Distance runners: How to work past 90 minutes?
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Probably a couple of things going on. I assume you are looking to run a half or full marathon? Most people don't look for long runs that far unless they are so I will give you advice based on that assumption.
As you reach longer distances your body needs fuel. Gu, Chomps, any kind of energy that is easily digested in small quantities is important. I can go 90 minutes no problem, longer than that I fuel. I would recommend every 30 minutes or so up to about 3 hours. When I go beyond that I break it down to 75-100 calories every 15 minutes and split it between gels and energy drinks. My goal is about 350 calories an hour since that is about as much as your body can digest while exercising.
Your runs during the week are also a little short. Try looking at some running plans from Hal Higdon or some of the other ones easily found on the internet for free. You will see that as the long runs get up there in distance you also have longer runs during the week. It makes a big difference in helping your body to adapt to distance running.
Last thing is probably mental. Stop looking at your watch and start looking around you. When you get to the wall start picking really short goals (the next tree, street sign, driveway, etc.) and stop looking at your watch. Keep running the same route for long runs for several weeks and this will help you see the progress you are making.
Hope that helps. Best of luck with whatever your ultimate goal is!0 -
sorry this post is just full of rubbish I won't spend time pointing out the specifics but ignore it.That is a long time to be running. Bad for your knees, bad for your muscles, maybe slightly good for your heart. It is up to you if you want to run that long, I suppose.
It is probably in your head. Very few modern people are mentally capable of running that long since it isn't a life or death situation. You aren't chasing down food and you aren't running from a predator (there are no other mammals in the world that can run as long as humans without needing a break.) Since the goal is only to finish the run, you have less of a primal drive pushing you. Only the people who make running their life can go into the 2+ hour range I'd say. If you aren't 100% dedicated, then it just won't happen. No shame in that, though.
Just run slow once you get the distance you can the build on your speed.
Educate me, I love learning. Please inform me on all of the average people running 90+ minutes without a break. The OP said running slowly doesn't work. The OP isn't talking about distance or speed, but time. Read the post before you come in here with your, "I know everything, but I won't share any of it" attitude.
Fat, Middle aged, professional women, with a busy life, and a love of heavy weights. Below average!
My longest continuous run is 3 hours.
Educated?
The average person has not lost almost 80 pounds and achieved great feats like you have. You are only proving my point that it takes dedication and a certain mindset to run 2+ hours. If you honestly can tell me that you didn't struggle with a mental block during that 3 hour run, then I must say you are in an elite class of people.0 -
Seems like a dedication issue to me, because the OP seems mostly dedicated to high intensity interval training. The long runs only come on rest days, so mentally the OP is in "rest mode." I've done miles and miles and a 2+ hour run before. It is a mental drain on us people who don't train for it.
her long runs come after a rest/cheat day.
So she is coming off a rest day going into a 2 hour run while spending most of her time training for HIIT. That seems like a mental and commitment issue to me. Her mind just isn't prepared for it when she is dedicated to something else.
yeah, i think you're wrong. HIIT has it's place in any long distance training plan.
if the OP wants to increase her distance, then she has to do so little by little. increase by 10% every week.
i'd also throw in a medium distance run once a week (half of her max), and get rid of one HIIT session.
but the issue is most likely just needing to refuel on the run. we know very little about the OP and her training habits, yet you are jumping up and down and saying "she's not dedicated enough!!"0 -
Do you only run that one time per week? If not, how often and what are the distances of your other runs?0
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That is a long time to be running. Bad for your knees, bad for your muscles, maybe slightly good for your heart. It is up to you if you want to run that long, I suppose.
It is probably in your head. Very few modern people are mentally capable of running that long since it isn't a life or death situation. You aren't chasing down food and you aren't running from a predator (there are no other mammals in the world that can run as long as humans without needing a break.) Since the goal is only to finish the run, you have less of a primal drive pushing you. Only the people who make running their life can go into the 2+ hour range I'd say. If you aren't 100% dedicated, then it just won't happen. No shame in that, though.
Downvote. This post is bad for the science of running.0 -
Seems like a dedication issue to me, because the OP seems mostly dedicated to high intensity interval training. The long runs only come on rest days, so mentally the OP is in "rest mode." I've done miles and miles and a 2+ hour run before. It is a mental drain on us people who don't train for it.
her long runs come after a rest/cheat day.
