One of the nicest and most rewarding things about running is that challenges or goals that once seemed unattainable become achievable thanks to the progress brought about by training. Hands up anyone who feels like that runner who managed to resist 30 minutes running without stopping and now participates in competitions such as a 10k, a half marathon or even a marathon.
In the case that we put on our running shoes for the first time and start running from 0, it is in the first months where we will find more difficulties because both our cardiovascular system and our osteoarticular structure is not accustomed to perform an activity of this depth. In other words, we will have to suffer and experience sensations that are not entirely positive until the body manages to overcome and adapt to the type of stimulus given at the time of running.
Little by little, our body and muscles begin to adapt to the physiological demands, the running technique and the impact of the joints against the asphalt.
Thanks to a training plan tailored to individual needs and, above all, through perseverance, what at first seemed impossible to achieve becomes a regular distance in each session. This change in the way we approach training pushes us to have the motivation and ability to run for longer and longer periods of time.
Those events as far away as the half marathon or marathon are already closer than before, but before facing long distances and not "die" in the attempt, you have to take into account a number of aspects of particular relevance. Here in RUNNEA, all the details!
How to face the long distance
Before getting into the subject, it is important to clarify what is considered long distance. In the world of athletics, the terms sprint, middle-distance and long-distance are used to differentiate the type of competition. Sprint events would cover distances of between 60 and 400 meters, middle-distance events from 800 to 3000 meters and long-distance events from 5 kilometers onwards. On the other hand, in the world of road or asphalt running, although there is not such a clear classification as in athletics, it could be said that the 5k and the 10k would correspond to short or middle distance events, while the long distance would start from the 21k.
The long distance starts at the half marathon and would extend up to the queen distance, the marathon.
Facing the long distance, either in training or in competition, does not present any kind of secret. There are two key aspects so that making the leap from the short or middle distance to events of more than 20 kilometers does not turn out to be a real nonsense.
Training frequency
In this section we will talk about the number of days a person trains during the week. Although this is an aspect that depends on the level and experience of the runner, running long distances requires that we are able to accumulate a minimum weekly volume. If you are one of those people who run for pleasure once or twice a week depending on the time or season, tackling long distance probably shouldn't be in your plans.
One of the keys to long-distance success is tolerance to the accumulation of physical and mental fatigue that comes with running for more than one, two, three, four or even five hours.
Although we could train a few times and cover long distances in each session, the only thing we achieve with this is to generate high levels of fatigue and also, not to give rise to the phenomenon of supercompensation. Without getting into technicalities, the improvement process is achieved when we give a correct stimulus to our organism, rest and train again. In this case, it would be too stressful a stimulus, and there is no subsequent session since the weekly training frequency is minimal.
The best way to deal with the increase in mileage is to spread the volume over several sessions during the week, so that we can adapt progressively and train optimally on any given day. With this last point, it is easy to see that long distance running requires at least 3 or 4 sessions per week for the experience to be positive and enjoyable.
Preparing to run long distance events requires at least 3 to 4 sessions per week for a positive experience.
Long duration sessions
Something that is totally logical, but, at the same time, an aspect that not all people put into practice. If within our weekly routine we do not have the availability or predisposition to do sessions that exceed an hour or an hour and a half in duration, or a minimum of 12 to 15 kilometers, we advise you to get the idea of running long distances out of your head for the time being.
If I want to run long distances optimally, I have to train long distances, it's as simple as that.
But be careful, it's not just a matter of predisposition. We may not be physically prepared either. Wanting to be able to is not always possible. In this case, not being in a hurry and continuing to train correctly is the key to being able to reach the minimum required to run long distances and not crash face to face with reality.
Variety and strength, additional keys
Although this is not the first time we have mentioned these two aspects, let's make a small reminder about them. Although for long distance running it is essential to accustom our body to tolerate a certain volume of kilometers, more is not necessarily better. Including other types of sessions that work at different intensities will allow us to face the half marathon or marathon more efficiently and, why not say it, faster.
Even if your goal is the long distance, series, fartlek or running at competition pace should not be missing in your training plan.
The demands of long distance running are more than palpable in the work that our muscles, joints, tendons and bones have to do to withstand the locomotor and impact work of running. To eliminate the harmful effects in the form of injuries and in order to improve performance over this type of distance, strength training will be more than essential. A strong body will require less energy with each step, so we will be more economical as the kilometers go by.
Not only that, but it will also allow us to meet the two main premises mentioned above, the accumulation of weekly kilometers and long duration sessions. This means that reducing the probability of injury or muscle discomfort will help us to train continuously, maintain the weekly frequency without any interruption and have the ability to include long runs in the training plan.
Run more and better
In conclusion, running long distances and not dying in the attempt supposes to accustom the body to tolerate this type of efforts in a progressive and well stipulated way within our training plan. Having the predisposition and availability to train, as well as including other types of sessions along with strength training, will be fundamental for our long distance experience to be as satisfactory as possible. Let's put all this into practice, runner!
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