How to prepare for long runs

This post is inspired by my poorly planned long run on Saturday. It was the second in my half marathon training schedule, and boy was I a mess.

So before I tell you the story, here are tips for a stellar long run!

Plan ahead, like 3 days ahead.

For the first two months of my marathon training, I would get so nervous before practices that I would actually feel nauseous. So a few days I ahead, I would psych myself up, envision a great run and try to get excited.

Drink extra water days ahead of time, once you are out there it is too late!


Check the weather and plan your outfit accordingly.
The night before find out what kind of weather you are in for, and select the proper outfit.
-If it is going to be windy, have a wind resistant jacket or top.
-If it is going to be hot, make sure you have fabrics that don't trap sweat in, and hopefully keep you as cool and dry as possible.
-If it is going to be chilly, dress in layers. Good options include a short sleeve top under a long sleeve top with a shell, jacket or vest on top. These won't be so bulky that it will be annoying to run with them around your waist. Dri-fit is a fabric that is designed to keep moisture away from the body. I shop mainly at the Nike clearance website, Jack Rabbit Sports, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Road Runner Sports.

Have all of this ready to go for the morning clothes, hairband, sunglasses/sunscreen, ipod, keys, fuelbelt, lip balm, money, socks, shoes, etc. Figure out how you are going to carry everything, in your fuelbelt, raceready shorts, jacket, or pinned to your clothes in a little pouch.

Plan your fuel.

Depending on how much you will be running, you may want to consider shifting a larger percentage of your total calories to carbohydrates, but not necessarily eating more food. My coach always said, if you usually have chicken with rice, have rice with chicken.

Have your breakfast planned, and ready to go if possible.

Pack all your gus, shot blocks, powergels or anything you use for workout fuel in your fuel belt or race ready shorts or pinned to your pants or where ever you carry them.

If you are using a fuel belt, fill it the night before with water or a sports drink, or half and half.

Look at your route in advance-become very familiar with your route so you know where there are water fountains, bathrooms, and places to stop if you need to. If you have never run the route, really take it in so you don't get lost or confused.

Long runs are always best with friends, but if you are flying solo make sure your playlist is hot!

The preparation is a little bit of effort, but you will be rewarded by a far more enjoyable run.

Case in point.

Saturday I knew I had to do a long run. I knew I couldn't run 7-8 miles on the treadmill, and going to Central Park seemed like a lot of effort, so outside in Queens it was. My normal route in Astoria is about 6 miles, and as I creature of habit, I couldn't figure out how to extend it. So I logged onto mapmyrun.com and used the find a run feature to view other runs around 8 miles in distance in my area.

It was pretty funny to see the route people had created. There was actually a "Pinkberry" route, which I assumed involved running into Manhattan, getting Pinkberry, and running back. For some reason, tackling the 59th Street bridge by myself just didn't seem groovy. However, I saw a Roosevelt Island loop that looked pretty good. Roosevelt Island is kind of the weirdest place on earth, it is technically part of Manhattan County, but it is secluded between Manhattan and Queens accessible only by tram or the F train.

Anyways, I liked the idea of running by the water, so I kind of just headed out the door. Bad idea. Instead of putting on real running clothes that would have aided in temperature control, I went out in sweatpant, a long sleeve shirt and a sweatshirt, and decided to just carry my keys (a set with just two keys to keep it light) and ipod in my hand. I didn't bring any water, money or my metrocard in case of emergency.

It was a very windy but very sunny day, so it was very hot at some points, and freezing cold in the wind at other points. Sweatshirt material doesn't really adapt to this, so I was fairly uncomfortable through most of the run. I finally got annoyed with taking my sweatshirt on and off, and decided to just be cold.

It was actually so windy that for the first few blocks, I wasn't sure if I was actually moving forward, I almost went home!

Besides being hot or cold and thirsty. I only spent a few seconds looking at the route. So once I got onto Roosevelt Island, I was incredibly confused. I thought I would just follow the path around the island, but it stopped abruptly a few times leaving my fairly confused. I actually did a decent amount of walking to find my way back to the path.

On the bright side, the scenery was fresh and it was and probably will be the only nice day for a while. However, I didn't even think to wear sunscreen, so I got a little bit of a burn. ooops.

The run itself started out quite painful, but I let myself run very slow and listen to slow, relaxing music, like the fray, the plain white-t's, common, and dave matthews, so it was a mentally quieting journey in a way.

The suggested route was 6.75 miles, but from my house I figured it was a little longer. When I logged my route in when I was done, it came to 7.98 miles. Right on target!