For me the biggest challenge is psyching myself up to get out the door. For some reason, I always dread the long run before I get started, but once I am going, I usually kind of embrace it. I like the runs that have some variety in them, like speed play or fast finish. I love the feeling of accomplishment when it's done, especially when it's one of those runs that feels like it's never going to end.

Usually, the mental aspect and the fatigue are not an issue for me, but this summer was a definite lesson in determination. There were some days when the conditions were downright brutal and I definitely wanted to quit. I can't say that it was my legs or my lungs or any of that so much as the feeling of running with what felt like a 10 lb shirt on my back and puddles in my shoes. Definition of the phrase "Embrace the suck". At any rate, I am pretty proud of my ability to hang in there through my long runs this summer (to be fair, I am training for a fall half, so my longest runs were only 14 miles) because I know that it pays dividends on race day.

My biggest challenge is getting my *kitten* out of bed early enough so that it's not interfering with the rest of my day. If I'm doing a proper build up there's nothing physical or mental that's a huge hurdle. The long run is my favorite part of training. This is what has convinced me to do less short races and start working on ultras.

Injuries. It's hard to want to run long, but have to keep it short (or worse, not run at all) in order to recover and keep running regularly. But I do it, because it sucks worse to run long and then not be able to run at all.

Philtex wrote: »

BeeerRunner wrote: »

Hopefully, fall will show up to Texas one of these days...

You can say that again. I've spent the summer running on the TM.

@Philtex ... I have to be desperate to use the treadmill. If you run before work, it's tolerable...especially if you find a few sprinklers to run through.

Now, I've had to travel to Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE for work a few times over the past few months. That was intolerable heat and I ran on the treadmill there. One night, the "feels like temp" was over 130!!! Weirdly enough, Afghanistan had much better weather...better than Texas too. Although hot during the day, it was cool in the mornings and evenings so I was able to run on an outdoor track (on a military base) while there.

Running slow, keeping the HR down, dealing with injuries, stopping myself from running during injury... Despite all that, I love the expectation and excitement of the long run.