How To Run Further: The Power Of The Long Run
It does not matter what it is you are training for, a long run should always be included somewhere in your training week.
Why should I have a long run scheduled?
Long runs have many beneficial physiological effects on your body. When you run for longer periods of time your body increases the enzymes within your muscle cells and grows capillaries, which are small vessels that surround the cells. This important change allows for an increase in oxygen to be delivered to the muscles at work.
“The more oxygen that you can deliver to the working muscles, the better your performance will be,”
-Coach Greg McMillan
These long runs can help fend off fatigue on race day. Fatigue affects everyone differently and sets in throughout the body. By scheduling long runs throughout training, your body will learn to adapt to these personal fatigue feelings and overcome them.
Physical fatigue is not the only issue when racing. Many people underestimate the mental fatigue they will have to face on a long race day. Your mind can easily take control of you and play tricks. You need to know what it’s like to “hit the wall” and how to fight through it.
How to train for the long run?
Your weekly long run should total roughly 20-30% of your weekly mileage. For example, if you are planning to run 20 miles a week, your long run should be 4-6 miles long. For the beginning runner, you should focus on running at a minimum of 3 times per week. In the weeks to follow you should work up to more runs per week aiming to reach 6 days of running a week with a rest day of your choosing.
How does the long run benefit your training?
There are 4 key reasons why we believe the long run is essential.
Long runs teach your body to properly fuel itself with fat. Glycogen storage (carbohydrates) is limited within your body. By running longer the body learns to hold off on burning its glycogen storages to conserve its needed energy down the road. Instead, the body is forced to efficiently use fat as fuel.
It strengthens your muscles, bones, and tendons. As a runner, most people underestimate the need for strength. By running longer the body is forced to adapt itself to the beating of running. This repetition of running for long periods has positive feedback within the tissue and tendons within the legs that increases their overall strength over time.
Longer runs increase your max VO2. Your VO2 correlates to the amount of blood your heart can pump out into your body. As you increase your run distance and time your body builds more capillaries and red blood cells, allowing you to move oxygen through the blood more efficiently.
You build mental toughness. Probably the most underrated aspect of endurance racing is the mental toughness required to finish a long race. Without prepping the mind breaks. Long runs build this mental resilience needed to race at your very best.
