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‘No pain, no gain’ is the old saying. Most of us think of this quote in terms of fast, intense workouts. Long run is a different pain, one that should have its own place on your running schedule.

What is a long run?

Long runs are your workouts that are at least 90 minutes long and usually done only once per week. It’s meant to be 20-25% of your weekly mileage (but if you’re training for a marathon and need to do a 20-miler, then that would mean you should do five runs of 12 miles each, so take this with a grain of salt). There is also a max of what’s a good idea – I found this particularly useful table at Strength Running:

And yes, it shows that other than marathon+ distances, you should run further than what you are racing.

You should be doing them weekly (I can’t due to personal commitments, but I think that after doing it for many years and no lofty ambitions, I can get away with every other Sunday). Like all other workouts, you can vary the intensity, making some of them base, some tempo and others down right fartlek. It may also be fun to mix things up a bit and run somewhere else.

Benefits of a long run

• Improved endurance – duh… – More mitochondria and capillaries for the win!
• Teaches your body to burn fat for fuel – the more practice you have with this, the better you are at avoiding hitting the wall. In shorter distances most people don’t get to that point, but we all make occasional diet mistakes
• Mental toughness – it takes some… But when you practice resilience regularly, it becomes part of your nature
• Makes your running more efficient – you have to fix your form! When you run just a couple of miles, you can wave your hands like you’re drowning. You can have an awkward stride. With every mile you run though, chances of feeling it increase. And in a way, that’s a good thing. You get a chance to find problem areas and fix them
• Stronger muscles, bones and tendons – medical fact!
• Test your clothes (have you ever chafed?), shoes, nutrition and hydration – the longer you are out there, the more time you have to find our you’re doing something stupid. Give yourself a chance to check before the big day
• Easier way to go site-seeing – when you go for a longer run in the morning, you can scout out the neighborhood, so you know where you want to go and what do you want to see later in the day!
• You can have that extra slice of cake now! 😜

How to make the most of it?

• Build up to your desired mileage gradually (more on this here), so you don’t hurt yourself or kill your joy of running
• Keep your pace reasonable – this is not the time to rush through your training (unless your coach told you to kick it up a notch)
• Make sure you do them regularly – you don’t want to lose all that hard-earned fitness because you skipped too many!
• Eat right – long runs may lead to not needing to be quite as diligent about carb loading, but make sure you have fuel to burn on your long runs
• Help your brain cope – as you do these runs more often, you will find ways that work best for you. Maybe it’s a running buddy? Favorite playlist tailored just right, so you get that correct song on a miserable uphill? Or some podcasts that distract you from the pain?
• Recovery – you do need some after a long run!

Are you ready for the new long run season? I hope so! I will see you on the roads!

Don’t wait for the world to recognize your greatness. Live it and let the world catch up to you.

Muhammad Ali

The ultimate determinant of if you can do this or not is your durability

Tim “Lucho” Waggoner

What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.

Zig Ziglar

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Seneca

If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.

Nora Roberts

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

Arthur Ashe

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

Henry David Thoreau

Most people will passively do exactly what they did last year. Whatever you do, don’t let that person be you.

Richie Norton

Do you wear the right clothes for your workouts?

I have heard people ridicule men in leggings when they run or cycling shorts with the padding, calling it a diaper. I know I’ve been known to wear baggy shorts and down-right ancient t-shirts to the gym. As much as my clothes did their job, there is something to be said about dressing in sport-specific clothes.

The above picture made me semi-famous during Ironman Maryland. The kicker? I was the only one dressed appropriately for the conditions. Water was warm and air was warm. A lot of people complained during the race and they said they were feeling unwell due to jellyfish. The thing is: their symptoms were suspiciously similar to overheating and dehydration. So let’s see…

The weather

You need to wear right clothes for the weather. You don’t want to be overheating or freezing. When it comes to running, general guidance is that you should be a little chilly before you start your workout. Same goes for swimming. This way, you won’t start to sweat like crazy and overheat once you start moving. Cycling is a bit trickier. You always have to remember the air flow and the fact that your hands will be exposed. I highly recommend wearing gloves when cycling!

I have not written (yet) about cycling in extreme weather – coming soon! But for now, you can check out my posts about running in cold and heat.

Comfort and chafing

Your whole body, feet included, will thank you if you wear the right clothes. I wrote extensively in this post about chafing. But that’s not the only issue you have to consider. You want to make sure you don’t get blisters from shoes and socks, either… The comfort issue comes up more when you go cycling. I have ridden a bike before in skirt and heels (beauty of life in the Netherlands), but I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody, especially for a more serious distance. You want your clothes to be on a tight side, so they don’t get caught is the bike, but loose/ stretchy enough that they don’t constrict your movements. That ‘diaper’ in your bike shorts may look ridiculous when walking, but really helps your butt stay comfortable and dry. You may not notice the difference over the distance of couple of miles, but if your rides are over an hour long at a time, I can promise you that you will notice.

Safety

I have mentioned this many times, so just quick nod in that direction: make sure that you are safe and visible out there! Oh, and glasses of some sort are a must on a bike – you don’t want your eyes watering when going fast. I’m not going to even mention annoying little flies, dirt and other crap flying around…

Hair

Oh, my favorite… I find hair to be a challenge, no matter what sport I do. TBH, I totally get why men would shave their heads or get buzz cuts!

I love wearing my bandanas when I run – it keeps my hair out of my face and headphones where they belong. The only hair style that works for cycling is a braid, so my hair stays put and the helmet doesn’t hurt my head. As to swimming? I went into a lot of detail here as to why you should wear a swim cap.

The bottom line for your hair? Make sure that it stays out of your face and doesn’t add to misery by smacking you on the face/ back/ whatever or adds to overheating.

Fashion choices

If you are looking for fashion advice from me, you are definitely in the wrong place… My 10-year-old owns more makeup than I do! Actually, that’s probably one thing I can say about looking good at the gym: remove your makeup or you’ll end up looking like a panda. Not exactly a good look 😅.

So make sure you are dressed comfortably, do what makes you happy and I will see you on the roads!