Mastering the long run

The long run is a part of the diet for anyone training for a marathon. The long run prepares your muscles for endurance. Raises the lactic threshold to allow your legs to sustain the pain of the marathon distance.

But what is the long run?

It's not a precisely measured distance, like the marathon at 42.2 kilometres (actually 42.195 k), but runners generally agree that anything over 30 k is a long run. Training for a marathon involves a combination of short fast runs, strength training, casual distance runs and, the long run.

Some runners have been known to overindulge in the long run. In fact, I tend to put one long run in weekly. Normally on the Sunday, the day that most marathons are held. My long runs take me out to 32 k, which is comfortable enough that the rest of the day is functional. My long runs are slow. It takes me three hours to run the 32 k, far below my 3:30 marathon pace. But the pace is intentionally slow. In fact, I now look forward to the long run on Sundays. There was a time I used to dread it.

The long run for me involves slowing down greatly. Before I head out of the door, I acknowledge the fact that I'm going to be out for three hours. I carry some water, and a couple of energy gels. I also carry $2 nowadays, so that I can stop at a convenience store and buy more water. The water I carry is barely 500 ml, which isn't enough for the distance.

Mentally, I'm not thinking of anything in particular, but my mind wanders. I have my music on, an eclectic mix of different tunes. Not always disco, but some soul, r&b, gospel, dance, hip hop, rap. The music serves as a backdrop, to mask out the sound of my breathing and fill those voids where I might be feeling exhausted. If I can't hear what's happening outside, I miraculously don't get too tired.

And I don't push the pace. One step at a time. I know, that sounds cliché, and it's taken a long time to master, it's very difficult to do. Mastering one-step-at-a-time is the key to the long run. Not looking ahead at the distance, watching the long path ahead, looking at the traffic light way up the road, wondering when you'll get there, looking at the hill that's about to come and heaving and puffing your way up, wondering when you'll reach the top. Mastering just taking one comfortable step, lightly, effortlessly, and feeling great about that one step you just took. Like seeing yourself outside your body. Like you're watching yourself on a TV screen moving easily.

When you watch runners you're never usually concerned with where they're going. You're never usually concerned with how long it's taking them to move from one point to another, even in a race. Watch the guy at the back. He even looks good! When you watch a runner, mostly what you see is posture, balance, how the stride looks, how erect the body is and how smooth they look. And that's what you should concentrate on in the long run.

Consider it to be a dress rehearsal where you have to get something right, and that something is your stride. So work on the single stride. Move one step, and then evaluate that step that you just took. Do you even remember it? What did it feel like? Try a second step, watch your knee as it rises up and forward, as your foot swings in front and you touch down, meanwhile your other leg has stretched out behind you and is kicking off. Stride again. One more, feel it, see it in your mind's eye, do it.

I've found that this technique helps me in my shorter runs too. In fact, what normally happens in those shorter runs is that I naturally speed up. I don't slow myself down but just let it happen. Amazingly, sometimes that speed happens when going up a hill and I cruise up. Of course when I get to the top, sometimes, not all the time, I'm drained, but I don't stop, I slow down instead. Slowing down is better than stopping and I catch my breath as I manage my stride. Again, one step at a time. Not thinking about how I've almost slowed down to a crawl, but concentrate on just taking one step and breathe and one step and breathe.

But for the long run, speeding up isn't a good thing. When I catch myself speeding up, and it happens unconsciously because I'm only thinking about the step-by-step thing, I have to consciously slow down. In order to slow down, I have to concentrate on the technique. Back to the form. Step by step. Not worrying about the distance.

So the long run doesn't have to be painful or threatening. At least, not the first three-quarters of it. Eventually, after a couple of hours of running, even the best training submits to fatigue. If you're thirsty, no amount of will power, positive thinking, mental discipline will assuage the thirst. You need water. If you're puffing and panting, then you need to stop, or slow down. You can't be out of breath for very long, it's similar to hyperventilating. Your body will force you to quit so it's best to see the signals and stop yourself.

Eat a light, high carbohydrate meal the night before. Not too late. Not too much eating in the morning. If you're like me, stock your running belt with a couple of gels. I find that two energy gels are good enough. I carry two 8 oz (about 250 ml each) bottles of water. Not just plain water, I have an electrolyte mix (eLoad, endurance formula). And, of course, a $2 coin, for that bottle of water that I buy at about the 24k mark.

It takes practise. The long run is something that will take a long time to get used to. It doesn't happen overnight and even experienced runners will tell you that it's taken a long time to get used to running anything over a couple of hours. Some will even admit that they can't run longer than two hours. Running for three hours, if you're marathon finish time is about four hours is about right.

Happy running!