-6mi in practice which was overkill imo for a 5k, but somewhere between the two seems smart?

I'm building base and run 15mi/wk. My long run is 7mi. That's over 50% of my weekly mileage. Is that OK?