The Big Problem with Running 'The Long Run' (6 Solutions)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ต.ค. 2023
- The Long Run should be the cornerstone of a runner's week. But it's very easy to get it wrong. And in running, wrong can sometimes be catastrophic.
This week we're talking about the potential ways that long runs can go wrong for runners but, as always, the solutions are at hand. So don't fear the long run; embrace it.
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Goodluck for your upcoming marathon. In three weeks, I'll be running in my first race - a 10km trail run. Sounds somewhat insignificant, but it's a milestone for me! 👍
Good Luck on ur 10k race !
it's a big milestone! congrats on signing up for it and the best of luck!
good luck, have fun on your race!
@@centimetress Thank you 😊
@@vamosrojo56 Thanks! 🙂
As a six hour marathoner, my long runs are way over 3 hours. Just done with enough walk stops to refuel and rest enough to minimize injury risk.
I normally don’t exceed 3 to 3:15 hours on a long run but once I ran the full marathon distance for a virtual challenge during marathon prep by doing it the same way as you. Uphill and every 5k was a walk break, I purposefully ran way slower than I normally would, I was on my feet for 4:45 hours, but I didn’t hurt myself and my legs were ready to go the second day after that long run. The run-walk method is golden
Love your content, I’m a middle distance runner (800m-10K) but my buddy convinced me to run a half marathon next spring and I’m thinking about running my first marathon October 2024. I’ve never ran anything above 18 miles (just under 29K) for a long run. Watching these videos here has really given me confidence though to build up to where I need to be. Thank you for your content and good luck in your NY marathon! I’m following y’all!!
I love using my long run to explore new areas or areas that I don't run to very often. I also love the long run to simply spend more time on the trails, because let's admit it, trail running is simply fun! Great video as always!!!
Thank you Ben and Mary. You have been a true inspiration for me an no doubt many, many others. I'm happy to say that you helped me in many ways to prepare properly for my first marathon yesterday at the ripe old age of 57:) Rocked it BTW!
One slightly less known treatment that saved my IT band during training was dynamic cupping, releasing tight fascia that can tug at knees and hips. We purchased our own kit (about $30) and it has been a huge addition to our self care routine.
Again, thank you for your videos and best of luck in NYC!!
I ran NY in 2009 with a chesty cough and ended up in hospital with pneumonia after returning to the UK. It was a great experience but a complete disaster. I hope yours goes well!
Did a 17.6km yesterday, heavy runner here 107kg. I've been in bed sleepy alll day today 😅
Mr and Mrs. Bridges I have done this ver 30 marathons and find your advice very valuable! Appreciate everything you do for the running community!
Same - did my long run yesterday - just comes down to staying in Zone 2 and using nutrition - that way it doesn't feel like such a big task and I actually look forward to it.
Great stuff Ben. I suspect this video will be huge. The LR is without doubt the most important in any cycle. I would add the more experienced racer you become the more MP segments within that LR you should do.
Yep, I never take a long run easy the whole time. Easy runs are just for recovery runs only, like after a race or a very hard workout. The long run should have some MP and HMP segments in it, maybe some strides at the end as well. x2 on it being something that keeps you focused and feeling purposeful, keeps you engaged and keeps you in that zone 3 right below your lower LT so you get some good benefits to your aerobic system.
Out for my long run now. I focus on low heart rate MAF running and I see the benefits over time.
Boom, go get it 🤘🏼
I love seeing your videos so much. I ran a half marathon back in September, it was a great experience with beautiful scenery in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. I started following your programs a few years ago because I wanted to loose weight, but running has become more than that. I’m running for life now. Enjoying every run and challenging myself little by little… no rush. Looking forward to see your NYC marathon photos/videos.
Greetings from a Mexican in Canada! Thank you for all you both do for this community!
Will be cheering you on in NYC!! Good luck!
Love the snake break 😂
I'm doing New York too! Loved this video. Got my 36km coming up and always looking for strategies to get through it.
Some interesting points in this video; thank you. As a duathlete with a running background and many years of consistent endurance training, I am a big fan of ‘fooling’ the legs to think they’ve ran long! Two x 40-45 min runs alternating with 2 x 40 mins bike (on the turbo) make a great endurance session that reduces injury risk but still provides the long run benefits. Not everyone’s cup of tea but bagging a 2-3 hour zone 2 session works for me 👍
Thanks for the awesomely informative videos. Best of luck with NYC! Please keep everyone informed of a meet-up or shake out run.
