Tips for a Great Long Run

You don’t want to get bored running, do you? No, of course you don’t! You should be running differently at different times during the week. When training for a race, you should have AT LEAST 3 training runs each week:

1.       Intervals

2.       Tempo

3.       Long Run

Each of these different types of run has a different purpose. You may also hear these referred to as “effort days.” (Plan at least one “off” day between your effort days, BTW). Today I want to discuss the Long Run. If you’re like me, you want to have a good Long Run, because that will make you feel confident on race day.

DISCLAIMER: I am neither a doctor nor a nutritionist, but over time I have found some things that work for me. I will share them in the hope that they work for you also.

Most runners tend to do their Long Run on a weekend, because most runners have more time on weekends because most runners have to work all week so they can afford more running shoes. That’s also a good thing because when training for half or full marathons, your weekend long run will simulate your goal race, and those are almost always on weekends. Really early in the morning.

TIP #1: As you get closer to your goal race, try to do your long runs at the same time of day as your race. This will help train your body to perform at that time of day.

Another important factor in the long run is nutrition. This is more than just right before you run. Proper nutrition helps you get the best out of yourself for your Long Run, or any run for that matter. Proper nutrition starts right after your previous “effort day”.

TIP #2: After any training run, get a recovery meal into your belly within 30 minutes. There are physiological reasons for this timing that I won’t go into here, just do it.

A good recovery meal contains a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein and is related to your body weight. Aim for one-half your weight in pounds as the number of grams of carbs, and one-quarter of that as the number of grams of protein. For example, if you weigh 160 lbs, that’s 80 g carbs and 20 g protein. I make myself a shake with non-dairy milk, some agave syrup, a banana, cocoa powder, and 2 scoops of Arbonne Protein Powder. At first, I just had the protein shake, and I didn’t notice much difference. But when I read about the ratio of carb to protein and the proper amount per weight, it made a huge difference. To be honest, it is really filling to take in 80 g of carbs and 20 g of protein after a run. At first I felt really full. But a couple hours later, I was ready to go again! The fatigue was gone!  Now I save this nutrition plan for when I am training for a race

Nutrition continues the night before your long run (you’re going to get up early to run, remember?)

TIP #3: For best long run performance, avoid adult beverages the night before. I know, I love my beer too. But this helps if you want to feel your best. Instead, eat carbs and make sure you are fully hydrated.

When I wake up on the morning of my long run, the first thing I do is get something to eat. My go-to long-run-morning breakfast is an open-faced peanut butter & beet sandwich on whole wheat bread. I started using beets recently when I discovered they help your body process oxygen (see my

Log post on beets). The nutrition for my pre-run meal comes out like this: 39 g carb, 16 g protein, 18.5 g fat; 360 calories. I use Eureka organic bread and Crazy Richard’s Peanut Butter. I use that peanut butter because the ingredient list is short: peanuts. That’s it.

Bread: 22g carb, 7 g protein, 2.5 g fat.

PB: 7 g carb, 8 g protein, 16 g fat; 190 cal

Beets: 10g carb, 1 g protein, 0g fat, 30 cal

Tip #4: Take in about 300-400 calories before your run. You may have to work up to this if you’re not used to it.

If you are used to having caffeine every morning, make sure to have some before you run. Finally, your Long Run nutrition includes fueling during your run, if your run is long enough.

Tip #5: If you are going to be running longer than an hour, fuel on the run.

Take some energy gels or a sports drink with you. Here’s what works for me: I take an energy gel at mile 4 (that’s somewhere between 32 and 37 minutes for me). Then I take another gel every 3 miles after that (24-28 minutes). There is a formula (http://www.active.com/running/articles/4-steps-to-perfect-marathon-fueling) but an easy rule to remember is to take in about 1 g of carb for every minute you run. Energy gels are usually 25-30 g carbs each, so one every 30 minutes fits that nicely. Once again, you may have to work up to this if you’re not used to it.
(See my detailed blog about this topic here: https://plantbasedplodder.blogspot.com/2017/12/fueling-your-marathon.html)

Tip #6: Hydration. Weigh yourself before and after your long run. You should try to replace each ounce of weight lost with an ounce of water. If you can do this during your run without having to pee, even better.

And of course, after your long run the cycle repeats itself with another post-run meal. 

We Choose to Go to the Moon!

This week marks the 48^th anniversary of the Apollo 11 trip to the moon. Apollo 11 launched July 16 and landed July 20, 1969. Because my family moved to Merritt Island, FL when I was 6 so my dad could work on the Apollo program, and I lived in that area until I myself was a 28-year-old parent, I think it’s safe to say that the space program had a huge influence on my life. Even now, one of my favorite inspirational quotes is one from John F. Kennedy speaking at Rice University on September 12, 1962 – about 35 days before I was born:

But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask, why climb the highest mountain? Why 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? (Why does Rice play Texas?) We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things not because they are easy, but because they are hard. Because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills. Because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.

