How to Nail Your Long Run, Mentally and Physically

When you’re training for a lengthy race like a half or full marathon, there’s one run that can inspire more dread or excitement (or both) than any other: the long run. Whether you personally fall into the “love it” or “hate it” camp, it’s the most essential run of the week. “If life is life-ing, and I couldn't do any of the other runs, the long run is the most important to set me up for a race—to feel strong, to feel confident, and to feel ready for what I'm about to face,” says Peloton instructor Jeffrey McEachern. Here’s what you need to know to nail the long run, and get the most out of the many, many benefits it can offer. 

What Is a Long Run?

What “counts” as a long run can differ from runner to runner, what they’re training for, and even what point they’re at within a training cycle. But Jeffrey says it will typically involve running for longer than an hour. That might look like 10 to 12 miles at the peak of your half-marathon training, or top off at 18 to 22 during a marathon build. 

No matter the mileage, the long run is used to train your legs, lungs, and mind to keep going and going, Energizer Bunny–style. “It should be challenging but manageable, in an effort that helps you build your endurance and also sets up your body and your mindset for longer distances,” Jeffrey says.

The Benefits of Running Long Distances

Whether or not you plan on finishing a marathon anytime soon, long runs have plenty of perks.

They Can Improve Your Aerobic Capacity

Running mile after mile regularly turns your body into a more efficient running machine. “Long runs have a really big effect on everything to do with our aerobic capacities, which would be the abilities of our lungs, our cardiovascular system to get energy into the right places in the body,” says Iain Hunter, a professor of exercise sciences at Brigham Young University. This aerobic capacity can be measured by looking at your VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise, Jeffrey says. Improving that number is a great indicator of better cardiovascular fitness. 

They Can Make You More Fatigue-Resistant 

Long runs change us physically, right down to the proteins in our muscles, which become more resilient, according to Hunter. “Our muscles won't fatigue as easily, and our capacities to produce energy won't diminish as rapidly,” he says. This shift will keep your muscles from getting beat up so quickly during shorter runs, too. “When you're doing your interval work, you recover a lot quicker between intervals,” Hunter says. 

They Can Improve Your Overall Health 

It’s not just your running performance that will benefit from long runs. Hunter says this kind of training can lower your resting heart rate, lower your blood pressure, help your hormones work more effectively, improve your cholesterol levels, strengthen your arteries, and more. “There's a lot of physical benefits,” he says. 

They Prep You Mentally for Race Day—and the Rest of Life

In addition to building physical strength, taking stride after stride also develops mental toughness. “You figure out, okay, if I'm running for such a long time, where does my mind go? Am I speaking positively to myself? What happens at what mile, and how can I make sure I have the right tools to say the right things to myself?” Jeffrey says.  

Long runs also boost your confidence since, step by step, you get closer to the goal distance you’re training for. And Jeffrey points out that when you realize that you can knock out 20 miles before other people have even woken up, other challenges you encounter during the rest of your day might feel just a little more doable. 

Types of Long Runs

Not all long runs look the same. There are a few different ways you can structure them. 

Steady Long Runs

The most common long runs simply have you lace up and maintain a (relatively) comfortable pace for a given amount of time or number of miles. “It's about covering the distance,” Jeffrey says.

Progression Runs

On race day, many runners aim for a negative split, where you finish the second half faster than the first. Progression runs, where you pick up the pace for the last few miles, train you to pull this off. “It is teaching my body to finish strong,” Jeffrey says. Just know that getting faster when your legs are already exhausted can be tough, Hunter warns. “For me, that's the hardest part,” he says. 

Interval Long Runs

Adding some faster intervals to your long run as a fartlek can also test your stamina—and break up the monotony of slow, steady running. 

Race Simulation Long Runs

Many runners will give themselves a dress rehearsal before race day, practicing when they’ll wake up, what they’ll eat, what they’ll wear, and maybe even running on the course if it’s nearby. “Mimic the race conditions, practice the race strategy so you can figure out everything that will happen to you on that race day,” Jeffrey says. If you’re doing a hilly race, that includes conquering similar elevation changes.

How to Consider Your Pace During Long Runs

The right pace can make the difference between a miserable long run and one you actually look forward to. 