Best of luck to you in New York! Thank you and Mary for all these helpful and informative videos! I just ran my first half marathon and first race ever yesterday! I ran the entire distance too! I’ve gotten so much inspiration and tips from these videos! Thank you again for all you two do!
Good luck in New York!! I like your idea about uploading a route to your watch, thanks.
Great advice once again, I'll definitely do some of it (like a lot of people, I've not got endless time)
Can totally understand why this channel is a success.
This is great advice re the LR. I am in training for my 2nd 50k and do remember the long runs being mentally challenging. Pretty excited to be doing another though. I am coming to Thailand in November too! Phuket to be exact. Have decided to have a recovery week when I am there so that i don't have to map out a long run. Good luck over the next couple of weeks.
Nice. Like the time on feet option, thanks. I love my long runs. Decent amount of time to lose myself in training, podcasts or music.
Running NYC and as always, a great video. I have recommended this channel to two workmates. 🙂
I was meant to do 28km today, have had a bad knee so rested most of the week, went out feeling okay, had to pull up at 23km and ubered it home!
Sounds like a sensible decision! You have to prioritise getting to the start line 😊
See you in New York!! I’ll be there as a fan cheering you both on. It’s my neck of the woods. Somewhere between mile 6 and 7. Good luck to you. Bklyn is my hometown and this marathon is my one and only bucket list marathon. It’s not possible now, but one day…
Great tips!
All the best for NY marathon to you both!!
Today is my last big long run today before NYC. I feel like I'm not ready for my first marathon. Legs are so tired and 16 miles last week felt like all I had. Today is 16-18 miles. Wish me luck. Good luck to you both.
You'll be great! You've done the training, now do the recovery. I'd rather arrive at the start uninjured, with fresh legs than trying to cram more sessions in and being sore, tired, or injured on race day. Good luck, enjoy your race!!
Nobody seems to mention the that running with a vest,loaded up with water,nutrition etc puts alot of stress on your traps,all added weight, wears you down on the long runs and holds heat in on your back,great if its cold,but not in summer!
🎉 thanks!
I don't usually have a problem with boredom (just got back from a 42k that was planned 35 but I was feeling good and enjoying it) but sometimes if I'm not feeling up to it I'll put an audiobook on my shokz and the time flies.
Curious when you do loops how long is your water or hydration break. Good luck on NYC and thanks for the videos!
I love audiobooks on my long runs
Thanks both, as always, and best of luck!
Like you, I live in a hot humid country. When I’m on any run, but particularly a long run, I find my heart rate just steadily builds, whatever speed I’m running at, so I’m endlessly trying to guess what speed to run at to have my heart rate hit a certain value in, say, 90 mins.
It also means that, if I want to finish in zone 2, I need to run about two thirds of the run in zone 1 or below.
Is that a normal heart rate zone issue, or am I probably doing something wrong?
It's contradictory to say "make your run interesting by switching up speeds/do negative splits" and then also say "keep in your heart zone, even if that means slowing down halfway".
The boring bit of long runs are when you have to slow way down or run/walk halfway through to maintain zone 2.
Personally i'd rather do the run in a fun way, and just be glad that for half of it I got zone 2 performance.
There are mountains with running trails near bang phra reservoir about 2 hours from bangkok by car. Maybe do some weekend trips.
My long run yesterday was miserable. I was sick two days before my scheduled 20 miles so I was frustrated but decided to stick to the plan. I had to resort to fartlek from miles 17 on to play it up even though it was extremely slow. The day after, today, I'm even more sick now, but I don't regret the run. It's time to taper.
Hi Ben & Mary, love your posts and I wish you every success in your Marathon’s.
My question is that I am 72 and will be running the MasPalomas GranCanaria marathon in a months time and looking to go under 5 hours to achieve good for age.
I note you say that 3 hours is a maximum time you give to your coaching students, however that means 2 hours extra for me.
Therefore I have 2 weeks ago done a 3.45 hour run (20 miles) and next week am looking to run a 4 hour run incorporating 1 mile repeats within it slightly faster than marathon pace which may give me about 21 miles.
I am sensible and allow plenty of time for recovery bearing in mind my age and it appears to be working however I am always keen to learn from someone as experienced as you.
I returned to running after 30+ years February 2022 and did the same marathon last year and failed with a 5 hour 36min effort as my legs were shot before half way. I put this down to doing the similar training I did back in the 80’s but although my head is back there I found my body isn’t.
