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So, you’ve been running 5Ks and 10Ks for years now. You’re considering signing up for a half marathon or a marathon, but you’re a little hesitant. That’s a really long distance, you might think. It’s a little out of your comfort zone.
Well, even professional runners deal with those feelings. Olympic medalist and European record-holder Josh Kerr is renown for his abilities in the 1500 meters and the mile. But on December 17, Kerr raced the San Diego Holiday Half—a distance much longer than he’s used to—and finished fourth place overall in a lightning-quick 1:03:44.
Runner’s World spoke to Kerr and his coach, Danny Mackey, about how to be successful at any race distance.
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How to train for a longer race
According to Mackey, most runners can get “pretty dang good” at most events by focusing on two training aspects: volume and threshold work.
Case in point, Kerr’s preparations didn’t look much different than his typical fall training. In fact, many world-class milers train like long-distance runners in the off-season, utilizing tempo runs and long runs to get stronger.
When deciding on a fitness test, Kerr looked back at his training: “I did a nine mile tempo early in the fall and it went well, and I felt like I could really push 16- to 17-mile long runs.”
“We wanted to have something to capstone the 10 weeks of work, and then I just threw the idea out there of a half marathon,” said Mackey. “He wasn’t as resistant as I thought he’d be.”
Going into the race, they made just two minor training tweaks. Instead of a 17-mile long run the week before the race, Kerr only ran 13 miles. Then, on the Tuesday before the race, Kerr ran 6 x one mile with 2:00 rest in between the reps. Usually, Mackey only prescribes 1:00 rest, so Kerr got a little extra recovery time.
“You want the legs fresh,” said Mackey.
How to mentally prepare for a longer race
When put into hard workouts or races, Kerr looks at it as “problem solving.”
“You sometimes give up mentally when you get pissed off at weather, or how you feel, or your shoes. You start blaming it on other things in hard situations,” Kerr said. “When we get put in those hard sessions, Danny makes sure that we think outside of that box and be like, okay, this is just a moment and it’ll pass.”
Mackey, who has raced numerous half marathons and marathons, had direct experience that he imparted on Kerr: Longer races come in waves.
“It’s weird because in the 1500, if you feel good, you feel good. You’re in a rhythm, and then you kick,” said Mackey. In the half marathon, he continued to say, you might feel absolutely awful for one mile, but then the next mile feel great again.
When Kerr was presented with a problem—join the pack running faster than his planned pace or run by himself—he made the split-second decision to stay with the pack. He knew he’s typically successful when he has competitors to race, so pack running was a better choice for his mental game.
What does it feel like to race a longer distance?
When Kerr joined the pack early-on, he expected the 4:50 per mile pace to feel fast. But to a European record-holding miler, that pace felt comfortable. But as he clicked off the kilometers, he soon discovered the difference between long-distance racing and middle-distance racing. Instead of burning lungs and lactic acid buildup, his legs deteriorated from pounding the pavement.
Two runners were well ahead, so Kerr’s pack raced for third place. He made a big move with a mile to go, which was quickly countered. With 400 to go, to his surprise, a runner sped by him and he couldn’t keep up.
“That was a weird situation that I’ve never dealt with in racing before—my legs might buckle at any point,” Kerr said.
After he finished, Kerr didn’t know if he needed to throw up or walk. He tried to cool down, but only managed a single 11-minute mile
“I was like, this is this is rather embarrassing when you’ve got people coming up and asking about the race or asking for photos. I just looked completely dead,” he said.
Mackey said that how the body feels post-half versus post-mile is “totally different.” He hadn’t coached a marathoner in a few years, so he didn’t think to warn Kerr about the post-half soreness. He prescribed six days of light running and lots of deep-tissue massage work before even thinking about a hard workout again.
What else should you know before running a long-distance race?
So, now you’re convinced to try a long-distance race. Before you register, Mackey has some sage advice for those who might be afraid: “Be like a kid.” Be curious, have fun, but don’t set big expectations. A longer taper for fresher legs won’t hurt either, he said.
Kerr said that 5K training and half marathon training do overlap—so there’s no reason to fear. “It’s such a fun distance,” he said. So why not give it a try yourself?
Chris Hatler is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but before joining Runner’s World and Bicycling, he was a pro runner for Diadora, qualifying for multiple U.S. Championships in the 1500 meters. At his alma mater the University of Pennsylvania, Chris was a multiple-time Ivy League conference champion and sub-4 minute miler.
