How to Run Faster.
By: David Hampson
Tags: Health, Goals, Fitness, Lifestyle, Running

Long Runs

To round up the main three we have our long runs. Long runs (also known as Long Slow Distance (LSD) Runs) are important for our overall fitness and for our running progression. It is there to improve our endurance and to building our foundation from which to work on. To get the most out of our long runs, we need to be hitting the correct pace. Slower than tempo pace, we need to be at an entirely aerobic level where we can hold a conversation and carry on with that pace for the entire length of the run (about a 30–40% of intensity).

So how can we prepare for our long runs and get the most out of them?

Plan Your Route

“The more energy you put into worrying about the workout, the less energy you’ll have for it,” says Kathy Butler, Co-founder Indian Peaks Running Club, Nederland, CO.

Pick a route that makes sense for you. If you have a preferred route, neighborhood, or know you can make pit stops along the way if needed. I am a fan of looped circuits as out-and-back routes can be more draining mentally as you cover the same ground twice (especially if you have to encounter the same hill twice).

Pace

“Your pace should be conversational and your breathing comfortable,” says Jason Fitzgerald, a USATF-certified running coach in Silver Spring, Maryland.

If you’re struggling very early into your run, you’re most likely going too hard. You are working on endurance and efficiency instead of a personal best. You can increase your speed for the final couple of kilometres of a 5/10K and be closer to your race pace. This will help your body adjust to the demands and get your body used to the amount of effort required.

Whether you decide to make it a steady run or what I’ve been training in my running group is what we call 10 & 1s, which essentially is 10 minutes of steady running, followed by 1 minute of recovery walk, then repeat until we reach the target distance.

In terms of distances, it’s really up to you and how you are feeling, but it should be at least twice as long as your other runs during the week. If, for example, you are covering around 4–5km in your tempo and/or speed runs, you need to be looking at around 8–10km at a minimum.

In the half marathon training program, we gradually increase the distance of the long run by about 1km each week until the target distance. An example of what we are doing started with a 7km run on the first Sunday of the program and will increase to 20km by week 16, before tapering off prior to the goal race which was the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (Half Marathon Race).

Benefits of Slowing Down

I personally take advantage of my 10 & 1s as a way to reconnect with my body. I slow right down and really listen to my body.⁠ I get an opportunity to think over a few things. Do I feel any discomfort? How is my breathing? Is my heart rate too high?

During my 60-second walk breaks, I check in and see if I recover quickly enough before my next running block? How has my strength training regimen affected my running? Do I need to ease up on the cross-training? And so on. It’s these little checks that allow me to make the appropriate adjustments to my running to prevent injuries.

It’s a real benefit to forget your times at least for one run during the week, intentionally slow down (I typically slow down to about 7:30/km), and reconnect with my body.