Today is the 12th day of September hence the 12th letter of the alphabet.

Today’s Topic is: Write anything that comes to mind that begins with the letter “L”.

No surprise but all I can think about is: Long runs.

Ok, so you may not be signing up for BIG races.  Or maybe you are not running any races..

Time to slow down, right? Run fewer miles. Take it easy.

Yes, if you are injured.

But, NO, not necessarily.

(Many runners may define a long run differently.  For this post, I am defining it as at least 8 miles.)

Here’s why it’s good to run LONG on the weekend:

1.Builds resiliency and mental toughness.

The Long Run is the most specific mental preparation you’ll get before a race. Psychological fatigue is real!

It builds your confidence.

And as they say “It’s all about that base.”  With long runs of at least 8 miles, you do not have to start over when you start training for a long race.  You can quickly be prepared for that half marathon.

2. Improves mechanics.

In other words, your running form becomes more efficient in a Long Run. Muscles learn through practice and your stride will improve through consistent long runs.

You have time to work on your cadence, breathing, etc.

3. Increases the efficiency of fuel use.

The Long Run teaches the body to use a higher percentage of fat as fuel rather than stored glycogen, while also teaching the body to store more glycogen.

It also gives you the opportunity to experiment with different types of fuel and when your body needs to fuel.

4. Builds stronger muscles.

Running for prolonged periods increases the strength of the leg muscles and connective tissues, but also those of the respiratory system (including the diaphragm and core region).

This is especially important for those of us who use running as our primary form of strength training.

5. Makes you faster!

Yes, with more endurance you’ll be able to hold a certain pace for a longer period of time. But after a certain level of fatigue, slow-twitch muscles get tired so the body recruits fast-twitch muscle fibers to help out.

The end result? You actually improve speed by running easy for a very long time!

It took me awhile to realize how running longer actually helped increase my pace for those 5ks races.

So obviously I am doing Long runs because I have to be in shape to finish a 26.2 race.

But even when I have had no big races on my schedules (such as in the winter), I still did my Long runs (for the reasons mentioned above.)

Happy Running! What do you think about beginning with the letter “L”? Do you do Long runs religiously? Please share.

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There is a link-up organized by Zenaida and Kim (Kooky Runner).

Since today is Tuesday, I’m linking up with these ladies.

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I’m also linking up here:

with co-hosts Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Mile by Mile, Runs with Pugs, and Laura Norris

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