The Long Run - Counting Down to #STWM

Written by Ian Steele, certified personal trainer

With 6 weeks to go before the race, and 4 more long runs to do in training before the taper, your long run is getting to be quite long.

If this is your first half-marathon or marathon you are probably already running longer than you ever thought possible.  In the next 4 weeks your long run could be between 2 and 4 hours depending on your race distance and race goal.  That’s long!

You likely follow a running plan. There are lots of great ones -- whether it came from a magazine, Google search, running store or a personal coach, they are all very similar. The absolute key is the long run (especially for first time or novice endurance racers). It is the key to finishing the race well and getting to the start line injury free. If your long runs increase by around 10% each week, and there are recovery weeks built in, your plan is safe.

Here are a few tips to get you through it without going crazy or getting injured.
Injury:
The injury issue in all running (2km to ultra marathons) is an important one. The vast majority of running injuries come from one simple mistake: doing too much too soon.

Tips to avoid injury:

1. As mentioned already,  keep the increments small. Go up by 10% (time or distance) each week. After 3 or 4 weeks of increases, do a shorter run for your long run.
2. If you miss a long run (life gets in the way…especially summer weekends!), do not increase the duration. If you miss your scheduled 15km run (and cannot make it up within 2 days), do 15km on your next scheduled long run day. If you miss 2 or more in a row (don’t panic!), stay at the distance of your last long run.
3. If you miss the runs between the long runs, do not increase your distance. If you only do your long runs, and nothing else in between, you will get injured. The mid-week runs prepare your body for the long runs.
4. Keep your long runs slow. They should be well under your race pace. If it takes you 2 days to recover from your long run, then you went too far or too fast. Keep it relaxed and easy.

General Long Run Tips:

1. Music or no Music? I personally go without. I like the quiet time to focus on what I am doing and to solve all of the world’s problems in my head. If you choose music (like 90% of runners), go with something slower than you would hear in an exercise class. You need to keep your pace comfortable, so pick the right music. For your shorter, faster runs, go with faster music.
2. Stay fed. The quick rule of thumb for calories is: When you are going to run for more than 90 min, start eating at 45 min. Calories can be liquid (Gatorade), gel (Gu, Powerbar Gel) or solid (bars, fruit). 100 calories an hour is a good starting point. Make sure you train with what you plan on using during the race.
3. Stay hydrated. (But not too hydrated.) A sip of water every few minutes or a cup every half hour. Your choice. 750ml to 1L every hour is more than enough. This is of course weather dependent. On really hot humid days, you need way more. On the cooler days, less is required but I would stick with 500ml per hour as a minimum. Sweat rate is a big influence. If you are a heavy sweater and you get the white salt residue on your clothes, you will need more than the average amount of water and food. Over-hydration can be a problem if you drink way too much over a long period of time when you are not working very hard. If your marathon time will be over 5 hours with lots of walking, you should only drink if you are thirsty. 500ml an hour should be fine.
4. Pick a route that is similar to your race profile. For the Scotiabank Waterfront races that means a super flat route!
5. Your last 2 or 3 long runs should be ‘dress rehearsals’ for the race. Wear the same clothes you will wear in the race, right down to the socks (include water bottle belt if that is your plan). This is to ensure there is no chafing, blistering or simple nagging irritations on race day.

If you have any questions or want more details on any of the above points, please let me know. You can use the comments box on this blog or e-mail me directly at ian@coachfit.ca

Happy running!

Ian Steele is a certified Personal Trainer, triathlon and swim coach, and a member of The North York Generals Team for the 2013 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. He has coached clients to complete races from 5km road races to Ironman triathlons. Ian participates regularly in triathlons and running events of a variety of distances. For more information, e-mail Ian at ian@coachfit.ca