The "Long" run

What exactly do people mean by the "long" run?

I heard other runners I know talk about it and always wondered, is there a specific threshold that makes it a "long" run, below X minutes equals a short run, above X minutes equals a long run?

So being a newb, I decided to ask a few of my running friends...the answer it seems is not so far from the infamous IT answer "it depends"...but as with the IT answer, that was qualified...this time with..."on what you're training for, what your plan calls for in terms of short and long runs and it is unique to you", so there is no definitive answer.

In my case this week, a "long" run consisted of 50 minutes of running, followed by 5 minutes of walking, followed by 40 minutes of running, according to the plan my coach (a.k.a my fantastic brother-in-law) has put together for me.

It was a good run, I chose a route that would have me running into the wind for the majority of the run, yes on purpose. I wanted to challenge myself physically and mentally today, the good news is, I made it through the run with energy to spare, and was able to visualize the wind at my back when it mattered the most. I also managed to include a hill in the route, the wind was not a factor on the hill, crosswind, so neither an advantage or a challenge.

Overall a great run and another week of sticking to the plan.