How can I gear up for distance running?

June 13, 2009 4:50 PM

How can I train to run longer distances? I have never run more than 3 miles, but want to start running much longer distances.

I run fairly regularly (2 to 3 times a week, more often on a treadmill than not), but can rarely go further than 2 or 3 miles, and afterwards, I always feel very very exhausted (heartrate is up to ~200bpm, but I'm a 20 year-old male, so it's not too extreme). I really want to be able to run further though.

Pretend I want to run in a marathon one year from today. What can I do to train myself for long distance running?

posted by comwiz to health & fitness (14 comments total)

Run at a more optimal heart rate to create cardiac strength. For the vast majority of people this means running longer at a slower rate. Get a heart rate monitor and then figure out your max heart rate and then run at 60%-80% of that rate. More here.

Your morning heartrate is really the best measure of your current fitness. The lower, the better. Get a watch with a timer you can set to count down. Set it to count down 10 seconds. Then place it right next to you where it can be easily accessed. Then when you wake up, with very little movement, pick it up with one hand and put your finger on your neck for your pulse. Press the button. Count the beats until you hear the timer go off. Multiply by six. I got as low as 38 one summer of hard training. Miguel Indurain, the great Spanish cyclist had a 28 bpm resting heart rate.
posted by Ironmouth at 5:12 PM on June 13, 2009

I hate to say "google it," but there are dozens of websites with training regimes to get you up to a half marathon in x number of weeks. (here's one).

They're basic but they work just fine.
posted by Autarky at 5:13 PM on June 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

Slow your pace and increase your distance. It sounds like you might be pushing yourself too hard, effectively short-circuiting your body's ability to build aerobic capacity by exhausting yourself; endurance is something you gain by maintaining your target heart-rate, not by maxing it out.

Other basic training points might help, as well: Mix up your aerobic exercise with weightlifting, squats, and other resistance training, 2-3x/week. Give up smoking, if you smoke. If you drink more than a few beers/week, cut back. Eat a balanced, healthy diet, and take a daily multi-vitamin. Get plenty of rest.
posted by ellF at 5:15 PM on June 13, 2009

Not to be glib, but the answer is just to start running longer distances. Find a training plan like Autarky recommends, mostly so you don't push yourself too quickly and injure yourself, and then follow it. That's it.

I've found that my barriers in terms of increasing my distance were entirely mental, and not physical. (Provided, of course, that you are increasing mileage at a reasonable rate and not planning to go out and run ten miles tomorrow.) I looked ahead at the training plan and thought, "There's no way I can run eight miles three weeks from now!" But then three weeks later, I'd run eight miles with no problem and think, "There's no way I can run eleven miles three weeks from now!" and so on.

I have to say, even after running half marathons, my three-mile runs leave me feeling exhausted and tired afterward. I think it's just because I leave the house with a mileage in my head, and so my brain only adjusts to that distance and no further.
posted by adiabat at 5:18 PM on June 13, 2009

Take walk breaks, especially when you begin to increase the distance.

Read this recent Times article on marathoners who take walk breaks and subsequently reduce injuries and, maybe counter-intuitively, their finish times.
posted by Toekneesan at 5:34 PM on June 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

First off, ditch the treadmill. My most recent long run was 12 miles, but the longest I can go on the 'mill is about three (boredom seems to escalate how tired I perceive myself to be). You'll find that when you head out running and you have the choice between walking that last mile or jogging it, you'll keep trotting on.

Running is all about pushing your limits. Your body will never improve if you keep doing the same distance over and over- after a time, it becomes efficient at providing just enough energy to do those same 2-3 miles.
I suggest running more often (4-7 days a week), with most days doing maintenance work (3 miles or whatever your normal route is) and 1-2 days of "long runs" where you boost your mileage to a slightly uncomfortable distance (4-5 miles). Run at a very easy pace, at around thirty seconds to a minute slower per mile than your usual.

If you can, run without stopping; If you can't, don't be afraid to take a minute breather here and there until your body gets used to the distance.

As you get to longer distances, plan out interesting routes, bring an iPod loaded with upbeat tunes, or have fun exploring different parts of your town at different times during the day and hopefully this will defeat some of the dullness of the run and distract you from your pain.

The day after your long run, either rest or go very short/easy. Drink plenty of fluids and take in some protein while avoiding greasy/processed junk.

