Extending Your Long Runs

I was reflecting the other day on how my mileage increased over the course of last summer. In May I ran a 16 mile cross country that I had done a couple of times before, then over the summer I ran longer and longer – 19, 24 and in the Autumn a 32 mile race.

Now, I don’t really have a training regime to speak of – I run when I feel I want to, sometimes that could be 8 times a week, sometimes once a week, so the best way I found to extend my long runs (easily) was to force a second run on days when I had done a long morning (before work) effort.

I am lucky enough to live just by a canal which also has train stations every 3 or 4 miles along it – so I’d do a long effort in the morning (8, 12, 16 miles) and then get the train the rest of the way to work. That left me at work needing to get the train home, however the closest station is 2.6 miles from home, so I had to run it…

I do have a desk job, and my legs did get a good 8 hours to recover, but having to churn that 2.6 miles out after a long morning run, on very tired legs really helped me – building the confidence and the self assurance that I could crank out those miles regardless of how bad my legs felt really let me stretch myself on the weekend long runs.

Don’t get me wrong, this was not any form of commitment, effort or schedule on my part – I just forced it by putting myself in a situation where I had no choice but to do the second run. if there had been any other option I would have taken it, but there wasn’t so I just got on with it.

Try it sometime – you might find it helps…