So she is coming off a rest day going into a 2 hour run while spending most of her time training for HIIT. That seems like a mental and commitment issue to me. Her mind just isn't prepared for it when she is dedicated to something else.
yeah, i think you're wrong. HIIT has it's place in any long distance training plan.
if the OP wants to increase her distance, then she has to do so little by little. increase by 10% every week.
i'd also throw in a medium distance run once a week (half of her max), and get rid of one HIIT session.
but the issue is most likely just needing to refuel on the run. we know very little about the OP and her training habits, yet you are jumping up and down and saying "she's not dedicated enough!!"
It appears that her desire isn't to run long distances, though, from how she comes across in her original post. It seems that these runs are only once a week and the other days are weight training and HIIT. That comes across to me as someone who wants to lose weight, not run longer distances. Nothing wrong with not dedicating yourself mentally to long runs if it isn't your goal.
Humans are physiologically designed to run long distances, but most of us modern, post-agriculture people have lost the desire and need to run long distances. That's all I am saying. Some people do it for fun, but those who aren't really enjoying it, will not be able to do it very long. Running 2+ hours is an absolute **** for people that don't love it.0 -
Seems like a dedication issue to me, because the OP seems mostly dedicated to high intensity interval training. The long runs only come on rest days, so mentally the OP is in "rest mode." I've done miles and miles and a 2+ hour run before. It is a mental drain on us people who don't train for it.
her long runs come after a rest/cheat day.
So she is coming off a rest day going into a 2 hour run while spending most of her time training for HIIT. That seems like a mental and commitment issue to me. Her mind just isn't prepared for it when she is dedicated to something else.
yeah, i think you're wrong. HIIT has it's place in any long distance training plan.
if the OP wants to increase her distance, then she has to do so little by little. increase by 10% every week.
i'd also throw in a medium distance run once a week (half of her max), and get rid of one HIIT session.
but the issue is most likely just needing to refuel on the run. we know very little about the OP and her training habits, yet you are jumping up and down and saying "she's not dedicated enough!!"
It appears that her desire isn't to run long distances, though, from how she comes across in her original post. It seems that these runs are only once a week and the other days are weight training and HIIT. That comes across to me as someone who wants to lose weight, not run longer distances. Nothing wrong with not dedicating yourself mentally to long runs if it isn't your goal.
so you agree that you've made rediculous assumptions?0 -
Haven't read all of the the other comments but it sounds very much like you are bonking (i.e. your muscle is running out of glycogen). Try having some carb (energy gel or something) after about 30 minutes. Make sure you are drinking enough fluid as well. Try and drink before you feel thirsty as an experiment. I would also experiment - run for 85 and then walk for 10 and then start running again and see what happens.
Good luck0 -
Ok, so I do a long run once a week in addition to HIIT twice a week and strength training 3 times a week. My long run is always after my rest day which is also my "cheat" day so I'm usually coming off a bit of a calorie surplus going in to the run. I've been able to run for 90 minutes non stop since early November but can't seem to break past this time. Doesn't matter if I slow down and just go 5mph the whole time, which is a very easy pace for me, still can't get past 90 minutes. I feel great for the first 80-85 and am sure that this will be the week I get all the way to 2 hours and then BAM, legs and feet are TOAST. They feel like lead and just don't want to move anymore. Cardiovascularly I still feel great, I still have tons of energy, but my legs and feet are just done. So....mental block, muscle energy block, or some sort of overtraining?
If I'm being unreasonable trying to run that much while doing my other workouts I can accept that, but if there is a way to work past this without having to give up my other workouts I would love some tips or advice from those with more experience.
You should be running with ratio of weekly mileage to long run. If someone isn't running >30MPW, I dunno why they would do a 90min (9-10mi) long run. Long runs are 1/4-1/3 of total weekly mileage. Are you training for a distance race/event that demands a long run?0 -
Seems like a dedication issue to me, because the OP seems mostly dedicated to high intensity interval training. The long runs only come on rest days, so mentally the OP is in "rest mode." I've done miles and miles and a 2+ hour run before. It is a mental drain on us people who don't train for it.
her long runs come after a rest/cheat day.
So she is coming off a rest day going into a 2 hour run while spending most of her time training for HIIT. That seems like a mental and commitment issue to me. Her mind just isn't prepared for it when she is dedicated to something else.
yeah, i think you're wrong. HIIT has it's place in any long distance training plan.
if the OP wants to increase her distance, then she has to do so little by little. increase by 10% every week.
i'd also throw in a medium distance run once a week (half of her max), and get rid of one HIIT session.
but the issue is most likely just needing to refuel on the run. we know very little about the OP and her training habits, yet you are jumping up and down and saying "she's not dedicated enough!!"