I would be extremely interested to hear your views regarding time/distance for the last long run for someone my age.
3hrs9mins was my best but running half marathons now in 2hrs 12ish those days are long gone.
Sorry this is so long winded but there is so very little advice for the runners of a similar age to me.
I totally agree with running intervals within the long run at marathon pace or slightly quicker which I did for my last 20 miler and did 1 mile w/u 6x2 miles at slightly quicker than marathon with 1 mile recoveries which were done at a pace I felt gave me sufficient recovery time and finished with a 1 mile c/d.
Best wishes to you both.
Trevor Langridge
Sounds like you are looking for advice when you are in a better position to be teaching the rest of us haha. If it's working for you and you aren't getting injured then go for it. But seems like the consensus lately (by coaches of the youth and middle aged at least) is that it's better to split that time on feet into your week. They say it's hard to recover from efforts longer than 3.5 hours so your weekly training suffers and your injury risk goes up. But again, you know your ability better than anyone else. Just doing your best to get to the start line healthy is best we can do.
God damn it, Mary looks sharp 🏃♀️💨👌😊
Thanks for this, Ben & Mary. I'm semi new to running (but not fitness) - took it up a year ago at 43. I'm now running up to 30K for my long runs, but some of them are over 4hr because they're hilly on trails. Training for a 50K trail event April next year. Do you think I should be limiting my time on the trails to 3hr even though it'll reduce my distance given the hilly terrain? I am prone to injury if I jump up the distance suddenly, so reckon I'd DNF at the 50K next year without building up to at least 42K ahead of time, gradually. I've found adding 2K to my long run every 2 weeks with a slightly shorter long run the weeks between keeps my body happy. Anyway, thanks again for the top-notch content. Super excited for you guys with New York only 3 weeks away, whoop!! Cheers, Amy, New Zealand
Same story. After 2 years cycling between ramping up mileage too fast/injury/break never exceeding 30km/20 miles per week THIS year I grew up😂. I mustn't try chasing my friends with 50 or 70 miles per week in one sudden go. It took them years to get there. So I ramped weekly mileage from 30 km to 50 km by adding maximum 1 km weekly but not more and only if it feels OK with my body. Basically by adding 1km to my long runs from 10k (1h 15 min) to 19km (2.5 hours) and Stretching my short runs by 1 km here and there. I always took gels, water etc so I've trained my nutrition as well and it was wonderful. Watched a nutritionist the other day who Said ist takes at least half a year to figure out ones long run/marathon fuelling, rather one year . I agree.
heart rate zone 2 at first for long run then take note of when you see cardiac drift, that is information about how training is going , generally better conditioned equals later cardiac drift assuming weather etc...... is same
I'm still pretty new to running and besides feuling, the most important long run strategy for me is to run with a friend because I get impatient with anything more than 16km and start running faster to get it over with and run out of steam and hurt myself.
As a beginner runner (>45) i am still recovering from an achilles issue which occured a couple of weeks after starting long runs. What you say is so true , but unfortunately i think it quite often takes an injury before ones innerself will listen and take heed of what their body is telling them.
Wish you prompt recovery 💪
The solution I need for a long run is getting 3-4 hours away from the family without upsetting the wife! Or my boss! For some reason I decided to do a 50k trail run in December and the training plan has the long runs going up to 36km. The other three runs each week I can do in the evening or lunch hour (might be taking the mick a little bit with the lunch hour) but I can't just pop out to run most of a marathon. So I'm really relying on total weekly distance to get prepared. Right now my longest single run is 28km and I hope to do two around 34-36km before December and hope for the best on the day.
It sounds like your overall fitness is going to be solid. You'll do great! Best of luck!
I’ve been running 5 years. For the first time I’m experiencing some discomfort in my heels. Nothing awful but it’s there. Runners, does this mean it’s time to change trainers? Stop running for a while? Thanks.
Plantar injury?
I'm actually at this moment procrastinating running my 30K sunday run...
It's raining, hard winds, temperature is at that point where it's either t-shirt or long sleeves..., and what ever excuses I can find.
THIS is the moment to go out and nail it!! This is the run!! The one you’ll remember for telling the weather who’s boss 💪🏼💪🏼 go get it 😊
@@ThisMessyHappy thanks, I will 😄
It only took an hour to put on my running socks, but at least they are on now.
It's still raining, still a 12 m/s wind (falling branches are a real issue), 8 degr. C temp (46F), and normally I excell in bad weather.