Good Luck!
posted by pyrom at 5:43 PM on June 13, 2009

The key is really pretty simple: slow down. Way down if you need to. You don't increase your range by running the same pace for a longer time. You do it by running slower for longer. Try to put aside any ego you have about running fast and pick a pace you feel you could keep up for an hour. If you run 2-3 miles regularly, you should have no problem running 5-6 miles today if you are willing to run slowly enough.
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 5:45 PM on June 13, 2009

Even when I was in great running shape and could easily finish 10+ miles a couple times a week, I always hit a real barrier around the end of the second mile/start of the third where I'd start to drag and want to quit. Eventually I just learned to expect it and would force myself to keep running, and it would get easier shortly thereafter.
posted by Dr.Enormous at 6:18 PM on June 13, 2009

Agree 100% with everyone who is saying slow down. Everyone's different, but I would venture a guess that at 200 bpm, your heart rate is pretty much redlining. The reason I believe that is because when I started running at age 25, my heartrate was on the high end, and it would max out at around 205 to 209 bpm. I was just like you... totally beat at the end of my runs. Now, when I train for marathons (at age 30), my average heart rate during a long training run is around 154-160 bpm. I can still get it up to about 200 bpm towards the end of 5K races on a hot day, but I would never ever train at anything even approaching my max HR because I am not a sprinter.

As far as the ideal pace pace goes, consider checking out some running calculators to get a good handle on what your training paces should be. You can put in a recent all-out two mile run and get some training paces to go by. There are quite a few calculators out there, and just SO much good information available for you on the internet. Check out this page for a more comprehensive look at training paces or to learn how to train by heart rate. And remember that as a beginning runner who is trying to build endurance, your focus should not be on speedwork or anaerobic threshold work until you've built up your endurance base.

Finally, consider increasing your frequency (gradually) to 4-5 runs per week, because even the most gentle of beginner marathon programs will have you running around 38 miles per week at their peak. Consider starting with some 5K or 10K training programs and then work your way up.
posted by smalls at 6:36 PM on June 13, 2009

I'm just (barely) getting back into running. I'd also ditch the treadmill, weather permitting. I don't understand how anyone can run distance on those things--I'd take an oval track over a treadmill.

Also, look into strength training programs intended for runners--they not only help you build up those muscles, they also correct muscle imbalances that can lead to injuries.

What kind of pace are you going at to hit 200 bpm?
posted by Decimask at 6:53 PM on June 13, 2009

All the advice so far is great. But there is a clue here that is the key to your problem: for most people 2-3 miles translates to about 20 minutes of running. Unless you're an elite athlete, the 20-minute mark is roughly the point at which your body runs out of its anaerobic energy reserves and has to continue on purely aerobic respiration. This means you're doing a moderate sprint for 2-3 miles, not a run.

So, like others have said, you have to slow down and extend your routine. And you need to spend the first 15 minutes or so properly warming up (a brisk walk is as good as a slow jog), rather than launching right into the run. Most importantly, the intensity of your excercise has to be below your anaerobic threshold. You should be at 60%-70% of max heart rate for most of your miles, and exceeding that only for interval training or for races.
posted by randomstriker at 7:02 PM on June 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

randomstriker: the 20-minute mark is roughly the point at which your body runs out of its anaerobic energy reserves and has to continue on purely aerobic
Dr. Enormous: I always hit a real barrier around the end of the second mile/start of the third where I'd start to drag and want to quit.

This is what I always thought of as the first hump. The second is apparently around 18-20 miles in, although I've never done more than 14. But, yeah, the 200 bpm will very quickly go down once you get into a strict 4 day/wk regimen and focus on finishing and not racing. Just don't run more than you are supposed to and don't miss the big run of the week.

As said above - running outside is way easier than on a treadmill.
posted by xorry at 11:33 PM on June 13, 2009

Go really really really really really slow. So slow that you're not getting tired. And go longer than your 2-3 miles because it'll be so much easier than actual running. And from there increase your "normal" runs to 5-6 miles. In a few weeks you'll be able to do those 5-6 miles a little faster. Then try doing 8 miles really really really slow. Your body will get used to doing longer distances, and it will be getting stronger at the same time, so you'll eventually be able to run longer distances faster. And then follow some kind of marathon training schedule.

And yea, ditch the treadmill. If you're gonna be doing longer runs you're gonna get bored of places. Drive to a nearby town and just run around the streets there, find parks and approach them from different sides so you get different scenery. If you have new scenery and new music for every run, it won't feel repetitive, you might not even realize right away that you've gone X number of miles. Also, try doing it not by miles, but by time, and just make your runs longer. It also helps to zone out and not even check the time, because checking the time and mileage makes it feel like a chore to run, but if you're zoned out for an hour, then you're just thinking about life for an hour and not realizing that your feet have been moving.
posted by KateHasQuestions at 10:07 AM on June 14, 2009

The second is apparently around 18-20 miles in...

Yeah, supposedly this is the point at which you run out of stored glycogen altogether, and your body then switches to ketosis to use your fat stores as energy.

I'm just regurgitating random things I've read, however. It sorta sounds correct but could all be pseudoscientific gibberish.
posted by randomstriker at 5:47 PM on June 14, 2009