Forums >General Running>What distance is a "LONG" run?
I would not have expected it to but this thread delivered.
Runners run
The long run puts the tiger in the cat. It is overrated. It is a Tuesday group text to the others who understand. It is a snooze button on a Sunday morning. A cup of coffee and a sense of dread. The long run is good company. It is the stiff early footfalls. It is empty roads and dark windows. It is gray air, fog in the hollow, dew on the grass. A cracking open of the mind. The long run is an easy rhythm. It is silence, footfalls, and barking dogs. It is a world apart, an intimate conversation. It is crude jokes and hard truths. Shared pain. The long run is hardened legs, a runner's lope. It is soaked-through socks and a film of salt. It is that gentle pull on your knee, a mounting pressure in the hip. It is covering ground, the trial of miles. Ice in your beard. The long run is a couple miles to go. It is feeling strong. It is heavy legs and numb feet. It is running to the barn. The last fucking hill. The long run is a secret possession. It is sweet aching legs at the grocery store. It is an early end to the day. It is something they'll never get. Your overgrown and wild runners heart.
The long run puts the tiger in the cat.
It is overrated.
It is a Tuesday group text to the others who understand.
It is a snooze button on a Sunday morning.
A cup of coffee and a sense of dread.
The long run is good company.
It is the stiff early footfalls.
It is empty roads and dark windows.
It is gray air, fog in the hollow, dew on the grass.
A cracking open of the mind.
The long run is an easy rhythm.
It is silence, footfalls, and barking dogs.
It is a world apart, an intimate conversation.
It is crude jokes and hard truths.
Shared pain.
The long run is hardened legs, a runner's lope.
It is soaked-through socks and a film of salt.
It is that gentle pull on your knee, a mounting pressure in the hip.
It is covering ground, the trial of miles.
Ice in your beard.
The long run is a couple miles to go.
It is feeling strong.
It is heavy legs and numb feet.
It is running to the barn.
The last fucking hill.
The long run is a secret possession.
It is sweet aching legs at the grocery store.
It is an early end to the day.
It is something they'll never get.
Your overgrown and wild runners heart.
Just stopping by for another read.
Why is it sideways?
Jeff - Great poem! It really captures the feelings and sensations of the long run! Did you write it yourself?
Hey thanks I didn't really think of it as a poem but I guess it is. Just trying to answer the question: what distance is a long run?
I used to do a lot of writing about running, but it's been a while.
Thanks for that, Jeff. I'm anxious for tomorrow morning's 'long run' (~13 mile's!) now! That is spot-on.
an amazing likeness
.. I used to do a lot of writing about running, but it's been a while.
Your writings were a gift...this vignette reminds of what we've been missing. Glad you're back.
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
Consistently Slow
+ 1
Hey thanks I didn't really think of it as a poem but I guess it is. Just trying to answer the question: what distance is a long run? I used to do a lot of writing about running, but it's been a while.
Run until the trail runs out.
SCHEDULE 2016--
The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff
http://bkclay.blogspot.com/
+100
Spam
This is a difficult question to answer definitively, as what one person considers to be "long" may not be seen as such by another. In general, however, 8 miles is considered to be a fair distance. While there are certainly longer distances that could be run, 8 miles is still a significant achievement for most people. In addition, 8 miles is a good distance to use as a marker for training runs, as it is long enough to provide a good workout without being so lengthy that it becomes impractical. Ultimately, the best way to answer this question is to ask yourself how you feel after running 8 miles. If you feel like you could have kept going, then you may want to increase the distance of your next run. However, if you feel like you pushed yourself to your limits, then you may be happy with running 8 miles.
jonnylew - Well I though this thread was dead! Well, I like to reply to those who answered my topic. Yes, 8 miles is a significant distance for many runners. As you say, it is also a distance that can be completed without taking too much time, so it works well for training. That said, if you are running 12 milers several times a week than doing 8 seems short and easy! My question really had to do about how to label runs by distance in my log and I found out from DavePWN how to create custom categories. So now in my log runs less than 4 miles are "Easy" , 4 to less than 8 are "Moderate", 8 to less than 12 are "Medium", 12 to less than 16 are "Long" , 16 to less than 20 are "Extra Long" and the rare training runs greater than that are simply "Over Twenty"
Slow and steady win the race
Wow
I've been running for 40 years, everything from 5k's to ultra's, and my opinion is that a long run is anything that is twice the distance of your daily run. That's it.
Man in Tights
Hi I'm coming back to Running Ahead after a long time. I have two basic runs. The medium distance ones which I run during week days are around 10-11Km. This takes me about an hour or on a good day less. And the long run is reserved for Sunday which is around 18km which takes me anywhere between 1:45 - 1:50.