In general, you won't want to do a long run which lasts much more than three hours (or if you do run longer then you'll want to plan for additional recovery time).
Running 3 hours at a time is fine. Running 3 hours at a time every day might be a bit too much. However, it all depends on many factors, including your diet and recovery time.
Put another way, Humphrey prescribes long runs of roughly 25-30 percent of a runner's weekly volume with a max of about three and a half hours.
While it can be tempting to stick to your routine, running on only 3 hours of sleep is generally not advisable. Here are some reasons why you might consider skipping or altering your morning run: Fatigue and Performance: Lack of sleep can significantly impair your physical and mental performance.
Finishing a marathon is an achievement on its own, but breaking the 3-hour barrier is a significant milestone that many runners spend years working towards. It requires a blend of extensive physical preparation, mental toughness, and strategic planning.
How hard can it be? On the day Eliud Kipchoge smashed his own marathon world record in Berlin in 2022, less than 5% of all participants completed the distance in less than three hours. For runners like me, running a sub-3 hour marathon is the sport's Valhalla.
Achieving this milestone requires dedication, consistency, and a well-structured approach to training. While it may seem daunting, with the right preparation and mindset, crossing the finish line in under three hours is within reach for many runners.
One night of poor sleep shouldn't have to impact your workout routine, but chronic sleep deprivation leading to multiple days of exhaustion is another matter, experts say. It may not be wise to hit the gym or play a sport when you're barely putting one foot in front of the other, said sleep specialist Dr.
To answer that question, first we have to define what it actually means to "stop." Dean Karnazes holds the unofficial record for the longest run without sleeping, at 350 miles (563 km), which he ran over three and a half days in 2005.
What Is A Good Run Pace? A common running goal people aim for is running 5km in 30 minutes, or 10km in an hour. This would be a pace of 9:39 minutes per mile, or 6.00 minutes per kilometre. If you wanted to hit 5km in 25 minutes, this would be a pace of 8.03 minutes per mile or 5.00 minutes per kilometre.
You also strengthen your muscles, tendons and ligaments. “The more oxygen that you can deliver to the working muscles, the better your performance will be,” says McMillan. The long run also helps you build physical stamina in preparation for race day.
For most normal people, yes, three hours a week is fine—but that all depends on what your goals are. "Three hours a week of exercise is sufficient if your goal is to keep moving and maintain one's physical state," Jenny Liebl, CPT, and senior content director at the International Sports Sciences Association, tells us.
Sub 3:00 marathoner: 20-24 miles / 32-39km (2:40-3:10) Sub 4:00 marathoner: 17-20 miles / 26-32km (3:15-3:45) Sub 5:00 marathoner: 16-19 miles / 26-30km (3:30-4:00) 6:00+ marathoner: 15-16 miles / 24-26km (4:00)
3-5 days: This is a period when many runners already start to feel they have lost a lot of fitness and start to worry and lose confidence. In reality, though, there is little to no loss of fitness from any of the key cardiovascular measures over this timescale. VO2 max and cardiac output broadly remain the same.
While you might be able to get by on 3 hours of sleep for a short time, it's not feasible for your long-term health and wellness. Not getting enough sleep each night could lead to a weakened immune system, putting you more at risk of getting sick.
A light jog may be acceptable if the soreness is for just a few hours or minutes, feels more like fatigue than pain and doesn't worsen during the run. However, sharp or increasing pain or other aches, such as stomach pain when running, should be a red flag to abstain.
Rest Is Always Necessary
“Too much of anything is not good, even if you're using running as a fun activity,” Paris says. “At the end of the day, it's still exercise, movement, and exertion.” Balance out your efforts with plenty of stretching.
Aerobic Fitness
(The majority of the physiological stimulus of long runs occurs between the 60 and 90-minute mark). Running for 3 hours provides few further aerobic benefits than when you run for only 2 hours. You can, therefore, build as much aerobic fitness during a long run of 2hrs as you can over 3hrs.
The risk with running longer than two and a half hours is that even if it is at an easy pace, the amount of time you spend on your feet will cause an increased risk of injury and soft tissue breakdown.
Goggins initially attempted to enter Badwater 135 without any ultra experience, but given it is an invite-only event, he was told he would need to run a 100-mile race first. Having never even run a marathon before, he completed the 2005 San Diego One Day, running 100 miles in 18:56:00.
But during his weight loss journey, he ramped up his training even further. His typical day involved long, grueling runs, swimming, cycling, and intense weight training. For Goggins, the key to weight loss wasn't just in the gym but in consistently challenging his body.