When to do the long run

In any endurance sport training program the long session is the foundation and back-bone of the schedule, around which all other training is / should be planned. Put simply, the long session is part of the training constitution!!

In triathlons the need for a long bike and long run session (swimming is a different scenario) must to be planned around competing needs for different types of sessions, recovery, logistics, time, family, work and more. As a result the 'default' solution is usually for the long ride and run to be done on successive days, on the weekend - Saturday and Sunday morning. This approach has served many athletes, however that does not necessarily mean it is the 'best' way of scheduling these sessions.

The 'best' solution would be a situation that is not bound by a 7 day week routine, but since that is reality for most people then you need to be practical and realistic within the prevailing circumstances. So we need to think laterally to consider what is an optimal (as opposed to best) routine for fitting in long ride and run.

A number of well credentialed and experienced coaches advocate NOT doing a long run the day after a long ride, but doing it on a Tue or Thur, for a few good reasons including the following:

• You're better to do your run when your legs are fresher, allowing for a quicker pace.
• The recovery cost of back-to-back long ride and run is greater than by separating them by a few days.
• Sat ride and Sun run is not a true simulation of running of tired legs like you experience in a race.

These are good points that I agree with...to an extent. I could make some counter points summarised by saying that your legs are rarely "fresh" as a triathlete, it's just degrees of tired. Where mid-week may not have long rides, it will have hard bike sessions instead. Get used to it.

As an athlete, and now as a coach, I've considered switching long run timing but have stuck with Sat-Sun routine for the following reasons:

• Age group athletes often don't have time for a long run mid-week, and still get the recovery afterwards during a M-F routine. That is, it is not ideal to do a long run before work, or to run late into the evening.
• If an athlete is struggling / too tired to do a long run the day after a long ride (Sat-Sun) then perhaps they're not fit enough to be doing the distances they're attempting, or they're not making sure they recover well enough on Saturday.
• If you do a long run on Sunday then you have another opportunity mid-week for a medium-long run / double run to boost mileage. If you do a long run mid-week you miss this chance.
• For most athletes, IM athletes in particular, there are only 8 weeks or so (+/- 1-2 weeks) during pre-race build where volumes may be high enough to warrant this kind of change, where changing routine introduces more complications that it solves.
• Long runs are a great chance to run in new and different locations without the hassle of a bike (or consuming even more weekend time), which is only practical on a weekend (Sunday).

These are just a few points, and it is not to say that either approach is 'best', but reflects the different philosophy and routine of athletes and coaches. It is a balance between many things, not the least of which is life schedule and practical logistics - in my judgement, optimal training needs to fit around them in order to have a long-term and sustainable involvement in any sport.

Either way, fitting in the long bike and run should remain as the top priority in any training routine, and ultimately, each athlete will find a schedule that works for them and meets their goals and objectives. To achieve that balance is the greatest success of all.