Ideal Long Run Pace 

There are a few ways you can figure out how fast you should run when you’re going long. If you’ve run another distance recently, you can plug your time into an online race predictor calculator, then go about 60 seconds slower than your goal race pace for your long runs, Hunter says. Alternatively, Jeffrey says you could just shoot for 60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate. Or you can do the “talk test” where you make sure you’re running at a pace that’s comfortable enough to hold a conversation. “If you go by perceived exertion on a scale from 1-10, one being very easy and 10 being the maximum, you should feel like 4-6 on your long run,” he says.

How to Improve Your Long Run Pace

To finish your long runs faster, you’ll want to amp up that speed gradually. Just try for 10 seconds faster per mile each week on your long run, and see if you’re capable of holding that pace, Hunter suggests. You can also work one or two shorter speed runs like intervals or tempo runs into the rest of your week to increase your overall speed. 

Is It Ok to Run Long Runs at a Slower Pace?

“It's better to go too slow than too fast on long runs,” Hunter says. Running long miles at race pace every single week can build up too much fatigue and leave you injured. And as Jeffrey points out, if you go too slowly, it’s easy to adjust and gradually pick up the pace once you know your body can handle it. 

How to Fuel Long Runs

Runners who are racking up high mileage pretty much always need lots of carbs, according to Serena Marie, RD, a registered dietitian who specializes in runners. But it helps to get extra strategic around your long run. 

Before

Marie says you’ll want to eat extra carbs at dinner or as part of a bedtime snack the night before a long run. “So maybe some extra rice or potatoes or an extra slice of bread,” she says. “Even a sports drink before bed.” Also, hold off on the fiber-filled veggies and beans until after your run.

Then, before you hop on the Peloton Tread or head out the door in the morning, have some breakfast. If you’ve only got about 30 minutes, Marie suggests reaching for something sugary with about 30 grams of carbs—that could be toast and jelly with a sports drink for immediate energy. But if you have an hour or two, take in more carbs (60 to 100 grams) and balance them out with fat and protein to avoid a blood sugar spike. A bagel with cream cheese or waffles with peanut butter could do the trick. Also aim to drink 10 to 16 ounces of fluid so you can start your run hydrated.

During

Marie says runners should take in 30 to 75 grams of simple carbs per hour on a long run, depending on their size and how much their stomach can handle. That can come from sports drinks, running gels and chews, or even gummy bears.  

And don’t forget to drink early and often. “I usually tell athletes to start drinking within 10 or 15 minutes,” Marie says. If you’re taking gels and chews, most require you to drink something at the same time so your body can digest them. And if they don’t contain sodium, you’ll want to get electrolytes from your fluids. (Though you might want extra electrolytes either way if you’re sweating a lot.) 

After

“We're not done with the workout till we're done fueling,” Marie says. Although the research is mixed on optimal timing, Marie points out that waiting too long to eat will only lead to massive post-run hunger. So as soon as you can, get in some protein and carbs to refuel and stimulate muscle recovery. 

Carb Load Rehearsal

Marie tells the athletes she works with to practice a two-day carb load at least once during their training cycle. “Just so that they can get familiar with it and see what foods work for them,” she says. That means eating less protein, fat, and fiber, while filling up on those easy-to-digest carbs for a couple days before a race simulation long run. “Generally, we're aiming for about 4.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight,” she says. Pay attention to how it sits in your stomach, and any adjustments you’ll want to make for race day. 

How a Long Run Can Help You Improve Your Running Performance

Long runs will make you not only a better runner, but a smarter runner. “You start to learn how to manage your energy,” Jeffrey says. You’ll realize that you can’t go all-out in the first 10 minutes if you want to last two hours without blowing up. You’ll also learn how—and how often—you need to fuel and hydrate, and what helps you keep going mentally when you’re tempted to give up. 

How to Vary Your Long Runs

The biggest challenge of long runs can be the monotony. But they don’t have to be boring. Jeffrey recommends using them to discover new routes or try different terrain like trails. Racing smaller events as part of a long run can also be helpful. “Maybe sign up for a 10K to figure out how you’ll feel on event day,” he says. 

Focus on having fun. Put together a playlist that revs you up. Make it social by meeting up with other runners. Plan to refuel with a big meal afterward. Have your kids or family members bike alongside you for a few miles. “Make sure to implement it in your life so it's also fun and not just a task that happens once a week,” Jeffrey says. Remember: You get to do this.

When his motivation starts to dip, Jeffrey Googles a picture of the finish line. “I sometimes print it out and hang it above my Tread, or put it on my phone to visualize that goal—because that's what you're training for,” he says. “Just enjoy the journey to that.”

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This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized advice. It is not intended to replace professional medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician for questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. If you are having a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.