I can’t sleep in, enjoy a nice breakfast, or relax on the couch after a stressful work week, yet, despite these self-deprivations, there’s nothing I’d rather be doing first thing on Saturday morning than running for multiple hours. Our non-running friends and family think we’re engaging in a kind of torture, but the truth is, long runs are the greatest form of pleasure.
Long live long runs
There are very few things in life any of us do for consecutive hours. So, why do us runners willingly sacrifice Friday night fun, Saturday morning sleep, and several hours of the short weekend to wake up early and put one foot in front of the other for 120+ minutes?
For me, long runs are a weekly escape from the pressures of life. For 2-3 hours, I can forget about all my stressors and focus on the demanding and rewarding mission at hand, uninterrupted.
“Our non-running friends and family think we’re engaging in a kind of torture, but the truth is, long runs are the greatest form of pleasure.”
Runners are explorers, and long runs are our expeditions in which we explore the limits of what our body is capable of. We may not be discovering uncharted territory, but we’re experiencing familiar sights and sounds in new ways. Along our trek, we uncover a wide range of emotions and feelings as we unearth a fresh perspective for the landscapes we’re lucky to call home.
Why the long face?
Lengthy runs are not all sunshine and rainbows. That fresh perspective can quickly turn rotten, depending on the weather, how our body’s feeling, and what’s going on in our life off the roads. What’s more, there’s no crowd support, aid stations, or groups of runners to commiserate with along the way. But, what’s the hardest part of the long run? Why, it’s the most challenging part of any run: getting out the door. Whether it’s for 5 miles or 15, each time we step foot outside the comfort of our home and onto the hard pavement, we take the hardest stride of the run. Regardless of our route’s elevation, it’s all downhill after that first step.
“Whether it’s 5 miles or 15, when we step foot outside the comfort of our home and onto the hard pavement, we take the hardest stride of the run.”
Too long; didn’t run
Despite the fact we’re not crossing the Sahara, we’re well-equipped with a wide array of accoutrements including a hydration pack, way too many gels, salt tablets, anti-chafe balm, arm and leg compression sleeves, and much more, depending on the runner. But the one thing we sometimes forget to bring along on the journey is, often times, the most important: a positive mindset.
“Despite the fact we’re not crossing the Sahara, we’re well-equipped with a wide array of accoutrements.”
There are plenty of long runs when we’re running on no energy, no motivation, and no hope of finishing. And there may come a point when we must decide whether we want to head home early. Admittedly, the thought has occurred to me more times than I can count. It’s usually because I’m tired or sore, but each time, I continue forward because I remind myself of the old cliché that the mind is more powerful than the body.
In the rare occurrence when I’m struggling to summon the mental strength, I tell myself to be grateful for the run I’m on. That may sound a bit cheesy, but neuroscience research shows focusing on gratitude is most likely to “propel the mind and body into an upward spiral.” Hmm, ASICS’ philosophy of “Sound Mind, Sound Body” has never sounded better.
Long and short of it
Scholars maintain that the classification of the long run was lost hundreds of years ago. Some contend it’s once you hit double-digit mileage. Others argue you must reach the half marathon distance. And the “serious” runners will claim it exceeds the 13.1 mile distance. I say, “Who cares!” Naturally, a long run will mean different things to different runners, just as with speed work, easy runs, recovery runs and every type of run. Some may not even do long runs, and that’s ok, too!
If you are interested in getting started with long runs, or just want to avoid bargaining with yourself to finish the run, choosing the right route can go a long way. Avoid busy roads — the last thing you want to do is repeatedly stop for traffic and share the road with an abundance of cars. And forget routes with long, boring stretches of the same views. You won’t have that fresh perspective for very long if your scenery gets stale quick.
For the long haul
At the end of my long runs, all my worries and problems seem trivial in comparison to what I’ve just accomplished. If I have the discipline to run up to 180 minutes on a weekend early morning for enjoyment, I can work to achieve anything I want in life. Throughout my nearly 20-year running journey, training for marathon after marathon with ample long runs, I’ve consistently surprised myself with what I’m capable of. It’s that passion and determination that helped propel me to start this blog and it’s what will help me keep it going in the long run.
At long last
There’s no medal at the end of the run, but the hard work we’re putting in each week will go a long way toward awarding us a prize in the form of a shiny new PR on race day. So, although I started the day with self-inflicted punishments, there are several rewards I enjoy after the long run: stuffing my face with endless amounts of food and washing it down with a couple cocktails, relaxing for the rest of the weekend on the couch, and sleeping in the next morning. Go figure. Perhaps it’s the long-delayed gratification that makes the long run worth it.
