The Long Run

If you're training for a distance running event your success depends on your long runs

Whatever the length of your next distance event, whether it be a 5k or ultra marathon, the level of success that you have on race day will be driven to a large extent by your long run training. Get your long runs right and you're well on your way to having a memorable day, but get them wrong and it might be memorable for all the wrong reasons. In this post we'll give you some tips to make sure it's the former and not the latter!

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Check out a training plan for any distance event, from 5km upwards and you'll see that the long run is the key. It's normally scheduled for the weekend, but it doesn't have to be then. It's there based on the assumption that the runner works Monday to Friday, but if you don't you can move it to suit your working week. The general principle of your training plan is that the shorter runs and the rest days then make up the rest of the week's plan. You need to treat every long run as a mini event, especially as you get into the longer runs. They almost become a practise for the real thing.

Timing is everything

Try and do your long run at the same time that your event is scheduled. This might not always be practical but you need to do your best to replicate race day and one way of doing that is to do your long runs as close to race day timings as you can. If the race starts at 8am then aim to do your long runs in the morning, mid morning at the latest. Don't do them in the evenings. You need to get used to getting up and running early, just as you will do on the biggest day of your running life.

Focus on your nutrition

On race day you should have a clear plan and that includes what you are going to eat and drink: before, during and after. The same needs to happen on your long runs. Think really carefully about what you eat and drink the night before your long run and what you're going to consume during the run. If you think you are going to use gels then start to get used to them on your long runs. No need to worry about gels on the shorter runs during the week, it's the long run when you should start to get used to them. Remember that ideally you have one gel for every hour of running so the longer your runs the more you'll need. Invest in a fuel belt that you strap around your waist. That's the best way to carry them. They can get very messy and the last thing you want to be doing is carrying them in your hands. Think about how much water you need as the distance of your long runs increases. If you have a fuel belt you'll be able to take water as well. Don't carry it in your hands as it can affect your running posture. If you're doing a loop course, go out beforehand and 'hide' some in a suitable spot.

If you're planning on using gels on race day then use your long runs to get used to them.

Develop a routine

Go through the same routine before and during your long run as you will on race day. This isn't just about time of day and what you eat and drink, it's also about what time will you go to bed and how rested will you be the day before. In an ideal world you'll have your meal the night before at a similar time, go to bed early, be up at a similar time you will be on race day and have breakfast at the same time. Lay your kit out the night before, just as you will the night before your event. However we don't live in an ideal world, so do your best and get as close as possible to a race day routine as you can. The long run is a practise for race day.

Increase slowly

Don't increase each long run by too much. One of the four principles of training is progression and that really does apply to your long run. If you feel like your running out of time in your training it can be very tempting to add more than you should to your long runs, but this can often lead to injuries and fatigue and that could spell trouble. Ideally each long run should only be 10% longer than the last one and during the week you will have run three or four times to prepare yourself for the extra distance. Those midweek runs will also have been 10% or so further than they were the previous week. These shorter runs help prepare you for the long runs. There may be occasions when you decide to consolidate and do the same long run distance, or potentially a bit less, rather than increase it over the previous week. That's fine if you've left plenty of time in your schedule.

Don't go the whole way

The good news is that you don't need to go the full distance of your target event in training. If you're running a marathon then 20/21 miles is fine. 10/11 miles for a half and 7.5/8km for a 10km. You'll be able to get through the last part of your event through a combination of the crowd, the adrenaline and your overall fitness, assuming that you have followed your training plan to the letter. Your plan will schedule your long runs on this basis, so the first time you'll run 26.2 miles if you're doing a debut marathon will be on race day.

Abort if needed

If it's not going well in the first couple of miles, abort and try again tomorrow. You know what it's like when you're out for a run, some runs are good and some are definitely not. Maybe the weather isn't right; too windy, too cold or too hot? So if you think after a few minutes that your run long isn't going to plan then turn around, head home and try again tomorrow. You will have prepared for this and you need to get it right. Don't compromise, especially when you're into the last few long runs of a marathon training plan. They are too important to mess up.

Get plenty of rest

Rest is a essential part of any training plan for a very good reason. You need to let your body deal with the stresses and strains that distance running puts it under and that is very much the case with your long runs. Don't run the day before a long run, or the day after and avoid strenuous exercise of any type on both of those days. The day before allows your body to rest and prepare and the rest day after it allows your body to recover. This is really important.

The long run builds the 'race ready' you

Not only does the long run prepare you physically for race day it also helps prepare you mentally. The confidence that you get from ticking off a little more time and distance every week is invaluable. Knowing that you can finish your event is key to your success. As with any sport distance running is a combination of fitness and mental strength. Confidence breeds success and following a quality long run schedule gives you all the confidence you need.

These London Marathon runners worked hard on their long runs!