Sunday; Long Run Day

The Long Run, arguable the most important run of the week for the distance runner. A week's long run is usually gauged as 18-22% of the weekly total mileage and offers huge benefits to runners at all levels. Increasing strength, aerobic capacity, running economy, and how to gauge your effort again prove useful to every type of runner training for a multitude of events. The real beauty of this run though, is that it allows a runner to simply relax and enjoy their time out running. The pace really does not matter (see earlier post) and these runs usually progressively get faster assuming you budget your energy properly. If you bonk, you either went too hard too early or progressed too much. This turns into an especially valuable lesson to runners racing longer road races as it teaches you to be patient. Yes, often the early miles of a run can feel overly easy but when you have 15 to go it becomes a good idea to simply enjoy that rather than ratchet up your effort.

For me, the long run is my favorite run of the week not because of the running based benefits but due to the mental and social aspects that I derive. I usually run between an hour forty-five and two hours for my long efforts and that is time that I am either alone with my thoughts or with a group of close friends. Even though the run can be taxing physically I feel refreshed from good company, time with my thoughts, or simply the idea that I have just accomplished something that many people will never attempt or understand.

Post run recovery is especially important after the long run as your body will be craving fluids, carbohydrates, and muscle repairing proteins. Offer your body the food and water it needs to start repairing itself within an hour of finishing your run and I can guarantee you will feel much better than if you wait any longer. I usually supplement with a small, protein recovery shake. Ice baths or icing directly will speed recovery as well and are an integral part of my personal post long run recovery. As uncomfortable as an ice bath can be, ten minutes with my hips and legs in fifty degree water is well worth the reduction in soreness and the increased rate at which muscles seem to recover. The biggest benefit of the long run day though may be post recovery when you get home or decide to grab some food on the way home. I take this day to eat whatever I have been craving. You burn more calories on this day so it makes sense to give yourself a bit more freedom and appease those damn craving which you've been suppressing all week. I'm not saying go nuts like after a marathon, but rewarding yourself now and then will make long term training more manageable.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy your long run as much as I do whether it be Sunday or any day of the week!