Running is one of the most effective tools for having fun, keeping fit and most importantly staying healthy. Even a workout of a few tens of minutes can give you benefits. The appeal, however, of distance and longer runs is definitely different. When you commit to longer workouts many perspectives change, both physically and psychologically. Physically you are able to strengthen not only your muscles and their endurance but also your cardiovascular system. They improve your blood parameters and lower your blood pressure. From a mental point of view, the sense of gratification and satisfaction after each training session (or competition) increases, and with them self-confidence. Working on self-esteem is not only important for the purpose of sports performance because it is a component that can increase your “performance” on a personal and work level as well. It is important to understand that long-distance running is not a starting point but can be one of the goals to be achieved with specific training.
Watchword: gradualness
One of the first criteria for approaching long running well is gradualness. Proceed by gradually increasing duration and mileage. Your body must get used to a new type of stimulus. Not only at the cardiac level where the ability to sustain prolonged exertion is certainly required but also at the muscular and tendon levels. Abrupt increases in intensity or volume can easily generate inflammation or even more serious injuries. The weekly volume increase should be between 5 and 10 percent depending on your level of performance and running experience. Always remember, however, that after two or three weeks of increasing the load you need to do a much lighter one to facilitate the recovery processes and capture the improvements made.
In the beginning, when you do not yet know your physical and mental limits well, you must be cautious with your chosen gait. In principle, as the distance increases, the pace per kilometer should decrease so as to be able to maintain an adequate and constant pace throughout the training. If you start too hard because it seems easy or because you want to keep up with other runners you run the risk of slowing down dramatically or even stopping. Always start with a clear strategy in mind in terms of pace and distance. Then try to remain as faithful as possible to the initial program. The longer the distance increases, the more crucial your ability to maintain a steady pace becomes.
Strength, endurance and motivation: the three aspects you need to train
Running long distances requires a greater overall commitment than shorter runs and training. You have to adapt your lifestyle to the demands of your chosen discipline. To improve your performance and to lower your times in races, you need to spend more time training because as your mileage increases, the overall volume of your training increases accordingly. You cannot train a marathon by always running only 5 or 10 kilometers at a time. At least once a week you must dedicate yourself to building your aerobic base and endurance by increasing as we have seen the amount of miles. You can consider a given distance acquired when you are able to walk it regularly without having to reduce your pace. The long-distance runner is a mix of strength, endurance, motivation and mental strength. All aspects that need to be trained in the same way. Legs and head must be aligned toward a single goal that is attainable and challenging at the same time.
Don’t overdo it!
An increase in your training volumes requires more attention to recovery time. In terms of injury risk, excessive volume can be much more dangerous than short workouts done at higher intensities. Running is exciting and seeing progress over time is very rewarding. But that doesn’t mean you can get carried away and run into one of the most common mistakes: believing that if you exercise more your performance will improve proportionally.
In lifestyle changes you must also consider the quality of your diet. I am convinced that underlying any endurance performance there are three determining factors:
- Training.
- motivation and other mental aspects
- nutrition and dietary supplementation.
On the one hand, you will have to eat healthier in order to have not only sufficient energy but also a fully functioning body. On the other hand, you will have to parameterize your calorie intake to your needs so that you always have full tanks in every workout but also be able to manage your weight well. Proper weight saves you several seconds per mile compared to other runners who suffer from more or less significant overweight problems. Always study well the timing between meals and your workouts/runs. If you don’t have enough time to digest because you work out early in the morning, run on an empty stomach. It is also a good strategy to increase fat consumption as an energy source. If you are not used to it proceed step by step in this direction as well. The first fasting workouts should be short and low intensity. Then with experience and training you can put in volume and quality as well. Never run immediately after a meal because the running motion would prevent the digestive processes from finishing, often causing gastro-intestinal problems. During digestion some of the blood flow is within the digestive system, as soon as you start running some of the same flow should flow to the muscles in your legs. Under these conditions you would have limited performance and inability to finish the ongoing digestive process well.
Hydrate, always.
In addition to nutrition, you have to become very careful about managing hydration. You must learn not only to drink regularly throughout the course of the day but also to include fruits and vegetables in your diet that are very rich in water, minerals and vitamins. Essential elements for your health and performance. Within my practice we also periodically test athletes for proper hydration levels. This is important because a lot of fluids are lost during a performance even when you are able to drink during exertion. Therefore, if you start well hydrated, performance can be maintained over time. Those who leave already dehydrated will not have a chance to finish the performance properly. Heat stroke in the warmer months or cramps are two of the most frequent episodes induced by dehydration. If you can during your workouts drink little but very often. In this way you will stay hydrated without ever weighing down your stomach too much.
Long distances are stimulating and capable of giving you joy and satisfaction but should be handled gradually and cautiously.
(Main image credit: Sportpointon DepositPhotos.com)