Marathon Training - Your Long Run

It's Labor Day, so those of you training for the Chicago Marathon, New York Marathon, Marine Corp Marathon, and other Fall marathons, should be nearing the time for your "Long Run". Here are a few tips to make your Long Run as productive as possible:

**Use the search function to view more Marathon Training posts...We've covered your last meal, best races for beginners, how many really long runs you really need and MORE!

1. Distance

Your Long Run should be 20 miles. No more, no less. 20 miles has been proven to be a long enough distance to adequately prepare your body for the upcoming 26.2 mile challenge, but not too long to fry your legs and break down your body to such an extent that you will not be able to recover in time for the race.

2. Date

The most frequently asked question by new marathon runners is, "When should I do my long run?" The answer: 4 to 5 weeks out from your Marathon day. One month or one month + a week will give your body enough time to make the gains it needs from your 20-miler and also provide enough of a buffer to completely recover prior to the race--especially since the week immediately before the Race is a taper week.

3. Race Conditions

Your 20-mile run is a "test run" for your Marathon. Therefore, try to mimic what you expect to do in the race. While you don't have to get up at 4am, heading out the door by 7am will give you some idea of how your body will handle 20 miles in the early part of the day. You should have pacing goals by now too, so bring your watch, and if you can find a route that will give you some mile markers, all the better. Try to follow the pace that you will run in the race. Last, try to find a 20-mile route that replicates the hills/flats of the Marathon course. Depending upon where you live, this might not be possible, but running your 20-miler on a course that's dramatically different than the Race route will not be as helpful--and don't even think about running on dirt trails if your Marathon is on paved roads (your legs need to get used to the pounding).

PS - wear the shoes you will be running in on Race Day

4. Nutrition

You should think about your pre-race meal and eat the same prior to your 20 miler--then, if it's not enough food, or too much, or just the wrong stuff causing stomach queasiness, you can adjust by the time of the Race. A good mix of carbs and protein always worked best for me, for example:

1 bowl of granola cereal with a touch of 1% milk
1 banana
3-4 slices of turkey breast or canadian bacon
quarter cup orange juice
glass of water
1 energy bar

I'm 175 lbs., however, and have a high metabolism, so for many--especially women, this may be a little too much food for the morning of your pre-race meal...but, maybe you could cut all of these portions in half?

Eat this meal about 2 hours before you head out for your run as this will likely be about the same amount of time between leaving your hotel/house on race day and the start of the Race. It should also give you ample time for a poop or two...or three. About 20 minutes before you start running, eat a gel (see below) and wash it down with a few swigs of water.

During your 20-mile run, you need to consider the fact that no aid stations will be out to serve you drinks and food along the way. This does not mean that you should try to extend how long you can last without proper fluid and food intake--the whole purpose of this run is to replicate Marathon conditions, remember? So, you should first purchase and wear a fluid belt--good models are made by Fuel Belt and Nathan Sports and these will give you around 30 ounces of fluid (I suggest the 4 bottle belts, anything more is too cumbersome around the waist). If you're annoyed by having any bottles around your waist, you don't have to wear it for the Race itself, but you NEED to wear this during your 20-mile training run. Still, 30 ounces may not be enough fluid for 20-miles, which for even the faster runners amounts to nearly a 3 hour run. If that's the case, you should supplement your fluid with a) a stop at a drinking fountain or (b) a friend or relative who can meet you at a pre-arranged spot around mile 16/17 to do a bottle handoff or (c) cirlce back past your home where you can leave a bottle outside in the driveway/lawn etc. At least half of your fluids should be a sports drink and the other half of your bottles plain water.

In addition to fluid, you also need to eat during the Race and your 20-miler. Stay away from the bars -- they're too difficult to digest. Instead, experiment with a few different brands and flavors of gels. My favorites were Gu's chocolate and Clif Shot's rasberry. Find a couple flavors you like and bring at least two different flavors. You'll be eating a lot of these, so you'll want to find a couple that taste good...or at least are tolerable.

Plan on eating at least 3 gels, and probably more like 4 or 5. One every 4 to 5 miles (30 minutes) usually worked well for me. If you bought a fluid belt, you can tuck the gels into its pouch for convenient carrying. If you don't have the belt, consider carrying in your pockets or wearing a waist pouch to avoid holding them in your hands for several hours. Again, focus on when and how much you are eating/drinking because you will want to do this exactly come Race day OR make appropriate changes if it didn't go well.

5. No Ipods

Since you will not be running with music in the Marathon, do not use one during your 20-miler. You must get used to mentally focusing on your body, the distance, the miles, etc. Your 20-miler is not only for learning about how your legs and body will perform, but also how your brain will react. You need to become comfortable getting lost in your thoughts and have practice in finding the thoughts that will help motivate you through the difficult parts of the run...and there will be a few.

6. Have Fun

It's always easy to forget about enjoying yourself during a hard training day. But, consider how lucky you are to be doing exactly what you want to be doing at that moment in time. And, think about how great it's going to feel when you cross that Finish Line! Go get 'em!!