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.