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Long Run Tips: Getting Prepared Mentally and Physically

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If you’re preparing to be one of the crazies who gets up earlier on Saturday than Monday, welcome to marathon training!!! Are you dreading the big miles? Freaked out? Or psyched to see what you can do?

It probably depends on the week and just how tired you are from fitting in training around a busy life or perhaps because it’s all new and a little terrifying to wonder if you can.

Getting your mind right is one of the biggest keys to a great long run.

Ok that and not going from a 3 mile run to a 20 mile run because you skipped all the previous training. Unless you happen to be that annoying super athlete like my husband, though as he gets older those little trysts leave him a little more humbled. Ha!

We’ll talk about logistics, but let’s start with your mind.long run tips

Setting Your Mind

Half marathon or marathon training can feel intimidating the first go round. You look a training plan that shows a 20 mile run, while thinking 6 is all I can manage right now!

Step 1: Stop Looking Ahead!

Stop focusing on what’s coming weeks or months down the road. Just do this weeks workouts and know that the plans are designed to help you build slowly. No trying to jump ahead because mentally you feel like you should be doing more.

Step 2: Start Milestone Celebrations

Instead of dreading that new distance, start thinking of it as an opportunity to celebrate a new milestone in your running. Even during that run, as it gets hard, focus on knowing that once you’ve finished, you’ll have run farther or possibly the same distance faster, than ever before. We get so focused on the final goal, that we miss all the exciting things along the way!!

Shoot coming back from knee surgery, I did a stationary happy dance the first time I walked 10 minutes and then a full blown happy dance when I ran a mile again without walking.long run tips

Step 3: Gratitude Miles

One of the tricks that has worked so well for me and those I coach, is a gratitude mile. Sometimes it’s your very first mile, other times you use that mile to warm up with your music and then shut it off when your mind starts going negative.

The gratitude mile can be for anything! But when I’m hurting mine often goes like this:

  • Thank you for my strong right knee
  • Thank you for my relaxed shoulders
  • Thank you for a body that allows me to do this
  • Thank you for that neighbor who put out funny Christmas decorations
  • Thank you for the sunshine on my face
  • Thank you for my big toe feeling good

I mean really! I will work my way through my body pointing out every single thing that is feeling good to help remove the attention from the fact that I could be running with dead legs.

Step 4: Reframe the Hours

The longer training gets, sometimes the more daunting it can seem to carve out the time. It can help to stop thinking of what you’re not doing (laundry, making breakfast, work emails) and instead focus on what you’re really getting from it beyond training. Reframe it as an opportunity to explore new places or time to think without the interruption of your phone or family

How to embrace your long runs, let go of the fear and prep like a rockstar! #runchat #marathon Click To Tweet

Entertain Yourself

Ok yes it’s a long time to be alone with your thoughts, but honestly I don’t get bored while running and I think these tactics are why. Sometimes you do need a distraction to move away from thoughts of “Oh my gawd how am I not done yet?!”

Audiobook Intrigue

I only listen to my audiobook while running. Yup that’s my trick, I can’t sneak it in while driving, I must be running. And if it’s a great book then I’ll want to keep going…which means the key is a great book. I don’t think all books are perfect for a good run, so I created my list of the best running audiobooks.smart phone

Music for the Soul

Science has told us how beneficial it is to our motivation, but there’s a key way to use it for long runs. Save it for the last 30 minutes to get that emotional boost. I know this is a massive change for a lot of you, but see what happens if you go with no sound for awhile, then a podcast and then finally to music.

Friends for Distraction

Break it up by having them join you for certain miles or join a group if you love the camaraderie and someone cheering you on. A lot of my friends have husbands who will bike along with them during their run…my husband is busy on the trails and that would be painful for me to watch him do it. BUT I love when we cross paths!

Routes for Variety

Do you love to explore new places? Then take the time to plan out new places for your long runs. I get excited about looking for street art or seeing the streets before people are awake, so it’s worth driving a bit if it puts my mind in the right space. austin muralsThere’s also something to be said for the routine of a familiar place where you can stop thinking about your next turn and really deep dive in to your thoughts.

And of course you can choose to use a shorter race as part of your mileage. The key is to ensure you get in the full miles and be strategic about the race, i.e. force yourself to go easy or use it for goal race pace training.

Running Gear Prep

While gear is crazy important for preventing blisters, chafing and other assorted issues while you run…the best most expensive, high quality gear doesn’t work if you can’t get your mind out of the “I can’t” mode. So focus on that first!

How should you prepare for a long run? Use this checklist to get all your ducks in a row and eliminate stress.