I just think my brain already knows it's going to be pretty boring grinding those mandatory K's, even if its a trail.
I also know that once I start running, it gets better.
Thanks for the push 😀
I cannot underscore how important heart rate is on the long run. The whole purpose of the long run is to build running efficiently. You only do that in Zone 2. If you are spiking into Zone 3 and higher a lot, you are defeating the purpose of this run. A couple years ago I switched to MAF training and my long runs have never been better. I’ve run more volume than ever in my life without injury and dropped 15 minutes off my previous half marathon best. The key is knowing your heart rate zones and using a chest monitor to be disciplined about it. That means chucking your ego when your HR spikes on hills or hot days and make you walk. I only go above Zone 2 for race pace practice segments in the lead up to races. If you stick with Zone 2, you will see results and avoid a lot of injury.
Just when I was thinking what beautiful terrain they run through and maybe I should move to a similar clime, out came the snake 🐍 crawling up the bridge. Oh! Thank you for keeping it real about snakes, heat, mosquitos and other natural companions that pace you along the way 😂
I never take a long run easy the whole time. Easy runs are just for recovery runs only, like after a race or a very hard workout. The long run should have some MP and HMP segments in it, maybe some strides at the end as well. x2 on it being something that keeps you focused and feeling purposeful, keeps you engaged and keeps you in that zone 3 right below your lower LT, or even touching that lower LT area (something you can handle for 90-120min) so you get some good benefits to your aerobic system, without feeling like you just ran a HM or M.
Broken metatarsal here 😫
What I need is a 30k to 40k strategy or mental trick
I run 42k (marathon) most weekends. I alternate the paces each 3k so easy, med, fast. I have music. I challenge myself to stop. I dare myself to stop. I think of all the people that give in. I know how tough we are. And I reward myself with food…😂🎉
I have to do my long run on a treadmil 😢
Better to live in hilly area than to live in flat area 😁 because hills prepare you for eevrything
2nd!
Congrats. You win…. Erm…. A smiley face 😊😂
Don't know if you have tried Epson salts after a long run.soak your feet for 20 minutes.
Training since 4 months now and my long run is about 15km or so (2 hours). Unfortunately I sometimes feel very bad afterwards for a couple of hours, so much so that I need to vomit and laying around the toilet for a while until I am able to slowly crouch back to the couch and eventually fall asleep for 2 hours. Any idea, why I feel that bad after the long run? And waht can I try to avoid it? Being exhausted is one thing, but feeling like a junkie on a bad trip is another thing and the experience is not nice at all.
2 hours after only 4 months is probably the reason. If you’re in it for life there is no rush. No end point. Bring it right back down and enjoy not feeling like you’re going to vomit afterwards. These things take time. I didn’t run for 2 hours for many years in to my journey 😊
@@ThisMessyHappy Thanks for the advice :) Maybe I am overdoing it, because I already ran a marathon 10 years ago, but had a running outage of 6 years because of some bad things happening in my life. So, I am in a restarting phase and maybe need to be more patient... it should be for a lifetime now, because I realized running is so so so important for me and my psychological health :)
What about burgers without the bun?
Hello, thanks for the great advice on long runs. It is very encouraging. Something that caught my attention was the time-on-feet vs. distance. I'm 61 y/o, and running 32 km in 3 hours or less seems unrealistic. I'm doing the long runs above 30km in about 4+ hours. Should I keep running the distance on the plan (32km today and 35km next Sunday) or just run 3 hours...or 4 hours?
Thanks again, and let's bring the NYC marathon home successfully!
As he pointed out, shouldn't try to run past 3 hours, there's a point in which you will not progress from running (maybe research how ultras are considered detrimental). A good idea for your goals may be to add 5k/10k splits. For example, do 4 5ks at 8/10 effort once a week but progress to 2 10ks once a week or even 3 once you're able to!
@@kpacch7085I've found my slower ultras to be far less detrimental than a "fast" marathon... walking hills, stopping to eat yummy food and take in gorgeous views, and keeping my HR under control equals a great day in nature, with far less recovery needed, than pounding it out over pavement nonstop for hours.
Very lucky to see a snake while on a run! So long as it’s not in your path.
"There are times when your long run can take up to three hours"
People training for a marathon: (burst out laughing. Then start crying)
around 3 hours is their goal marathon pace! Mary's going for 3:20:00 ish and Ben a bit faster. understandably, not everyone is that fast or might be faster. make your LR and training yours, you'll do great 😁
God I hate the Long Runs.