Thinking about the Long Run

For some reason I was giving a lot of thought to the long run this week.  It truly is the staple of the distance runner's program.  I can't think of one plan that doesn't include a long run of 16 miles or more over the week-end.  While most can agree about the importance of this run, many disagree on how to do the run.  I would have to say that the biggest mistake most runners make is running this run too fast.  In fact for a lot of years, I was guilty of this and as a result I suffered through many crash and burn attempts in the marathon.

So why is important to run lots of slow easy miles?  What happens to the runners body after weeks and months or even yeras of high mileage?  It seems weird that a person can run lots of miles at a relatively slow pace, yet on race day, be able to run considerably faster for longer distance.

I am no scientist or doctor and only have a very rudimentary understanding of how the body works,  but after doing some research, here is the best I can do:

1. Increased mitochondria in the muscles.  These are the powerhouse of the muscles creating chemical energy called ATP.  It's pretty simple, more mitochondria, the longer you can run.  The long, easy run creates more and bigger mitochondria.
2. Capillaries also increase, meaning more efficient transport of oxygen to the muscles.
3. Increased myoglobin in muscle fibers.  Myoglobin is the muscles equivalent to blood's hemoglobin.  More myoglobin means more oxygen to the mitochondria.
4. Increased glycogen stores.  After every long run, your body immediately begins adapting and getting ready for the next one.
5. Fat burning increases and your body learns to run more efficiently on fat stores.   Beginner runners rely on glycogen and when that runs out, they switch to fat burning, and they slow considerably.
6. Increase muscle, tendon and bone strength.  This is often overlooked.  Folks spend too much time running fast, forgetting the all important benefit of strength and endurance that comes from running long and slow.  You may be fine aerobically at mile 23 of the marathon, but if every muscle and tendon is in pain, you ain't going far.

So what does all the mean?  Well, in my humble opinion if a runner did nothing but run as many miles as possible and only ran them at a slow, easy pace, he or she would be much better off than a similar runner who forgoes the extra mileage for speed, track and other faster workouts.  The ability to run a marathon well takes years of base-building and allowing your body to adapt as outlined above.  I am convinced that anyone with the patience and perseverance can run a successful marathon.  When I say successful, I mean any race that doesn't end in an all-out death march.  There is no magic formula to get you there, it's all about the mileage.  All the rest is just window dressing.

Happy Running!

Rick