A long run is normally a Sunday session that involves a much longer distance than normal. This is a great way to push your body to adapt in ways that improve your aerobic capacity, and thus your performance on your shorter runs. It also improves the body’s ability to burn fat as fuel, which helps supplement glycogen stores and help you avoid ‘hitting the wall’, or ‘running out’ of glycogen.
As a rule of thumb, long runs should comprise 20 – 25% of your total load. The long run can be defined by an amount of time, or a distance, it really depends. The constant though, is that the perceived effort should be low, and exertion kept to a minimum. As such, you are going to be out there for a while, and we have some tips to make it a little less boring.
Pick an unsuspecting friend and convince them you will have fun. Make sure the pace is one where you can hold a conversation. It might be good to shout them a coffee at the end, so they come back next time. Conversely, you could make a call and chat to a friend. This has the added bonus of no expectation of a coffee. Have a target, like your favourite coffee shop, is another great idea to make the run more entertaining. The incentive of the best banana bread in Perth for all your efforts really helps (Miller and Baker for the record). Another, cheaper way to enjoy your time is finding a great coastal and/or forest run. There is nothing like a gorgeous view to sustain your attention and help the hours go by. Lastly, a long run is the perfect time to think.
Compartmentalise all of your angst and confusion to Sunday afternoons and process it on the fly! And yes, you could just put on a podcast, audiobook or Kanye’s latest album. But if you really are over those options, try one of the above!
Happy running.
- https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/a774616/essential-guide-to-long-runs/