I hate the long run

try throwing a short fartlek in there, treat it like a progression

drink good whiskey wrote:

Long runs are the worst. Easy runs are easy. Intervals and hills are hard, but do-able. Fartlek runs are fun. But the long run always feels like a death march to me.

How in the name of all that is holy do I ever get to where anything over 8 miles is not just pure misery?

If 8 miles is misery then you haven't even yet begun to become a runner. The long run should be the last thing on your mind for now. Basic aerobic fitness is your immediate problem. Confront it head on.

It just takes time. You need time to build an aerobic base. I used to feel the same as you and then after about a year of 90 min long runs, they finally felt easy to the point they felt identical to easy runs but just last longer. In the first 2 months of 90 min long runs I improved exponentially and was hitting my old 5k PR twice in a row on tempo runs. I PR'd by about 3 minutes at 5k that season.

It just takes time and patience. Get in the long runs. 90 min is a nice sweet spot, just do 90. Over time as you build your mileage and train for stuff longer than 5k, then its time to think about going longer than 90, but til then 90 is enough.

solution: run 2 8 mile runs everyday. That way your long run really doesn't matter too much unless you are training for the marathon.

at least it isn't a 20 mile steeplechase....that other people are running and you just have to watch. That would really suck hard.

For starters get rid of the good whiskey! In all seriousness though, this is a mountain that you are building in your mind and you have to change your thinking about the importance of the "long run" in your training. If I had to choose 1 quality workout a week, it would be hands down be the long run. Choose , teach yourself to be positive about all training, and try to understand "research" the importance of doing high quality aerobic workouts.

For example, say you do easy recovery pace at 7:45 pace, try running longer run at 7:30. In your base buildup of 2 to 3 months, slowly bring this pace down 15 more secs. in 5 sec. increments, increase length a minimum 1/2 mi. a week. If you take this approach year after year, you will become a good runner.

Two suggestions:

1) find a trail and make it an "extended nature hike" rather than a long run

2) don't time yourself and if you can, leave your watch at home

for what it's worth wrote:

For starters get rid of the good whiskey! In all seriousness though, this is a mountain that you are building in your mind and you have to change your thinking about the importance of the "long run" in your training. If I had to choose 1 quality workout a week, it would be hands down be the long run. Choose , teach yourself to be positive about all training, and try to understand "research" the importance of doing high quality aerobic workouts.

For example, say you do easy recovery pace at 7:45 pace, try running longer run at 7:30. In your base buildup of 2 to 3 months, slowly bring this pace down 15 more secs. in 5 sec. increments, increase length a minimum 1/2 mi. a week. If you take this approach year after year, you will become a good runner.

subfive wrote:

for what it's worth wrote:

For starters get rid of the good whiskey! In all seriousness though, this is a mountain that you are building in your mind and you have to change your thinking about the importance of the "long run" in your training. If I had to choose 1 quality workout a week, it would be hands down be the long run. Choose , teach yourself to be positive about all training, and try to understand "research" the importance of doing high quality aerobic workouts.

For example, say you do easy recovery pace at 7:45 pace, try running longer run at 7:30. In your base buildup of 2 to 3 months, slowly bring this pace down 15 more secs. in 5 sec. increments, increase length a minimum 1/2 mi. a week. If you take this approach year after year, you will become a good runner.

That works for many runners....but less miles with more speed and rest will work for some...but who?

Looking back at my running past (I'm 52 now, but I started when I was 16), my all-time favorite training runs were ALL 10 miles or more. And of all of these, my favorites were the 20-mile runs I did almost every Saturday before my first college cross country season. The key is to get in that kind of shape. Think about when you first started running. Three miles seemed like a long haul. It was torture. But once you get into really good shape, you look at three miles as almost not worth doing--"Am I really going to get dressed and go outside to run JUST three miles?"

Once you build up to it, even a 20-miler is no longer a "death march." Especially when you can do that 20-miler at 6:00 per mile or faster. It's just CRUISING. Two hours becomes FUN. You cover a lot of ground, you see so much, you have so much time to think and daydream (assuming you have somewhere decent without much traffic to constanly focus on). Trust me, it's so much FUN when you build up to that level, but it takes time and patience. Hang in there because if you do it gets better!

Cool story Shawn. You still running and competing. You running those 20 milers out in the sticks on dirt roads?

Make your long runs longer so you don't get caught up in how long 8 miles is. What's 8 miles when you're running 20 on a sunday?

boomtown rascals wrote:

Cool story Shawn. You still running and competing. You running those 20 milers out in the sticks on dirt roads?

No, I don't run 20-milers any more. But when I did, I had plenty of dirt roads and grassy parks to break up the pavement. Also, I haven't run a race in about 18 years. I now run because I enjoy it and because it makes me feel and look better. I have a body that looks as good as it did 25 years ago, even if it doesn't feel like that very often.

Long runs do suck a$$, but in terms of long term development o the aerobic system they are important

OP, think of it this way... The fatties at the local Fleet Feet Sunday run are able to waddle for 20 miles, so something is wrong with you if you cannot. The heat has been a bit crazy lately, so that might be an issue. As the Fall weather rolls in, try going out for 90 minutes once a week. As that becomes easier - and it will - notch up to 100 and so on.

I guess it all depends on your goal. If you are just racing on the track, there really is no need to go any further than 100 minutes.

Run with a group. In fact, I think it is a fundamental training error to do long runs by yourself. The long runs whiz by when you are with a group. The first few miles are a warm up when everyone is talking about training and racing. Then, the pace starts to get solid. The last part of the run is all business. Very enjoyable and rewarding, especially when you were able to hang with guys who are faster than you are.

I use to have a problem with long runs when I was younger, basically over 10 miles.

Then I started doubling in college, and i was running 10+ miles most days in two runs. And it seemed even though I split up the runs, it really helped me get use to running longer continuously.

I've been a competitive runner for more than 40 years (now 58), and ran 17:32 for 5k in my mid-50s, and even had a state age record for 10k, but I absolutely loath the long run. The build-up to 90 min+ usually involves several death marches. I can eventually get to the point where I can do a decent long run, but even then I'm bored rigid after about 20 mins.

They are a vital part of training, but for me they are just like the bad tasting medicine. On the other hand, I love track reps. So it's different strokes for different folks I guess..

An Runner wrote:

OP, think of it this way... The fatties at the local Fleet Feet Sunday run are able to waddle for 20 miles, so something is wrong with you if you cannot. (...)

I guess it all depends on your goal. If you are just racing on the track, there really is no need to go any further than 100 minutes.

a regular and quite fast long run shows of course a good fitness level. but it´s not the omnipotent formula for everyone. as written above: it all depends on your goal, and it depends on the individual frames.

for example, a quite slow and really long "long run" might be too unspecific for middle distance guys. meanwhile i know some superfast guys running usually no more than 70mins, rarely 80mins, especially when doing doubles.

personally speaking i also cancelled the long runs in support of faster 9-10 milers or elongated workouts.