Long run checklist:

  • Lay out all gear the night before (no rummaging in the dark)
  • Charge everything – phone, wireless headphones, headlamp, GPS watch
  • Plan a route to meet your goals (hilly race, flat race, need a confidence boost?)
  • Set alarm (and back up if you’re that person)
  • Write a note or notify someone of your planned route
  • Hydration vest or handheld
  • Safety Gear for dark mornings
  • Anti-chafe stick or lube (seriously don’t forget this)
  • Face sunscreen when running and protection elsewhere!! We too often neglect this.
  • Fuel: electrolytes, gels or whole foods (more on this below)

run prep

Best long run gear

Is there gear that’s better for the long run than your others? I dunno, but I have found myself trending towards a few things over the years.

  • CW-X Stabilyx compression tights: I like the extra IT Band and knee support
  • Camelbak Hydration vest: I love that I can carry things like my phone for fun photos, leaving my hands free and preventing a change in running form from carrying a water bottle.
  • Bodyglide: Usually just on my things, but for long runs it’s feet, arms, everything!
  • Quality socks: I wrote a whole post on different options, but it’s MUST.

What to take on a long run?

I’m pretty basic with my water, phone and some fuel. But I have friends who go out full on mom mode: kleenex, chapstick, extra sunscreen, body wipes, band aids, magic beans.

Honestly, it comes down to what will make you feel more confident? I like feeling lighter, but they feel stronger knowing they’re ready for any situation!

How to fuel your long run

Don’t get too caught up in this piece. It matters, but not as much as putting in the miles! I often talk about whole food options from pineapple to potatoes, but there are other ideas like natural Huma gels. You just need to keep testing to find out what works for you. Don’t trust that suddenly on race day a gel is ok…it’s often stomach distress.

Night Before
Night before the long run I eat pizza. Yeah and it turns out among my peers this is super common! Now I eat 1 slice with a salad, but still I’m not overthinking it and I’m NOT carbo loading.

Morning Of
I’ve done a big post on what to eat and how long before you workout to eat it, which means I won’t try to squish it all in here. Short version is fasted runs are used for specific training purposes, but probably not ideal for every week.slow cooker oatmeal

Morning Of the Long Run

Ok we’re down to the final piece, the actual morning of your run! Whoop, yeah baby, you’re ready to rock this mother..but first:

  • Wake up early enough to drink 8 oz of water
  • Hit the bathroom, possibly a few times
  • Eat your light breakfast
  • Foam roll to loosen muscles and increase blood flow
  • Do a dynamic warm up (stop skipping this!!!)
  • Walk for a few minutes before starting your run (also proven to help endurance)

Post Long Run

You freaking did it, so happy dance all over the parking lot, driveway or wherever you finish. You think I’m kidding, but I have fist bumped myself many a time for making the miles happen.

That feeling of know you did it, no matter how hard, is extremely important. It’s a reminder that you can do more than you think, something  you call on come race day and proof that you can keep building by following the plan.

Now it’s time to be really smart about your recovery! Here are some guides to help you out:

  • Best post run meals for recovery
  • Recovering like a pro without the paycheck
  • At home TENS for pain relief
  • Ice bath vs epsom salt bath

Any other long run training questions?

What’s something that helped you with the miles?

Other ways to connect with Amanda

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Posted by amanda Categories: Half Marathon, Marathon, marathon training, running coach

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Hello runners! I’m Amanda Brooks, a certified personal trainer and running coach. I’ve been coaching over a decade and distance running since 2002. My philosophy is that running isn’t about your pace or the distance or your body. It’s about showing up for yourself, loving the process and doing it injury free!

 

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About Amanda Brooks

Amanda Brooks is a Certified Running Coach, Certified Personal Trainer and long time distance runner with a passion for every facet of running, which leads her to do more reading, research and running than necessary. Find all the tips, tricks and tools you need from this running coach for your best injury free running. Read More…