It appears that her desire isn't to run long distances, though, from how she comes across in her original post. It seems that these runs are only once a week and the other days are weight training and HIIT. That comes across to me as someone who wants to lose weight, not run longer distances. Nothing wrong with not dedicating yourself mentally to long runs if it isn't your goal.
so you agree that you've made rediculous assumptions?
Runs long distance once a week, after a rest day, and wants to keep all of her other workouts the same. How the **** is it an assumption that the OP isn't 100% dedicated to long distance running and not an educated guess based on the obvious facts presented?0 -
It appears that her desire isn't to run long distances, though, from how she comes across in her original post. It seems that these runs are only once a week and the other days are weight training and HIIT. That comes across to me as someone who wants to lose weight, not run longer distances. Nothing wrong with not dedicating yourself mentally to long runs if it isn't your goal.
It seems your desire to post inaccuracies and show your ignorance is boundless. Desire to run long distance/duration has nothing to do with if one hits a wall or not. Your general comments about knee injuries don't hold up to scrutiny no matter how many threads you post them in.
When you get a clue, let the rest of us know.0 -
You know what's hard on the body? Trying to do long runs without training properly. The people ruin their knees are the ones who don't run for weeks or months then sign up for something and try to do a years worth of training in a month or two. There are a lot of people that run multiple marathons per year for many years in a row.0
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I feel like I am arguing with a bunch of running zealots.
Good luck OP with whatever your goals are and I hope you fix your problems, whether they be physical or mental.0 -
I was never a runner until I started training for my first half marathon (ran it in December) back in April 2013. But, I worked out consistently before then. Here is my advice. First, if you want to run long distances once a week, you need to run 3 times a week -- 2 shorter and one longer. Second, set a distance goal and not a time goal. Third, consider doing a run-walk system. I did a run three minutes, walk a minute. I thought I would hate it but it actually allowed me to run much longer and farther than I ever thought I could. A mile (because I am slow) was about 3 runs, and I could always talk myself into "just one, two, or three more runs." Good luck!0
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So she is coming off a rest day going into a 2 hour run while spending most of her time training for HIIT. That seems like a mental and commitment issue to me. Her mind just isn't prepared for it when she is dedicated to something else.
Methinks you're talking nonsense. Feel free to keep digging now because I don't imagine anyone is taking you seriously now.
The time to hit the fueling gap is pretty typical. If the originator is running underfueled then the symptom described is as expected. Easy fix is to carry fuel.
Someone that can deal with the mind game of a 60 minute run can deal with the mind game of a 90 or 120 minute run.0 -
Ok, so I do a long run once a week in addition to HIIT twice a week and strength training 3 times a week. My long run is always after my rest day which is also my "cheat" day so I'm usually coming off a bit of a calorie surplus going in to the run. I've been able to run for 90 minutes non stop since early November but can't seem to break past this time. Doesn't matter if I slow down and just go 5mph the whole time, which is a very easy pace for me, still can't get past 90 minutes. I feel great for the first 80-85 and am sure that this will be the week I get all the way to 2 hours and then BAM, legs and feet are TOAST. They feel like lead and just don't want to move anymore. Cardiovascularly I still feel great, I still have tons of energy, but my legs and feet are just done. So....mental block, muscle energy block, or some sort of overtraining?
If I'm being unreasonable trying to run that much while doing my other workouts I can accept that, but if there is a way to work past this without having to give up my other workouts I would love some tips or advice from those with more experience.
The problem is that you're only running once per week. Your long run is all of your weekly mileage while it shouldn't be more than 1/3 or so, and preferably less than that.0 -
Haven't read all of the the other comments but it sounds very much like you are bonking (i.e. your muscle is running out of glycogen). Try having some carb (energy gel or something) after about 30 minutes. Make sure you are drinking enough fluid as well. Try and drink before you feel thirsty as an experiment. I would also experiment - run for 85 and then walk for 10 and then start running again and see what happens.
Good luck
For 90 minutes, especially after a "cheat day," there is plenty of fuel to go from day to day eating, unless OP is trying to do 13.1 in said 90 minutes or eating 1200cals/day. Even then, fueling is probably not the issue.0 -
Haven't read all of the the other comments but it sounds very much like you are bonking (i.e. your muscle is running out of glycogen). Try having some carb (energy gel or something) after about 30 minutes. Make sure you are drinking enough fluid as well. Try and drink before you feel thirsty as an experiment. I would also experiment - run for 85 and then walk for 10 and then start running again and see what happens.
Good luck
For 90 minutes, especially after a "cheat day," there is plenty of fuel to go from day to day eating, unless OP is trying to do 13.1 in said 90 minutes or eating 1200cals/day. Even then, fueling is probably not the issue.
