Long runs are one of the most important sessions when preparing for a half marathon or marathon. But… they're also one of the biggest injury risk factors when their volume increases too quickly.
With this update, Trenara adapts the progression of your long runs even more closely to where you are today. That means a safer build-up, without compromising the logic behind your training plan.
Why Long Runs Deserve Extra Attention
Long(-ish) runs are a good predictor of something very bad: injuries. Research consistently shows that a rapid increase in the length of your longest run significantly raises the risk of injury.
We've seen the same pattern in our own data. When marathon preparations are interrupted, it often happens around five weeks before race day, and overuse injuries are usually the reason.
Two Ways to Build a Training Plan
The reality is that more and more runners start a marathon build-up with a smaller training base than in the past. As a coach, I can either criticize that reality or adapt to it. How do we help runners get to the start line as safely as possible?
There are two philosophies:
"This is what it takes." If you want to run a marathon, you simply have to handle a certain training load. This approach comes from a performance perspective. Deal with it.
"This is where we are." Starting from your current ability to handle training, how can we build towards your goal as responsibly as possible?
Based on everything we've learned over the years, the first approach no longer works for every runner. The sport has changed. Runners have changed. And that's a good thing. As a coach, I sometimes have to choose between the ideal training plan and the best training plan for the runner in front of me.
That's why we've already been encouraging runners to set marathon goals a little earlier, allowing more time to build volume gradually during the non-specific phase of training. We introduced that change in 2025. But that isn't always possible. Until now, if your goal required 'long slow distances' that increased too aggressively, we'd warn you. What we didn't offer, was a solution.
What's Changing?
From today, "this is where we are" takes priority (for Peak Pro subscribers). We now look more intelligently at your recent long runs. If the jump to your next long run is too large, Trenara automatically spreads that progression over a longer period. Sometimes that's two weeks. Sometimes it's six. It depends entirely on you.
Every week, we reassess your long-run progression based on your recent training, alongside all the other calculations and adaptations already happening in your plan. I like to call it Trenara Intelligence. Not artificial intelligence, but coaching intelligence built into your training plan.
Whatever race you're preparing for, and especially if it's a half marathon or marathon, you can now train towards it more safely than ever. If you're already starting your preparation with a solid endurance base, nothing changes.
The best of both worlds.
