Since I am getting into to my longer runs, I thought providing some tips for long distance running would be perfect for this week’s post. This week, my long run is 9 miles, so these tips I found the most helpful will hopefully guide me through my long runs in the next few weeks!
Tip #1: Think of your long run as just another run. I personally believe long distance training is more of a mental game than a physical game. So to conquer your mind, active.com suggested to just prepare for a long run just as you would any other shorter run.
Tip #2: Strengthen and stretch muscles on the days you’re not running. Fitday.com gives a lot of good tips about form and how to carry your body to prepare you for the longer distances. This tip has already helped me especially with the strength training. Building up your leg muscles will give you the strength you need to push through those extra miles.
Tip #3: Practice posture while running.
This website also gave good tips about keeping your upper body strong so you can run with your shoulders back and chest up throughout your run. Running with your shoulders slumped over causes you to fatigue easier and will make you give out quicker which will make your run much more difficult.
Tip #4: Pace yourself.
I really had to learn this one because I was used to running faster on the shorter distances. Training for long distance is a different story; if you start out too fast, you will very quickly burn out. Womenshealthmag.com says you should be running slow enough to have a conversation (even if it’s a slightly breathless one) so that you can keep the same pace throughout your entire run. A good tip for this is to focus on the distance, not your time when you begin training.
While there are countless tips found on so many different blogs and websites, I thought these were my personal favorites and these are the ones that have helped me so far with my training. I hope they help you as much as they have me!
Getting Ready for 13.1 