Long-Run Training Tip No.4: Drink Water...and Lots of It
Dave Kuehls
"No matter how slow you go or how much you drink, your body will be dehydrated after a long run. 'And when you're dehydrated, your heart's pumping sludge,' says 1996 Olympic marathoner Keith Brantly, 'though you may not feel it until the middle of your next hard workout.'"
"So drink copiously way beyond thirst. 1996 Olympic marathoner Anne Marie Lauck downs a 2-quart bottle of Gatorade as soon as she finishes, and another one within the hour. Good rule: Drink one quart of fluid for every half-hour of running.
More: Long-Run Training Tips From Dave Kuehls
Long-Run Training Tip No.5: Push Yourself
Matt Fitzgerald
"Hard workouts serve to calibrate the teleoanticipation mechanism. Hard workouts expose your body to fatigue in ways that are similar to how marathons do, so they teach your body how fast and how far you can go before fatigue will occur.
This internalized feel for your limits will help you pace yourself more effectively on race day. Here are three peak marathon workout formats that I recommend:
Long, Hard Run
- 1 mile easy
- 20 miles @ marathon pace + 20-30 seconds per mile
Marathon-pace Run
- 1 mile easy
- 14 miles at marathon pace
Pre-fatigued Time Trial
- 10 miles easy
- 10K maximum effort
More: Long-Run Training Tips From Matt Fitzgerald
Long-Run Training Tip No.6: Leave Something in the Tank
Thad McLaurin
"Follow the 90 percent rule. When doing quality workouts (hill repeats, tempo runs, intervals, long runs), push yourself, but always leave something left in the tank. Think about pushing yourself up to about 90 percent of your maximum effort, but never give push it to maximum effort.
"After finishing a quality workout, you should feel tired. You should feel like you've worked hard, but you should also feel like, 'Hmmm, I could have done a little more.' This should be a good feeling, not something to beat yourself up about.
"Knowing that you've worked hard (close to maximum effort), but not crawling away from the workout and needing three days to recover will greatly benefit you in the long run. Doing every quality workout at maximum effort is an injury waiting to happen. Just knowing that you have that "extra" in you can really help you beat mental and physical fatigue later in a race. intervals."
More: Long-Run Training Tips from Thad McLaurin
Long-Run Training Tip No.7: Schedule Your Long Runs
Anne Marie Lauck
"What day is best for the long run? Saturday is a popular choice, and for good reason. It's when you and your running partners have the most free time. It allows for a little R&R afterward (you don't have to go to work the next day). And, besides, most marathons fall on the weekends, so why not set your body clock ahead of time?
"'I'll do my long runs on Saturday or Sunday depending on what day the marathon I'm training for falls on,' says Anne Marie Lauck, who finished 10th in the 1996 Olympic marathon. 'If possible, I'll even run at the same time of day as the marathon."'
More: Long-Run Training Tips from Anne Marie Lauck
Sign up for your next race.