So it is very likely mental with no prep. Thanks for confirming what I've been saying. The OP is not training for long distances. The OP wants to keep her other workouts the same. the OP just isn't prepared for 2 hour runs. Most people who don't train for long distance cannot handle the mental aspect of a nonstop run that long.
Makes sense to me. Everyone else, keep on hating.
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Runs long distance once a week, after a rest day, and wants to keep all of her other workouts the same. How the **** is it an assumption that the OP isn't 100% dedicated to long distance running and not an educated guess based on the obvious facts presented?
i like how you keep editing this last comment to try and make your argument more valid.
it's still not. you're being entirely judgemental based on very little facts. and while yes, many people have given her similar advice to you, they weren't as crass as you, and therefore they were taken seriously.
now you can run along... or not, cuz it's bad for the knees.0 -
Runs long distance once a week, after a rest day, and wants to keep all of her other workouts the same. How the **** is it an assumption that the OP isn't 100% dedicated to long distance running and not an educated guess based on the obvious facts presented?
i like how you keep editing this last comment to try and make your argument more valid.
it's still not. you're being entirely judgemental based on very little facts. and while yes, many people have given her similar advice to you, they weren't as crass as you, and therefore they were taken seriously.
now you can run along... or not, cuz it's bad for the knees.
I edit grammar and clarity. I don't type well when I am frustrated with zealots.0 -
I feel like I am arguing with a bunch of running zealots.
Good luck OP with whatever your goals are and I hope you fix your problems, whether they be physical or mental.
No. You're making ignorant posts which anyone with a basic understanding of exercise can easily counter. There isn't even a humor value to your contributions in this thread.
When your flawed diatribes are countered, you resort to calling people "zealots." Congratulations on coupling ignorance with childish name calling.0 -
I feel like I am arguing with a bunch of running zealots.
Good luck OP with whatever your goals are and I hope you fix your problems, whether they be physical or mental.
Zealots? No, you're just being corrected by people who know what they're talking about. You blew it the moment you said long runs were bad for knees.........0 -
Runs long distance once a week, after a rest day, and wants to keep all of her other workouts the same. How the **** is it an assumption that the OP isn't 100% dedicated to long distance running and not an educated guess based on the obvious facts presented?
i like how you keep editing this last comment to try and make your argument more valid.
it's still not. you're being entirely judgemental based on very little facts. and while yes, many people have given her similar advice to you, they weren't as crass as you, and therefore they were taken seriously.
now you can run along... or not, cuz it's bad for the knees.
I edit grammar and clarity. I don't type well when I am frustrated with zealots.
your frustration is stemming from your lack of basis for your argument.0 -
Runs long distance once a week, after a rest day, and wants to keep all of her other workouts the same. How the **** is it an assumption that the OP isn't 100% dedicated to long distance running and not an educated guess based on the obvious facts presented?
i like how you keep editing this last comment to try and make your argument more valid.
it's still not. you're being entirely judgemental based on very little facts. and while yes, many people have given her similar advice to you, they weren't as crass as you, and therefore they were taken seriously.
now you can run along... or not, cuz it's bad for the knees.
I edit grammar and clarity. I don't type well when I am frustrated with zealots.
lol.
It's quite clear you have no idea what you're talking about...just stop.0 -
Let it go, dude; you yourself already stated the obvious. You are butting heads with dedicated runners. In that aspect of their personalities, they are unlike all the rest of us :laugh: And that puts them in a better position to address OP on the topic of road work anyway................0
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Let it go, dude; you yourself already stated the obvious. You are butting heads with dedicated runners. In that aspect of their personalities, they are unlike all the rest of us :laugh: And that puts them in a better position to address OP on the topic of road work anyway................
hey man, i'm not a runner.
i'm a triathlete.
that also lifts.0 -
bump0
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I'll stick to the point. There's been a few statements that are hitting the mark.
#1 - bonking, use fuel,
#2 - running once a week, definitely fit in more runs than that if you want to build endurance,
#3 - don't look at your watch or set the timer for an extra 5 minutes each time you run until you're past the 90 minute mark
#4 - what kind of ground are you running on? try some trails for a change or pavement if you've been on concrete. It's not so forgiving (concrete)
#5 - try running with someone else to take your mind of the duration that you're out there.
See that wasn't hard to stick to the question that was asked!0 -
Let it go, dude; you yourself already stated the obvious. You are butting heads with dedicated runners. In that aspect of their personalities, they are unlike all the rest of us :laugh: And that puts them in a better position to address OP on the topic of road work anyway................
hey man, i'm not a runner.
i'm a triathlete.
that also lifts.
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