running longer distances........

maddymama
maddymama Posts: 1,183 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi Runners (and former runners),
When you started switching from running shorter distances to longer distances, what was the biggest mental or physical jump for you? For example, in the C25K program, the jump on the week where you go from running 8 minutes to 20 minutes is the hardest jump for most people.
When you started running longer distances, what was the hardest jump for you? 5 to 8 miles? 8 to 10 miles? 22 to 26 miles? What was it? Was it more mental or physical?
~maddymama

Replies

  • FitOna
    FitOna Posts: 3
    I remember starting out running and a friend told me that once I was able to run for 10 minutes I could run for as long as I like. I always remembered that when training and it is so true. Once your mind can do it, your body will follow. Set a goal for yourself, for example to run for 15 minutes, and don't stop until you are finished. Even if you have to go slow, then go slow. Just don't stop.

    'I don't stop when I'm tired. I stop when I'm done'

    Saw that on something recently - love it!
  • KCarpenter83
    KCarpenter83 Posts: 36 Member
    For me doing my first double digit distance was a huge milestone (10 miles). But it's true, if you go slow enough...if u can run for 10 minutes you can go any distance. Mental blocks start happening I think for beginning runners increasing distance but it's really all mental- remember that.
  • Frozen300
    Frozen300 Posts: 223 Member
    I remember starting out running and a friend told me that once I was able to run for 10 minutes I could run for as long as I like. I always remembered that when training and it is so true. Once your mind can do it, your body will follow. Set a goal for yourself, for example to run for 15 minutes, and don't stop until you are finished. Even if you have to go slow, then go slow. Just don't stop.

    'I don't stop when I'm tired. I stop when I'm done'

    Saw that on something recently - love it!

    holy cow, this is what happened to me! For the longest time I couldn't get past 5 mins without stopping due to stitches until the day I said "screw it, I'm going to run through these stitches in my sides". Within minutes I realized that I can get past the initial pains and I had to stop myself at 5k (40mins) in fears that I was over doing it! I've change my running goal now to 10k in 1 hour!
  • SteveTries
    SteveTries Posts: 723 Member
    Well the hardest mental jump is running slower!

    For me (and I would imagine many others) you start out running 5k and work on getting faster and faster at doing that, so all runs are up there in the 85%+ HR zone.

    When you embalk on running more distance you're running at a slower pace (down in the 70-80%maxHR, but for further distances). It's a total paradigm shift and takes some getting used to.

    I was amazed though that I went from a furthest ever distance of 5kms straight to 10kms and then 2 weeks later went up to 16kms.

    It wasn't easy and I don't think its a smart way to do things as I had tendon soreness in the knees for many days afterwards, but it shows what's possible.

    Interestingly, for 3 or 4 months I never again did a 5kms pace run, but when I went back and had a go I found that at 24mins I was over 1 minute faster than back when I was doing that exclusively.
  • sarafil
    sarafil Posts: 506 Member
    Honestly, I think a lot of running is mental conditioning. I mean, obviously you have to build up to it physically as well, but any time I have struggled on a run, it is because my mind is trying to stop me....not my body. I would say that 10 miles was a block for me....I was really scared of going 10, even though I had done nine just fine....so once again, it was a mental block. But once I did "double digits" I was able to increase past 10 pretty easily. Also, when you are running long distances, your pace is much slower, which can be difficult at first.
  • maddymama
    maddymama Posts: 1,183 Member
    I think I am finding the double digits (10 miles) a big mental block for me. I was just wondering if that was true for other runners........
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    I'd say 9 miles is the mental block for me. Less than that is fun. More than that is borrrring. Too much of the same motion for too long.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    It really depends. A few years ago when I was training for my first half marathon there were days where I did our long runs effortlessly. Then there were days where half a mile out I wanted to die. When I run -- out side or in -- sometimes I do have to mentally push myself. If I'm on the treadmill I look at how much longer I have to go at whatever speed I'm doing and I tell myself "Ten more minutes" or "Half a mile left". When I'm outside I mentally map out the route and when I'm hitting that wall I see the route in my mind and tell myself "Get to the bend in the road" or "That tree isn't that far away. You can do it!" It's all a mental game.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    I don't remember a specific wall. It depends on your mental and physical strength for the day. I have run all distances from 3 to 50 miles for over 30 years. I've always gradually upped my miles and made sure I got rest when needed.

