? for runners: long runs...

[jcm]

Okay - I'm training for a half in May. Before the birth of my 3rd child (he's almost 3) I was up to about 22 miles total per week. Today I did an 8 mile - the longest I've done in years. I've been running for 10 years and I'm training smart - not doing too much at once and all that. But I am soooooo ready to go to bed!! Do long run days always poop you out or is it just something I'm adjusting to? It's not miserable, but I've been walking around for 5 hours finding myself constantly going "phew!!" Obviously I'm older than before (39). How in the world are people doing long runs of 15+ miles?? It's just conditioning my body I'm sure. How many miles are your long runs? Do you feel a bit beat on those days?

Jen

 

[gidget1978]

I know for me, it was something I got use to. I trained for two marathons last year. After my first long run, I was pooped! I couldn't eat and all I wanted to do was sit on the toilet. Most of my problem that day was the fact that I didn't slow down. I went out and ran those 23 kms , the same as I would have ran 5 kms.
I learned after that day to pace myself, take breaks when I needed them and fuel up. I also paid close attention to my Garmin to make sure I wasn't running to fast.
It didn't take a whole lot of time to adjust though. Eventually I would do my long run (which could be up to 32 kms), get showered and go about the rest of my day. Even after the marathon I did with my friend, we both got showered and went shopping for the rest of the afternoon.
It is something that you will get use to, you just need to take care of your body and listen to it. Make sure you eat plenty before and after.

Good luck! You will do great! It almost makes me wanna train again but I don't have the time right now.

Lori

 

[RapidBreath]

I wonder if you are replenishing your salts enough? potassium/sodium are necessary to recover. I feel beat too if I don't get enough fluid in my system. I don't know if that would help.

Alisha

 

[Mckmain]

Hi Jen,
It does take some time to adjust to long runs. Not unusual to feel tired after your 1st long run. Not sure what half marathon training you are doing but most have you gradually increasing the long run. I have done a few marathons/half marathons as I love distance running. You will get there......I am not training for anything right now but I get in a 15-16 mile long run once a week as I enjoy distance running...

 

[lioness]

Jen,

I agree with the others that it takes time to adjust to the longer runs. I did a 11 mile run yesterday, showered and spent the rest of the afternoon making cookies and doing things around the house. The first time I did a long run I was beat. Now I'm fine. I'm 49 by the way.

I really notice that when I don't drink enough water I feel sluggish. So I always make sure to stay hydrated the day before my long run, the day of my long run and after the run. It just makes me feel so much better.

Good Luck on your half in May. I'm doing my 2nd half next month.

 

[jcm]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone! I actually remember now that I enjoy running more once my mileage is up enough to do long runs. Right now I'm stuck on a treadmill so it's also finding something to listen to for that long! Last week I actually started listening to missed church messages and found for those long runs I love it! Increases are very conservative - I'm prone to injury as it is. Thought I'd be exhausted today but actually feeling quite good!

Jen

to those doing 15+ long runs regularly - awesome. hopefully i'll be there!

 

[MidgetDogg]

How much are you running on your other days? What's your pace when you're on your long run? I don't usually feel tired after a long run, but my feet get sore and I spend a lot of time with them on the foot massager. Maybe it was just a day where your energy wasn't that high.

 

[jcm]

I'm slowly increasing, but last week I did 3.5, 4.5, 2 mile speed after Cathe's High Reps, than 8 Sunday. My long run is 2 min. faster than my tempo runs - slow at 12 min. mile.

 

[burritamcdoo]

Hi Jen - I totally understand the feeling you had after your 8 mile run. I too am training for my first half marathon in May since the birth of my children (ages 8, 6, and 3). I will be 45 next month, and am trying to train very smart by following a 10 week, 3 running days per week plan that was created by the folks over at Runner's World. Apparently many people had PR's using this method, but honestly, I don't really care if I PR - my goal is to train comfortably and run the race in reasonable time (about 2 hours) fairly comfortably without injury.

The plan basically consists of a shorter speedwork run, a longer tempo run and a slightly slower than race pace long run each week, with each run getting a little bit longer as you approach two weeks before the race date, and then tapering off a bit for the last two weeks. They also encourage cross-training on your 'off' days by swimming, biking, walking, or in my case, doing a Cathe video! I will be starting the program next week, as my race date is May 1st.

Any time I went for a long run (8 or more miles), how I felt for the rest of the day depended on so many factors - how much sleep I got the night before, what I ate, how much fluid I drank before or during the run and what the weather was like outside. Personally, I am a cold weather runner, and really struggle in the heat, so I think having enough and the right kind of fluids is crucial to your performance and how you recover. I also think you have to listen to your body and don't try to do to too much more than it's asking. I also found that my body needs a day to recover after a run, so I try not to run two days in a row if I can help it. I have been scheduling a 20-30 minute yoga practice into my workouts (love Jill Miller!!!), and that alone has done wonders for my hips and hamstrings. By gradually upping your mileage, I think you will find that you won't feel as tired as you did after your 8 mile run.

Here is a link to the article http://www.womens-running.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-258-9369-0,00.html. Good luck, and let us know how things are going as your approach your race date!!

Karen

 

[jcm]

Hey Karen - my kids are 10, 7 and 3 in May! My race is end of May in northern Michigan. I can't stand running in humidity - that just kills me. I should probably add Stretch Max back in at least one a week. I also ordered a foam roller that should be here soon - my IT feels a bit tender.

I'll check out the Runners World - I love that magazine. My goal is like yours - just finish upright hopefully without having to take walk breaks! I'm running a 5K w/ my daughter mid-June and am hoping for PR for that. After 13 miles 3 should be a piece of cake. Maybe this year I can actually keep up with my daughter!!

 

[toughYrun]

I would say that it's likely a matter of building endurance. If it were me (and it has been) I'd just keep at it, with some backoff runs every couple of weeks.