With the season of many long distance races, it’s common to make a few running mistakes during our long-distance training, even if we are long-distance runners.
There are a few things that we should always avoid doing during a long run.
Long-distance running is a physically tough sport. But with the right training plan and mental preparation, it’s possible for just any runner to control and tolerate their long runs.
Knowing what to do during a long run is key.
While we may not enjoy every single moment of a long run, they often wind up being one of the most satisfying parts of training. Many runners learn to actually enjoy their long runs.
But getting to this point often involves quite a bit of trial and error. As running kilometres builds for the first time, many runners make a few long run mistakes that leave them feeling tired and not happy.
We need to avoid making common long run mistakes.
Taking the time to prepare and decide exactly what you will do during your long run will set you up to enjoy the kilometres. Preparing for a long run involves deciding what you’ll eat, how often you’ll stop, what pace you’ll aim for, and creating a mental strategy to use when things get tough.
By doing so, you’ll avoid the mistakes that many runners make during long runs.
Learning what to do during a long run is key to success for any runner.
THE WORST MISTAKES TO DO DURING A LONG RUN
1. Starting Running Too Fast
The easiest way to set ourself up for failure during long-distance training is to start out too fast during our long run. Not only is this the wrong time to be pushing the pace, but we should actually be running our long runs slower at the start than our goal pace at the beginning.
Finishing a long run is a challenge on its own between the increased kilometres and mental strength required to perform new distances.
We should slow down, stop if we need to and not feel guilty. If we’re feeling especially motivated or excited, the key to enjoy our entire long run is starting out slow and steady right from the beginning.
We should remind ourself that long runs are the time to fit in kilometres, not speed. The point of a long run is to help our body adapt to increased distances safely over time.
2. Not Eating Or Drinking During The Run
Another major mistake runners make during a long run is not eating or drinking anything during the run.
As our kilometres increase, our body will need fast-acting energy regularly to keep up with the demands. Waiting to fuel until we are actually hungry means that by the time we are taking in fuel our body has already depleted its energy stores.
We should always plan to fuel and hydrate during a long run.
Hydration and fuelling strategy provides our body with regular water, electrolytes and energy at least every 30-60 minutes. Plan ahead by taking a running belt with a water bottle, as well as easy to consume gels, chews or snacks for during your run. Enjoying our long runs means never letting our body get depleted.
3. Trying New Gear For The First Time
Training is a great time to test out new gear and fitness products, but this should be done during our easy runs throughout the week. Trying out new shoes or clothes during a long run can cause injuries or blisters.
My recommendation is to try out all new running gear at least once during an easy short run before putting it to use on a long run. It’s much easier to push through the pain of a blister during a short and easy run.
Also, we should test things out prior to race day, and once they feel comfortable, we should wear them during long runs to ensure they hold up to all the kilometres.
4. Eating Immediately Before Our Run
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It’s no secret that long runs require plenty of calories and fuel. Many runners enjoy long-distance training because it provides them with the opportunity to carb load with good running snacks.
However, it’s important to time our carb loading right. A common running mistake is to continue fuelling right up until the start of our run.
Eating immediately before a run, especially a long run, usually creates some digestive distress since our body is unable to fully digest our food before we start running. This can lead to many bathroom issues and abdominal cramps that can really ruin a run.
Make sure to carb load the day before your long run, or before the run. The morning of our long run, we should fuel our body with a carb friendly breakfast or snack, but to finish eating at least 30-60 minutes before starting our long run.
5. Over Or Under Dressing For The Temperature
As kilometres increases, the time we spend running will as well, might be running for 3 or more hours at a time during our long run.
The weather and temperature can change drastically over the course of three hours, especially if we start running early in the morning. Failing to dress for changing weather is a common running mistake during long runs.
Dressing properly will help us feel better, and enjoy our long run.
Make sure to dress in plenty of layers to provide flexibility for temperature changes. As we get started, our body temperature will quickly warm up along with the air. It probably won’t be long before we’re sweating, even in 5-10C degree temperatures.
6. Trying To Squeeze In Extra Kilometres
When we miss a run or are forced to shorten one, it can be tempting to add those kilometres on to the end of our long run.
This is a big running mistake that might leave us side lined with an injury, resulting in even more missed kilometres. Long-distance training plans are created with a specific strategy to allow for a gradual increase in kilometres and enough good recovery.
No matter how great we are feeling at the end of our long run, we shouldn’t try to add too much kilometres. We should complete the run as scheduled and continue along with our training.
Long-distance running requires physical strength, mental spirit and incredible perseverance.
We should avoid these 6 running mistakes during our long run and we will set ourself up for the ultimate performance success.
Avoid Long-Distance Running Mistakes, Focus On Good Recommendations, Fill Good And Strong, Mental Wellness And Happiness, Enjoy Good Long-Distance Runs!
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