Hi, Team.

In this episode of The Amazing Runner’s World Show, Aly and Jeff talk about long runs, and particularly whether they should be longer than the actual distance that you’ll race. If you’re racing a 5K or 10K, a longer run has undeniable physical benefits that will help improve your running economy. But, the math starts to change as your race distance gets longer. Would you ever go more than 26.2 miles while training for a marathon? There’s a reason most training plans top out around 20 miles. RW+ members can watch the full episode below.

runner's running in a group on the trail

Thanks for watching. And be sure to leave a comment or send us an email at [email protected] with any questions you want answered or topics you want us to address in future episodes.

In the previous episode of The Amazing Runner’s World Show, Aly and Jeff talked about fasted running. Aly and Jeff have both run-fasted to various degrees, with Jeff pushing the limits by skipping breakfast and lunch, then running. Per usual, Aly would like to note that you should not be like Jeff, and instead, read our medically backed story and make decisions based on science. RW+ members can watch the full episode now.

Headshot of Jeff Dengate
Jeff Dengate
Runner-in-Chief

Jeff is Runner-in-Chief for Runner’s World and the director of product testing. He has tested and reviewed running shoes, GPS watches, headphones, apparel, and more for nearly two decades. He regularly tests more than 100 pairs of shoes each year, and once had a 257-day streak running in different models. Jeff can usually be found on the roads, racing anything from the mile to a marathon, but he also enjoys racing up mountains and on snowshoes. When he’s not running, you’ll probably find him hanging from a ladder making repairs and renovations to his house (he’s also director of product testing for Popular Mechanics). 

Headshot of Aly Ellis
Aly Ellis
Director, Content Hype

Aly is the Director of Content Hype at Runner’s World. She started running over a decade ago when she saw a Star Wars themed race happening at Disneyland and thought it looked like fun. Since then, she has run 8 marathons (so far!), and hundreds of shorter distance races. She is known for signing up for 5Ks in every city she travels to. She loves watching reality competition shows, playing board games with her husband and taking naps with her dog.