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Amanda Brooks : Run Coach
A NEW PLAN DOESN’T FIX EVERYTHING. You might alr A NEW PLAN DOESN’T FIX EVERYTHING. You might already know what’s best for you, but aren’t doing it consistently. That’s the only way we really make changes.
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A PLAN can help, but I often don’t think that’s step one to making lasting change.
//
HABITS AND ROUTINES✴️
-Eliminate the need to make decisions.
-Which reduces brain fatigue.
-Which increases your chance of success.
//
TINY HABITS✴️
This is the smallest step you can take towards your goal. Often so small it seems insignificant, but is easy to make it a habit.
🌟
That leads you to another tiny habit, then another and suddenly it’s just your lifestyle.
👆👆👆
When people ask how I easily kept off 35lbs for over 15 years, while enjoying pizza, taking rest days and not obsessing about food.
👇👇👇👇
When people ask how I stay motivated to run year round and rarely race. Tiny habits.
//
Day one isn’t eat perfect or run for an hour.
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Day one IS drink a glass of water when I wake up. Put on my running clothes.
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Day 30 is then more like after I drink my glass of water, I do 5 push ups. After I put on my running clothes, I do a 5 minute warm up.
//
SLOW PROGRESS IS BETTER THAN NO PROGRESS, it builds momentum and is sustainable.
❔❔❔
Have you ever practiced creating tiny habits???
1️⃣ WORD TO DESCRIBE YOUR RUNNING THIS YEAR? M 1️⃣ WORD TO DESCRIBE YOUR RUNNING THIS YEAR?
Mine... satisfying.
😊
1900 miles blows away previous years.
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(swipe to see...because yes I love tracking.) Unfortunately I’m not positive what it was 2001-2007 because I wrote it on calendars.
//
SATISFYING
🥰I needed the long miles early on to process my business being thrown for a loop. Bye bye book tour and partnerships.
😊I needed it after that to get away from the news and pretend I wasn’t spending all day alone. Then as my business shifted again to keep ideas flowing.
🌲I loved the time outside to think, get lost in a comedy podcast or audiobook. Otherwise I’m at home working!
🤩Without a single race, I still checked a big goal off my list of running an ultra distance (solo was very interesting!).
//
I’ve seen some posts that make it seem like we’re wrong for talking about what we achieved this year.
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It was a HARD FCKIN year for everyone, but guess what lots of years are. And not every year is great even without a pandemic.
//
For all the lows this year, I also worked my ass off to make some really good things happen. And I’m extra proud of that.
//
So let’s hear your word for fitness in 2020??
⬇️
Hard, easy, strong, powerful, consistent, cleansing, relaxing, nature, grace, grit, grind, triumph, building...
HAIR EMOJI POLL!!! Seriously hair...it’s a lot r HAIR EMOJI POLL!!! Seriously hair...it’s a lot right?! Figuring out what to do with it, color it don’t color it, keep it healthy, breakage from ponytails, long, short. And yet a good hair day😃 🔥 🌟
//
POLL:
🥰Love your hair
🤪Frustrated with your hair
1️⃣Natural curls
2️⃣Stick straight
👇👇👇
Curly friends: share your favorite tips!!
Long hair friends: what helps you keep it healthy?
👆👆👆
//
At 7 I could sit in my hair it was so long.
At 10 we started perms.
At 16 I had a full mane of hair I loved.
At 20 I learned I have naturally curly hair 😂after years of perms as a kid.
At 25 I was going blonde blonde blonde.
At 29 I began losing hair and it got so brittle I had to chop it off, due to the hormone issues.😭
At 35 my hair started to recover (as did my body), but never like that mane I loved as a teen.
At 39 I got my first curly haircut! I’m still figuring it out, but was amazed at how it looked.
//
I don’t wear much make up, but I do admit to really caring about my hair and it was a tough time when it felt so unhealthy.
//
I’m still struggling to figure out this new curly style 😂but keep hearing from other curly girls ya just gotta stick it out. So we’ll see.
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#curlygirlmethod #hairtalk
ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO RUN? Why don’t you just ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO RUN? Why don’t you just enjoy a day off? Don’t you feel guilty about the time apart?
//
Yes.
It makes me happy.
No, if I’m happy our time together is better.
👇👇👇
MY VIEW IS THIS...
❌If you aren’t working out because of food guilt
❌If you aren’t missing big moments because you must workout
✅If you enjoy it and it improves your day
✅THEN GO FORTH and don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for improving your mental and physical health.
//
❓Do you have guilt or get guilted about workouts for n holidays?❓
//
This has been my lifestyle so long that our families just know to expect that I’m gonna sweat. And of course, I’m lucky David wants this lifestyle too.
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BUTTTTT I remember those first trips to David’s family, where it really threw them for a loop. They still find it weird, but I sneak out before everyone gets up or have gotten them to do family things like the rec center.
//
My best advice when asked has always been to try and calmly explain why it matters to you and then just go. They get over it or used to it.
🎁 🎄🕎
TAKE ANOTHER LITTLE PIZZA MY HEART 😂a reminder TAKE ANOTHER LITTLE PIZZA MY HEART 😂a reminder this holiday season that we all need to be loved differently...and pizza transcends all.
//
🍕Do you have a favorite local pizza place?🍕🍕
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Yes, I knead to know for when we can travel again.
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Here we fell in love in love with @saucyspizza and I wouldn’t be sad if I got it as a gift 😆
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#pizzamemes #eatlocal #denvercolorado #ilovepizza #lovememes #pizzagram #digiorno #papajohns #foodisfuel #longrun #womenwhoeat #carbsarelife
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Website written, managed and maintained by Amanda Brooks, a certified running coach and personal trainer. Any advice should be taken as general information and not a personalized plan. All opinions, tips and reviews are based upon her personal life experience and the experiences of those she has coached. View our full privacy and review policy.

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