Intro

The seasons have changed and we’re now moving into our favorite season. Marathon season…oh you thought we were going to say Fall. It doesn’t matter if you’re running the New York City Marathon or if a 10k is your long run, it’s important to be prepared. Lets talk about some tips to help those long runs go a little smoother.  

Plan your run

If you’re hitting the rhode for a run that will take you over an hour, take a few minutes before you head out the door to look at your route. Plan for water stops, plan for safety, plan to make sure your route is passable. Sometimes you can hit a snag while out on a long run if you don’t prepare. Maybe that bridge you planned to run over is under construction? When will you hydrate? Fuel? Taking a few minutes before your run to review your route is a great way to ensure you don’t hit any snags. 

Hydrate/Fuel

Hydration is super important for runners and if you follow our blog you’ll see it reiterated over and over again. Part of planning your run is making sure you have enough water and fuel to get you through those longer runs. A good rule of thumb for fuel is to take a gel, chew or waffle 15 minutes before you head out the door and every 45 minutes of activity. It also helps to time your hydration out to correlate, it will help you get that fuel down and remind you that you need to drink. You can plan your run to loop past your house, or run through a park, or carry your water and fuel with a hydration belt. 

Run with your phone

This tip is key these days in more ways than one. There are three awesome ways your phone can help you on a long run. 

Tracking - Your phone (unless you’ve got a flip phone) has the ability to download apps that track your run. You can get the Nike Run Club app or the Runkeeper app or MapMyRun, to keep track of how far you’ve gone, your pace, calories burnt etc…

Music/Podcasts - Your phone most likely has the ability to play some tunes or podcasts or audio books to help you get through your run. Long runs, typically take well…a long time and music can be a helpful distraction. Just be sure to not play it too loud as you’ll want to hear traffic and be aware of your surroundings. 

Calling - You may not realize it but that smartphone you carry can actually make phone calls. If you get in a situation where you need help, you’ll have it their to call the emergency services or a pal to come pick you up. 

Run with pals

Running with someone is an awesome way to help a long run go by quicker and make it successful. A little conversation can carry you a long way. Running with a pal can also help hold you accountable. If you have a partner to meet up with you’re more likely to get out the door and hit the rhode. If you’re ever in need of someone to go long with, join us every Sunday at 8am from the rhode for our long run. We have water/vitalyte every 3 miles and we have ourselves a good time. Click here to join us. 

Listen to your body

This is huge. When you’re training for a marathon you’re most likely going to get up to 20 or 22 miles. So on race-day you’ll travel 4 or 6 miles further than you’ve ever run or have run in a while. You need to know that you’re body will carry you that distance. When you’re out on your longer runs, think about how you’re feeling, do you cramp up around 15 or 16? Maybe you need to hydrate more. Do you feel wiped out at mile 18? Maybe you need to focus on fueling different. Listen to your body on these long runs so on race-day you’re set up for success. 

Conclusion

We could write an article titled 1,000 tips for running long. So you may see a few more iterations of this theme in the future. If you’re training for a marathon or thinking about it, take all the advice you can get. Remember you have to get to the starting line before you can get to the finish line. 

Cheers,

Coach E