Why ever start running in the first place? Why enter a 5k race with hundreds or thousands of other 

people? Why sign up to run twice as far, a 10k? Why spend around two hours running the 13.1 miles of a half marathon? And why in the name of all that is holy, subject ourselves to 20 weeks of training to spend about 4 hours running 26.2 miles – a full marathon - at one time? I won’t even mention Ultras! Why choose this as our goal?

Not because they are easy, but because they are hard. As humans, we need to set goals for ourselves to prove to ourselves that we are capable. For some, it’s proof that we have become capable for the first time. For others, it’s proof that we are still capable.

Because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills. Training for any event, especially a full marathon, is an effort in itself. We put ourselves through intense mental and physical effort to endure the temporary pain of training in order to earn the permanent glory of completing our goal. We need this. It affirms our existence as human beings.

Because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.  We might not literally win the races we enter; in fact, odds are we will not. But we accept the challenge, we pick a date, and we start training. We talk to and learn from others. We read. We google. We ache. We grimace with effort and we smile with victory. Choosing a goal, working toward it, and eventually achieving it makes life worth living.

It doesn’t matter what your goal is, but you should have one. And you should make it count. And when you have achieved that goal, you should choose another, loftier goal that challenges your newly acquired strength and ability. Keep challenging yourself and you keep growing, no matter how old you are.

Choose a goal today, and then go achieve it. Not “just another 5k.” Step it up. Reach for the stars. Extend yourself. If you’re a couch potato, get up off that couch and sign up for a 5k! If you’re comfortable with 5ks, move up to a 10k. If you’ve done 10ks, try a half marathon (it’s America’s most popular distance, after all.) When you’re ready, go for the whole enchilada: 26.2 miles. Or take your favorite distance and aim to do it better this time. Try something you’ve never tried before, or try to do something better or stronger or faster than you’ve ever done before.

What’s your Moon shot?

Tart Cherry Juice

First of all, I'm sorry but I can't think of a cute rhyme for tart cherry juice like I did for beets. If you think of one, please feel free to add it to the comments.

Choose your supplement $ wisely. IMHO Some are worth it and some are not. I think tart cherries are on the "worth it" list. 

Tart cherries are a nutritional gold mine. They contain various antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents including many vitamins and minerals. Other nutrients within tart cherries include fiber, protein, ("You're vegan? Where do you get your protein?") omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, folate, choline, quercetin, cyanidin, and anthocyanin.(1)

A better-known benefit of tart cherry juice is its ability to fight inflammation. In a 2006 study, researchers confirmed that the anthocyanin in tart cherries can relieve the inflammation due to arthritis. In a 2012 study, researchers found that drinking tart cherry juice twice daily for three weeks reduced pain in patients with osteoarthritis. Blood tests also showed significantly less inflammation. (1)

Now we get to the info that is meaningful to runners  like you and me: how tart cherry juice helps long distance runners.  A 2010 study found that drinking tart cherry juice for seven days before and during a strenuous running event minimized muscle pain after the run. Another study in 2006 found that tart cherry juice is effective in decreasing symptoms related to muscle damage from exercise. For example, the strength loss after drinking cherry juice was only 4% compared to 22% for the placebo.

Tart cherry juice is also very helpful in the recovery after a marathon, according to the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports in 2010. The juice provided viable recovery after a marathon by increasing total antioxidant capacity and decreasing inflammation, which in turn helps the muscles recover. Tart cherry juice also contains potassium, which helps with hydration and muscle recovery.

Now, as I've said before, SUM NON MEDICUS (I AM NOT A DOCTOR.) However, my experience with tart cherry juice leads me to believe in the above cited research. I did my own recent experiment. The week before my marathon on 4/23/27 I started the cherry juice regimen. On marathon day, I ran strong and never "hit the wall". I even had a finishing kick! (Let me tell you that this was not the case with my first 2 marathons!) My quads were a little weak immediately after the race but after some food and a good night's sleep, there was little residual soreness. I consider this a big plus. 

For comparison, I stopped drinking the tart cherry juice leading up to a half marathon 3 weeks later. I was more sore after this HM than I was after the full marathon!

Be careful though - the tart cherry juice I found at the local grocery store was watered down with Apple juice. That stuff did not seem to work.  I finally bought some Country Spoon Montmorency Red Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0032JKWGI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_n6zBuF6U6XMZh). I mixed 1oz of this with 5 oz water. This stuff works! If you're not a fan of tartness, just use more water.

Footnotes

1) http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/food-and-nutrition-articles/benefits-of-tart-cherry-juice/amp/