Any help out there?
You just effing hate those things, don't you.
Dave
Runs4Sanity
15+ miles I have music with me, though not if the majority of my run is in the dark.
I mentally break it into segments
I do what the schedule says to do and do not think twice about it
I actually really look forward to the long runs
*Do It For Yourself, Do It Because They Said It Was Impossible, Do It Because They Said You Were Incapable*
PRs
5k - 24:15 (7:49 min/mile pace)
10k - 51:47 (8:16 min/mile pace)
15k -1:18:09 (8:24 min/mile pace)
13.1 - 1:53:12 (8:39 min/mile pace)
26:2 - 4:14:55 (9:44 min/mile)
Where's the none of the above option? My limit in the summer is 75 to 90 minutes. At my pace, that's a little over 8 miles. Since my focus now is on a faster 5k, I don't really see any reason to do more, especially when I won't enjoy it.
I mentally break it up. The first 1/3 is about getting loosened up and easing into the pace. 2nd 1/3 I'm just hanging out, enjoying the sights @ easy pace. Final 1/3 I put my head down and get to work for a moderately-paced finish.
It varies. Sometimes I try to do at least part of it with a group. If I'm on my own, I try to find a route that is either new to me or is on the rail-trail where I can zone out and enjoy the setting. Music, etc., is reserved for the TM.
Friday I really didn't want to do the full 16, but because I was in a part of town I'm not usually in, I convinced myself to go exploring, which led me far enough away from the car that I had no choice but to finish the full distance.
Honestly, though, I usually enjoy the long runs, especially the mental part. It is my time when I can just do my own thing in my head without interruptions.
20,000 miles behind me, the world still to see.
Warm&fuzzy
While I miss my pre-dawn before work runs, I am really missing my 2-3 hour Saturday runs. I like to start out just when it is light enough to see. This gets me a sunrise (assuming decent weather), and I'm still back home before it hits 80. Add in a light rain, and it's like a long relaxation therapy session. I will have to admit I am damn glad too see my driveway at the end.
I would run 3 hours a a day, everyday, if I had the time and could live through it.
Runner with a riding problem.
I am always playing little games with the distance or time to mark progress. Little things like switching my water bottle from hand to hand every mile, counting down how long until my next scheduled gel, drink of water, etc. Also, for some reason, I notice every time I get to a .67 of a mile, and count down how long from there until the last time I have to look at that decimal (when I'll be just a couple blocks from home).
An out and back helps a lot because on LR days I can get further from home and see more interesting things.
delicate flower
I listen to music on my LR's (only time I listen to it), I break the run up into segments, and I keep count in my head how many seconds overall I am ahead/behind goal pace for the run. That said, the long runs don't bother me. The runs that really grate on my psyche are the easy paced jogs of 7-9 miles. Getting through those are tough for me mentally. I find them painfully boring and I am usually checked out mentally by mile 4.
<3
Check out this dude near the end of the CG Marathon. Is that how long runs make you feel?
race obsessed
Get'r done.
I find them more mental than any of the quality runs.
Get off the beaten path when you do them. I try to explore new areas and new routes just to keep things fresh during long runs.
Trail and Ultra Running User Group
If it's a long trail run, I run with others, but if its a long run on paved paths at local parks then I listen to music. I never listen to music while trail running.
No more marathons
Books on tape. For every run from 3 miles to 20 miles. Trail or road. The only time I don't is track intervals and races.
If I had to give up one or the other, my garmin would stay at home.
Boston 2014 - a 33 year journey
Lordy, I hope there are tapes.
He's a leaker!
The longest training run I've ever done is 12 miles. I break it up into segments. I don't have a music player, so I have to entertain myself. 12 miles gets pretty boring, as it is out and back with mile markers. Even at that, there are landmarks, so there is always a nearby goal. I also play mental games, like trying to remember as much as I can about the person who just passed me. Or guessing how many strides it is to that big tree or bridge. I'm getting pretty good at that stuff.