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Feb 2019
3:10pm, 4 Feb 2019
21,130 posts
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fetcheveryone
There's some long run advice in this week's podcast (Episode 5, out now) - but we thought it'd be good to have a place to record all your long run strategies. How do you cope with increasing your distance? What psychological tricks have you come up with? What pitfalls have you faced, and how have you overcome them (or not)? Go long here 
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Feb 2019
3:14pm, 4 Feb 2019
6,697 posts
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larkim
Tissues. Just in case.
£5 "just in case" - now waterproof, especially for runners.
Exception made for my "no headphones" self-imposed rule.
Get up ridiculously early, so when you get back your better half has breakfast ready for you.
Slow it down!
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Feb 2019
3:19pm, 4 Feb 2019
34,190 posts
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Diogenes
All good ones, Larkim.
Topical tip: fresh snow is nature’s wet wipe
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Feb 2019
3:32pm, 4 Feb 2019
198 posts
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paul0
--run in a group, to a) take in in turns talking, b) commit to going at a certain time, c) commit to completing the distance
--run a route where halfway is the furthest point, so there are no sneaky shortcuts
--a good audiobook
--incorporate parkrun as part of the run
--have something nice (shake, breakfast etc) waiting for you for when you get back
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Feb 2019
3:38pm, 4 Feb 2019
20 posts
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ascoey
my favourite long run runs have usually finished with a parkrun. It depends on knowing routes and parking early enough to get the distance in and arrive back on time. It usually means the last 5k is run at a stronger pace for those who like fast finishing long runs.
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Feb 2019
3:44pm, 4 Feb 2019
28,959 posts
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Derby Tup
Consider doing them on a Saturday so they’re not hanging over your head all weekend
Maybe think about ‘time on feet’ ie say three hours instead of distance ie say 15 or 20 miles
Enjoy a well earned bath / snooze combo afterwards
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Feb 2019
3:46pm, 4 Feb 2019
8,346 posts
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rf_fozzy
If you can, choose routes that have "extensions" where you can do a route you've done before and add a little bit on or an extra loop. Helps when you are ramping up the distance to know you've done a route before and the extra bit is only 1-2mi or whatever.
Do long runs offroad. More interesting (and more forgiving). Then you also don't need the silly headphones!
Have a few variations in regular long runs so that you aren't doing the same boring routes every week (e.g. plodding up and down the same bit of canal/river/road/footpath)
Meeting up with people is good. If you can't get them to do the whole run, then do a short loop and then run with them if you can (so hard miles at the end aren't on your own). Or alternatively if using the above run with "escape" routes, provide your running partners an escape after the distance they want to run (just not after 1mile...)
Tip particularly useful for marathon training - you can turn a longish race into a long run. For example a half marathon is easy to turn into a 17mile run - just do 2miles warm up and 2miles warm down.
Another option including a race is to (a) get a lift to race, run the race and then run home or (b) run there and run back... This is particularly useful for local XC races in a certain distance.
Also you can use public transport to mix things up. One example of a long run I did was to get the train from Leeds to Skipton, run 18miles over the moors, then get the train from Menston back to Leeds. This could also be combined with the race examples above.
Most of all, be creative! Can't imagine anything worse than doing a 20mile run in 10x 2mile loops.
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Feb 2019
4:07pm, 4 Feb 2019
28,962 posts
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Derby Tup
^ some good advice fozzy
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Feb 2019
4:10pm, 4 Feb 2019
28,963 posts
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Derby Tup
The first long runs I ever did were with a friend’s club. They used a well landmarked discused railway track - off road and rural but not tarmac. By parking in the middle of the (from memory c 10 mile) stretch they could leave refreshments in the car and do five miles out, back, take on water etc then do the other five and back
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Feb 2019
4:21pm, 4 Feb 2019
2,372 posts
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Goofee
Get a train somewhere and run back. A popular one in these parts is to catch an early train to Newbury and then run back along the Kennet & Avon Canal to Reading.
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