Facing The Long Run

"At first, people will ask why you're doing it, but eventually after the hard work pays off, they will ask how you did it." - Steve Prefontaine


Ok, so, if you're training for February's Mercedes Marathon or Half Marathon, gradually the miles keep building for the long runs. I want you all to remember the main goal is to FINISH. All through this training over the past several weeks, you have been following a training program that has been made up with a series of goals. These have been given to you in daily and weekly distances. All you have to do is complete those runs - "Your coach says go and you go until he/she says stop!". That seems easy enough, and with running together in a group, it does get easier and your progress is recorded by the fact that 7 or 13 or 15 miles are no longer "impossible" distances. The goal of you getting better (going further) is being met each and every week. So, as you approach the longest runs of your training, how do you approach them? No different! The goal is to complete it. No time goals. No middle of the run goals. Just finish. When the BIG DAY arrives, you approach it the same way - think of the half marathon or the full marathon as just the long run for that week (ok, a very long run). You are feeling stronger because of the training you have put in.

If this is your first long race and it has been going well you may think to yourself that "Maybe I can finish in... (fill in the time blank)". STOP THINKING LIKE THAT!! It's the devil talking! It will lead you down the road of ruin. This will be the first time for most of you. You're almost there (almost is a relative term). The effort will be exhilerating and in some ways painful ("it's a good hurt, doc"). Some folks will tell you that the marathon is more mental than physical. Well, that's a credible thesis and something to think about, but you better be in pretty doggone good shape to be moving forward for 3 - 6 hours (or longer). I've been in plenty of races where I've said "It's supposed to be more mental but it sure is feeling mighty physical right now". It's hard enough without the pressures of setting a time goal. Now listen to this carefully because this comes from the bottom of my coaching heart. I NEVER want one of you first-time runners to be disappointed after doing your first half or full. After you do the first one, there will be plenty of curbs in plenty of cities to sit on and whine about "falling apart" and not setting a new world record. For now, let's finish climbing this hill one week at a time till you see those finish line balloons.

You look back and wonder how you've lasted this long. Well, you've lasted the same way you'll do the long run this Saturday - by breaking it down into small, manageable pieces and only focus on the portion at hand and not the entire enchilada. When you look at the weekly schedule, the question is always "What's the long run this week?", not how many miles do you have to run during the 20 weeks you train. When I used to run a marathon for a specific finish time, I used to hit my watch lap counter every 3 miles, that way I break the run into just 8 parts. The point is that whether you're doing a 5K or a marathon, you've done the training and all you have to do is monitor yourself over the run so your body does what you trained it for. On Saturdays, there are coolers out every 2-3 miles, so use those as parts of the whole. It's a lot easier to think in terms of 3 mile segments than to say "I've got 15 miles to go". Start your run slowly and ease into a comfortable pace that should never feel pushed. That doesn't mean you won't get tired - you're training for a marathon for Pete's sake, but you should feel in control of your pace. Drink early and often. If you train at 10 min/mile, don't expect the Good Running Angel to swoop down on race day and allow you to run 9 min miles! The mind will be your greatest foe - it will use every trick in the book to make you stop doing this foolishness. You MUST practice positive thinking during these long runs. Fatigue, discomfort, tightness, and whole host of other wonderful feelings are all a part of the game, but you know they're coming because you meet them every week, and as a group, you whine together and the next thing you know, there you are back at the Trak Shak with another long run under your belt (elastic waistband). When you start to hit that fatigue point, acknowledge that it's there, but also realize that you're not really feeling that badly (OK, 24 miles into it, you might be really feeling bad, but the balloons are close). What you are feeling is the reflection of your effort level. Focus on your breathing, your posture, and your cadence, and this will shift your focus off the fatigue (I didn't say it would eliminate it). Your body is doing what it's been trained to do and that's moving you forward towards the finish line. Think only about what you need to do RIGHT NOW - pace, breathing, concentration. Thinking "I am really tired and want to just sit down on the curb and cry" has absolutely no positive benfits! Relax, concentrate on the task at hand, and perform up to your capabilities.

There's just something about knowing you completed that long run. You marathoners will do a few runs of 17-20 miles and you won't believe it when you finish those runs, but completing the 20 miler in a few weeks will boost your confidence into the "I really think I can finish that thing" category. It's MOSTLY mental to get over this hump, but the long run you've been doing each week is just about the most important element of marathon training because it physically and mentally prepares you for the 26.2 mile distance. I say "just about" the most important element because my own personal bias still leans towards the consistency with which you train, and not necessarily doing a certain distance. If you've been training several months consistently and miss the 20 miler, other than rattling you mentally, it won't physically affect your performance on the day of the run. I always say we should train like they do in England and count our distances in kilometers. That way our longest run would be a nice, round 30K, which is "only" 18.6 miles! But, we live in the good ol' USA and so we'll run like the revolutionists.

Just relax, take each run, each mile, each weekly challenge, one at a time. Before you know it, the finish line is in front of you, and before your heart rate gets back to normal, a new challenge begins.

Stay steady, keep your eyes on the goal, and I'll see you on the roads. - AL