    The furthest I ran before a 26.2 mile marathon was an 18k 3 weeks before, every time, and it seemed to work perfect for me. (Clarksburg, CA 18k and California International Marathon)

    I would say the last 10 miles of a 50 mile run was the toughest, every time, sometimes the last 6 miles or so of a marathon.
  • MiloBloom83
    MiloBloom83 Posts: 2,724 Member
    The mind will always stop the body. The toughest run to overcome is the one your mind is telling you you can't do. Mental toughness is the key to running any distance. That said, double digits was a hump at first. Now those runs fire me up.
  • AzhureSnow
    AzhureSnow Posts: 289 Member
    The mind is always the hardest to stop. I also struggled with shin splints from increasing my distance too fast. I think for me the hardest part was not increasing more than 10% of my distance every week.

    Your mind is going to give up on you long before your body ever thinks about it, so learning how to push through that on long runs is always tough. You can't start the run like, "Damn, I've got to run for 45 minutes?!" - you just start running and let it roll. Find your rhythm, get out of your own head and let your feet take you.

    Also - I set "mini goals" for myself on each run. "Okay, just make it to that tree" or "alright, tree passed... next goal is the fire station" and don't think about anything further than that. Before you know it, you're at that mini-goal and you just keep moving. Let your body find it's natural rhythm, and just go with it.
  • 76tech
    76tech Posts: 1,455 Member
    Mentally? Running slower, lowering my pace to ramp up from my normal 3-4 mile distance to anything longer.

    Physically? Switching from 7 miles to 8 miles. I could do 7 with no problem, but getting to 8 was really difficult. I started using gels to get over that hump. Is it necessary? Is it just placebo effect? Not entire sure, but i found a routine that seems to get me past the 7 mile mark and into half marathon territory.
  • jheeley1989
    jheeley1989 Posts: 10
    Definately a mental battle rather than physical. I was running 3miles in about 25/26mins very comfortably round a lake near my house. One day I decided I would up it to running the lake twice and I found biggest battle was mentally slowing myself down to start with then another battle when I was approaching end of the 1st lap which I'm guessing was my body mentally preparing itself to stop like it was use to, but I found once I had completed 1st lap and started the 2nd my body seemed to settle back down and I was fine for the other 3miles and felt I could have ran more if I really wanted to.

    Also I think it definately helps setting yourself goals to achieve while running as it will mentally spur you on rather than just deciding to run until you cant do anymore as you will be more likely to force yourself the last mile if you've got a goal of 5miles, 10miles etc.
  • mnstrpc
    mnstrpc Posts: 109
    For sure it is mental but for me the biggest "hump" was getting past 8-9 miles to 10 (I'm now just over 13 miles on long runs). And the biggest challenge for me was that for my body and climate (SW Ohio, very hot, humid summers) getting over 8-9 miles was the point at which I needed to carry water with me and/or refuel. Once I figured all that out in a way that works well for me, getting the next couple of miles hasn't been too bad.
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
    Trying to prep for a marathon and mile 18 really sucks.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    20-26 always sucks. It's the WALL.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Trying to prep for a marathon and mile 18 really sucks.

    I never ran over 13.1 when getting ready for my marathon...
  • tri10806
    tri10806 Posts: 192 Member
    When I first started running my only goal was to finish the 5K at the end of a sprint triathlon. After doing a few 5K/10K's the first couple years I decided to run a half marathon. 10 miles seemed liked a far-fetched milestone. I never thought I could run that far. Now that I run more ultras, my training is usually time-based. I can run for 2 to 2 1/2 hours pretty easy. It's making myself do the 3+ hour runs that I have the hardest time with. That usually equates to 18-20 miles on the trails.

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