Froggie Ted Distance Runner: The Long Run

As I was running the last half mile of my long run this weekend, I wondered when it truly became commonplace for me to go out and knock out an 8 miler with no trepidation and in fact love the challenge. It is actually very simple. I gradually increased my long runs as I moved up in my race distances.

It wasn't until I decided to run my first half marathon that I started to run 8 to 10 milers regularly as I prepared for the race. I distinctly remember wondering if I could really run that far. To take my mind off of my fear, I adopted the mantra, "one foot in front of the other until you are done." It seemed to work. Soon I was running more than 10 miles on a regular basis and started to love it.

Now 16 years later, I know that the the long run is the key work out in any distance runner's training regimen. It is always my longest workout of the week. I try to do it on the weekend when I have more time. I am usually better rested on the weekend as well. Looking back, I can remember during my training in 1998 how exciting it was to be consistently running further than I ever had run up to that point. It felt great to go out there and set new personal bests in both time and distance.

At that time, I had learned that the long run should always be done at an “easy” pace. As most runners know this is the pace where you can easily carry on a conversation throughout the run. My brother and I would do our long runs together when I was living in San Diego and we would talk the entire way solving all of the world's problems. The time seemed to pass quickly making the runs seem almost effortless. When I had to do a long run on my own, I would always bring my IPod and listen to music to help break up the monotony.

Even though the long run is as much a mental challenge as a physical one, there are numerous benefits that you reap by logging those miles. The biggest benefit is that you build your endurance both physically and mentally. You learn to set your pace and gain stamina for those late miles. As long as you run slow and steady you can teach your body to go the distance. In the end, I have found so much satisfaction when I am able to finish the last mile or so feeling strong and like I could keep going forever. It is at that point that I know I am well prepared for any race I am scheduled to run.

When my running friends ask me how far they should go on their long runs, I always respond that it depends on what you are training for. When I trained for my first couple of marathons, I followed the advice of marathon training programs that called for at least one run of 22-23 miles. Once I found the Brooks-Hanson Marathon training program I found out that there was a better way. (See my blog post dated June 14, 2009). My longest runs would now be no more than 18 miles. But I would be doing two longs runs on the weekend instead of one. Regardless of which program you choose, your longest distance during your training for a half or full marathon shouldn't be more than 80% of the distance. And remember, your last long run should occur no later than 3 weeks prior to race day.

The biggest mistake I made early on as a new distance runner was that I tried to do my long runs at a good pace close to my goal race pace. This is about the worst thing I could have done. It wasn't until I studied various training programs that I saw the consistent message that long runs are not meant to be done fast. Instead I should have been doing tempo runs and interval training to build my speed. Long runs were to be completed at a slow steady pace. What I learned is that a good long run pace should be 1-minute-per-mile slower than what I planned my race pace to be. Alternately, if it is your first marathon or half marathon, you should run your long run 1-1 ½ minutes per mile slower than your current 10K race pace. By running slow and steady, I was able to stay healthy and keep the risk of incurring an injury low.

Obviously I didn't just go out one day and run 10 miles. Instead, I built up my endurance over time until I was able to comfortably run 8 miles. Once I was able to do this consistently, I felt like I was able to take on the training necessary to run a half and then later a full marathon. I followed the 10% rule. The 10 percent rule states that to stay injury-free in training, never increase your mileage by more than 10 percent in any given week. Obviously, you can tweak your long runs to fit your schedule and more importantly your body. But whatever you choose to do, play it safe, listen to your body and increase your long run mileage slowly. I have always pushed myself but I am fully cognizant of my limits.

Now here I am 16 years later and I have learned to love the long run. I can assure you I didn't always feel that way. There were mornings that I would get up and look at my training chart to see the distance and dread the run. Most of the time now I am eager to do my long runs because I know that they are bringing me closer to my goals. I remember reading a quote on another blog about why you should love the long run. It truly expresses my feelings as well. It said, "On days when you struggle with the long run, just remember how you will feel about yourself when you are done. I have never regretted going on a long run, or pushing myself to ‘keep going’. When I am through, I just revel in the fact that I did something great, and I am getting closer to being able to compete in an actual marathon race."

So my friends all I can say is run long because you want to and finish because you can.

Oct. 20 – 6.10 miles (57:57, 9:30 pace)

Oct. 21 – 6.10 miles (56:36, 9:17 pace)

Oct. 23 – 6.10 miles (57:57, 9:30 pace)

Oct. 24 – 5.10 miles (47:55, 9:24 pace)

Oct. 25 – 7.10 miles (1:14:23, 9:11 pace)

Oct. 26 – 3.10 miles (29:37, 9:13 pace)

Oct. 27 – 6.10 miles (56:28, 9:15 pace)

Oct. 29 – 6.10 miles (57:45, 9:28 pace)

Oct. 30 – 4.20 miles (39:35, 9:25 pace)

Oct. 31 – 6.10 miles (56:33, 9:16 pace)

Nov. 1 – 8.10 miles (1:16:00, 9:23 pace)