Long Run Preparation

While I was on my long run this morning, I kept thinking about all of the preparation that actually goes into a single run. It’s actually quite daunting once you look at it as a whole!

Sometimes I feel completely nuts doing this.

The night before my long run, these things are always a top priority for me:

1. Check the Distance: The evening before, find out how long and what pace you need to run according to your program (if you have one). I normally do this so I know what time I need to wake up. Let’s say I have to be at work by 10:00, I’ll need to know what time I’ll need to wake up in order to have time to run, shower, and recover (ice bath, eat, foam roll, ect…).

2. Eat Well and Hydrate: I usually eat a simple, healthy meal the night before. I’ve noticed that if I have something greasy or complicated, it’s likely that I’ll feel lethargic in the morning. I also try to drink extra water the night before.

Last night was an easy meal of fried eggs on toast, cinnamon roasted sweet potatoes, and roasted carrots and brussel sprouts

3. Set an Alarm: As long as my alarm goes off, I’ll get up 99% of the time. My only problem is that sometimes I forget to actually sent my alarm! Sometimes I hit the “back” button instead of the “done” button. That means trouble. As long as my alarm is set, I will be getting up.

4. Gear Up: Have your running gear and apparel laid out before hitting the sack. I’m not one of those crazy nuts who actually wears their running clothes to sleep, but believe me, it’s a lot easier to have everything ready than to be rummaging through your closet in the morning.

5. Hit the Hay Early: It might be hard to get to bed early on a Friday or Saturday night, but I always run better after a good nights sleep. Personally, I usually sleep like a rock on the weekends. After running around all week, I’m usually pretty beat.

When the alarm goes off, I’m usually so excited that I bound out of bed!

Then, I put my running gear on, slip a few dollars in my shorts (just in case), drink water and eat a banana with peanut butter, then head out.

More often than not, I leave without eating anything unless what I’ve got scheduled is a long run.

What about you? How do you prepare yourself for your long runs?

Here are the stats for this morning’s run:

Sunday Long Run

Running: 15.11 miles

It was slipping and sliding (it rained), but my long run literally felt EFFORTLESS this morning. Basically, I remember the first mile (because I was really slow and still yawning) and the last mile (because I ran it in 7:12); everything in between is a blur because it just went by so quickly! It was like start to finish in 2 seconds (closer to 2 hours in reality, but who’s counting?)

Have you ever had a run like that?

Tagged as: Long Run, Running, Running Tips