The Long and Short of Long Runs

When I was training to be the best marathoner in the world, my long run was the focus of my week. But you don’t have to be a marathoner to benefit from long runs, and your long runs don’t have to be 20 miles or more, like mine were. What counts as a long run is relative to how much you usually run. Marathoners need to build up to at least a couple of runs of 20 miles or more before they should try to cover 26.2 miles. But for a 5K runner, a long run could be as short as six miles.
There’s no set standard for what constitutes a long run, but here’s a good guideline: Two out of every three weeks, do a run that’s at least one and a half times longer than any other run you do that week. If your normal run is three miles, then five miles is a long run for you. Hard-core runners who log 10 miles a day would say that they’re “going long” if they went 15 miles or more. If you measure your runs by time, the same standard applies. If you usually run for half an hour, then going 45 minutes or more would be a long run for you.
Many runners do a long run every week, but you don’t have to. Two out of every three weeks is a good goal. This frequency is enough to progress in boosting your endurance, but the occasional week off gives you a chance to recoup physically and mentally. A plan that many runners use is to do a long run on weekends that they’re not racing. This plan mixes things up nicely.
What do you get from doing long runs? Obviously, marathoners need to train their bodies and minds to be out there for a long time. But every runner, even ones who aren’t going to race, should incorporate runs of varying lengths into their training. When you do a long run, you deplete your muscles’ glycogen stores more than usual. During your recovery from the long run, your muscles develop the ability to store more glycogen. This means that the next time you run as far, your muscles won’t get tired as soon. Psychologically, long runs help your usual runs seem easier. When you’re used to being out there for almost an hour once a week, then your normal 30-minute runs don’t seem as daunting. And obviously, the longer you run, the more calories you burn, and the longer you’ll burn calories at an accelerated rate after your run. Long runs are great for losing weight.
Do your long runs at your normal training pace. These runs count as hard workouts because of the increased distance, not because you maintain a faster pace. You should be able to finish your long runs at the same pace you start them. If you have to slow dramatically at the end, then you’ve prematurely depleted your glycogen stores by starting too quickly.
The key to successfully increasing your long run is progressing gradually. When you can comfortably complete a long run at a given distance, try going one mile farther the next time. This is the approach I take. After my racing season ends in the fall, I take it easy for a while. My longest run for a month will be 10 miles or so. Starting in December, I’ll go 12 miles or so once a week, and then start adding one mile per long run until I’m at my target distance.
Make your long runs special. Try to do them in a nice setting, and try to do them with friends. These factors will make these runs more enjoyable, and the miles will pass more easily.