I don't know about you, but I think that one of the toughest parts of training for a marathon is getting over the fear of running that long run.
My first marathon, I ran my first 16 miler and it was so hard that I quit running long entirely.
For my second marathon, I ran one 20 miler, and I did it at a pretty fast pace for me. I was sore for days and picked up the kids' flu, which then turned in to bronchitis and tatered the rest of my marathon training. I ran a decent marathon, but it was not what I set my goal for.
On my third attempt, I did the same thing. Bronchitis and all. I really began to doubt my ability to run long and stay well. Lacing up my shoes for a long run scared me. How sick would I be after the effort? How many weeks of training would I lose?
There are two schools of thought about how to run the long run for marathon prep. One says to be sure to practice at an effort level near your goal pace, at least at the end of the run. The other one says to take it slow, to get used to time on your feet. That approach always sounded suspect to me. How could you possibly run quickly if most of your practice was much slower than your goal pace?
But I think I'm starting to get it.
This ramp up to my next marathon is entwined with training for a 50k. I already have 16, 20, and 31 mile training runs under my belt. I have another 20 scheduled for Tuesday, and then I'll have the 31 mile race before the next marathon. The 16 mile was one of those tough efforts, but the other runs have been very slow. But because they have been so slow, I've been able to recover from them well. And that has had a curious side effect.
I'm not afraid of the long run anymore.
Maybe the whole point of running your long runs slow to get time on your feet is more about losing your fear of the distance than anything. Because we all know that fear messes with our performance in big ways. Lose your confidence, and you lose your ability to run well. If you are struggling with actually doing your long runs because they freak you out, try giving yourself permission to run them super slow for now, until you build the confidence to run them faster.
Of course, I could be totally wrong. Bronchitis could be just around the corner. I do love to train in the winter and spring. But at least I am looking forward to my long run on Tuesday - which is something new for me.
Are you afraid of the long run when you see it on your schedule? Why do you think that is? And if not, what has given you the confidence to be able to put the big miles in?
I just ran my very first marathon and I actually got excited about the long runs during training. Mostly because I was able to run the longest distance I had ever run (18 and then 20). Those runs felt like a huge achievement in themselves. BUT- I had serious doubt about the Long Slow Distance. How was I supposed to run my long runs between 8:45-9:10/mi and then knock out 8:24/mi on race day? I doubted it like crazy. I never thought it would be possible. Then race day came, and I ran 8:13/mi! Now, I have no choice but to trust in the theory. It works. It really does.
ReplyDeleteI am so impressed by your training right now. You are amazing. I read every single post you write . :) I'm happy to be a part of the Brooks ID team, along with you.
Hey, look at that, my friend Kate who I litterally ran into during a marathon last week. Oh, thanks for visiting my Blog and making your nice comment. I super appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteHere is my take on long slow run. The whole idea is to incrase your endurance in a low heart rate zone. If you keep it slow, in zone 2, then over time - like a year, your pace will increase at the SAME heart rate. THAT is the KEY. Four years ago, I did my LSD at 11:00/mile and now I do them at 8:30 or less. At the same HR zone. That means come marathon time, I can run a faster pace with less energy. Thus, no bonk. Just my 2 cents.
Kovas - how much of your training is in zone 2 then? Just the long runs? Or most of your runs with some speedwork thrown in? I've been using my HR monitor a bit, but I know I could use it more effectively.
ReplyDeleteI will be training for my first marathon this Summer and right now I am PETRIFIED of the mileage I will be running for my long runs!! I already run super slow so I guess it will be just all mental for me...once I run past 13.1 miles it will all be uncharted territory for me! I have no idea how my body will repsond but I am really excited to see how it goes! :)
ReplyDeleteI always look forward to my long runs...but that wasn't always the case..Training for my first 3 marathons, the long runs...I dreaded them...then something happened. I started liking them way better than the shorter runs. Good luck training, stay healthy!
ReplyDeleteI am with you. I seriously want to have the courage to train longer than the run I am preparing for - usually a marathon. Further, I think you may be onto something here. My half marathon times improved because I focused on marathon training and realized that I could push it for much longer when only doing have the distance.
ReplyDeleteLong runs are by far my favorite. I think I enjoy them so much because I am able to get in my zone. Some may call that a runner's high, I'm not really sure what a runner's high is but I do know that somewhere are mile 5 everything disappears and it's just me and the road. It's the best!
ReplyDeleteI'm
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Idiot
Who
Fears
The
4 mile hill. 74 X more than the long run.
You. Rock.