if you race for fun, in order to ensure adequate recovery. For the same reason, the longer the distance the less you should race.Here’s a schedule for speedsters and fun runners for the four classic distances:Goal: Marathon for speedHow often: Once

you find your magic miling number.Rule #1 Longer race, higher mileage. Yes you can overcook the penguin, but a marathoner will always need to log more miles than a 5K runner. Rule #2 Tougher goals, higher mileage. If you're seeking to simply finish

the quantity-versus-quality conundrum: “Is it better to get in a 10-miler, so I can hit a certain weekly mileage goal, or should I do the interval session that would give me two hard work-outs this week?” In other words, is it better to run longer (quantity

race in Brussels in August 2007, which means they have to run well at the Flora London Marathon at the end of the month.And then there are other runners like Eric, who rolls out of bed on Monday and decides he's going to race a 5K on Sunday after

is to schedule one target race a month. You can sneak in another if you're doing 5Ks and 10Ks, but not if you're targeting a half or full marathon.Tune-up races Bekele has used 5Ks, 3Ks, and 1500m races to prime his speed for a 10K. Tune-ups are done two to three

of Medical Science for Sport and Exercise showed that speed at lactate threshold is the best physiological predictor of distance-running performance. Indeed, Frank Shorter, the 1972 Olympic marathon champion was said to have had a modestly high VO2max