I was thinking I should do a long run of 16k today morning, due from more than a month, although I have been doing short runs regularly almost daily for last one month. My last long run being on 25th Sept, 14 , I was skeptical about my stamina. But cross-training along with the short runs i.e. core strengthening, weight training, sprints, HIIT (high intensity interval training), biking and of course swimming definitely improved my stamina and strength. Along with the cross-training, I have been following a very healthy diet, including green tea, fruits and juices.
I woke up pretty early today, and got ready at 5:15 am had a bar of dark chocolate Cadbury Bournville, a brisk walk to the IISc Gymkhana football ground, some warm up and dynamic stretching. The weather was cool, the sky was pretty clear and calm, and no dogs barking. I started the run at 5:40 am, along with my stopwatch and Runkeeper app to the beats of my running playlist. I was feeling cold and was wearing a windcheater. The tracks was standard running track with a circumference of 400-455 m.
The first round was quite comfortable, I was feeling warm and stripped out my windcheater. I was feeling very energetic and running felt very natural. The first 4 km's was very comfortable I could feel the pace and cadence. Maintained a good speed of about 10.90 km/hr. I was the only runner at that time, and then a elderly guy jogged few rounds. Keeping my head up and closing my eyes for few seconds, I felt the nice early morning breeze and the feel of me cutting through the air was amazing. The split speed for the first 4 km's is as:
The next 5 km's was relatively slower, felt like stopping but continued while going with the flow, maintaining a steady pace. The split speed for the next 5 km's is as:
And the end of 9-10 km is when I normally get Runner's high, I get the boost of stamina and feel I can't stop running, also a consequence of Newton's 1st law quoted with an alteration as `A runner in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force '. So, I was again back to comfortable running at a good speed where I felt I could have speeded up a bit more but I was running alone, not a race, so I completed comfortably 16.23 km in 1:30:07 hours at a good speed of 10.81 km/hr and a climb of 216 m with 954 calories burnt. So, it was a very satisfying and comfortable run given my target before the run was to finish 16 k in 1.5 hours, while I covered a 200 m extra distance in the same time comfortably. The split speed for the last 7 km's is as:
I felt quite warm during the run. After the run, I walked for few minutes, and started feeling the chill of the morning weather. Did lot of stretching in the gymkhana, and for the first time did not feel any stiffness even after one day. But the morning chill did make me feverish for few hours after run, so need to get a running jersey for the cold weather.
Benefits and how to do a long run:
The definition of a long run depends on the individual, based on how much long he has run. For me, above 10k is a long run. It is similar to test cricket or a PhD student's journey which tests your patience, perseverance, stamina and endurance. Definitely good core strength is also important to avoid injuries or side stitches. Comfortable deep breathing rhythm is also important so as to not get tired soon. Also, you will feel the joy of running, by maintaining a overall steady pace throughout the run. The best strategy as per my experience is to decide how much distance you want to cover before the run, cover the first 30% of distance at a average speed of your target speed, the next 30% is little difficult where you will feel like stopping so go with the flow a little slower. The final 40% is where you feel like not stopping the run, given you comfortably completed the first 60%. This is the part which decides your finishing time, you can speed up towards the end as you know that you are going to stop after some time. After the run, slow down and walk few minutes, have lots of water and refuel, then do lots of stretching for at least 20 minutes so as to avoid muscle stiffness later.
The other benefits are you need not and should not do a long run on a regular basis, and for beginners at most one long run in two weeks is recommended, so you finish the long run within 1-2 hours and do not need to bother about it for some time. Obviously, you will feel the Runner's high and accomplished after the run. And also very fresh and energetic throughout the day.
Tips to run alone and comfortably:
The best way to run alone and not get bored on tracks is to plugin music, start your app, and feel the run. Just close your eyes and look up unaware of the surroundings (only on the tracks and for few seconds) and you will feel the bliss of running. The advantage of track running over road running is more concentration on your running form and cadence, and its not dangerous to close your eyes on the relatively empty tracks. Especially beginner long distance runners should train first on tracks, and the proceed to road run after feeling comfortable with long runs, even though I started with road running.
Road running has its own advantages as variation of scenery and environment with time and distance. As also the terrain varies, both elevation and curves, its considered more difficult and more strenuous but depends on the individual. Also, its important to vary your running terrain between tracks, road and grass, to avoid injury and gain more flexibility in running.
I woke up pretty early today, and got ready at 5:15 am had a bar of dark chocolate Cadbury Bournville, a brisk walk to the IISc Gymkhana football ground, some warm up and dynamic stretching. The weather was cool, the sky was pretty clear and calm, and no dogs barking. I started the run at 5:40 am, along with my stopwatch and Runkeeper app to the beats of my running playlist. I was feeling cold and was wearing a windcheater. The tracks was standard running track with a circumference of 400-455 m.
The first round was quite comfortable, I was feeling warm and stripped out my windcheater. I was feeling very energetic and running felt very natural. The first 4 km's was very comfortable I could feel the pace and cadence. Maintained a good speed of about 10.90 km/hr. I was the only runner at that time, and then a elderly guy jogged few rounds. Keeping my head up and closing my eyes for few seconds, I felt the nice early morning breeze and the feel of me cutting through the air was amazing. The split speed for the first 4 km's is as:
NAME
SPEED kM/hr
CLIMB
1 km
10.75
2
2 km
10.99
-3
3 km
11.20
5
4 km
11.22
-3
The next 5 km's was relatively slower, felt like stopping but continued while going with the flow, maintaining a steady pace. The split speed for the next 5 km's is as:
5 km
10.41
2
6 km
10.68
-2
7 km
10.51
2
8 km
10.04
-2
9 km
9.96
3
And the end of 9-10 km is when I normally get Runner's high, I get the boost of stamina and feel I can't stop running, also a consequence of Newton's 1st law quoted with an alteration as `A runner in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force '. So, I was again back to comfortable running at a good speed where I felt I could have speeded up a bit more but I was running alone, not a race, so I completed comfortably 16.23 km in 1:30:07 hours at a good speed of 10.81 km/hr and a climb of 216 m with 954 calories burnt. So, it was a very satisfying and comfortable run given my target before the run was to finish 16 k in 1.5 hours, while I covered a 200 m extra distance in the same time comfortably. The split speed for the last 7 km's is as:
10 km
11.13
-3
11 km
10.86
1
12 km
11.29
-4
13 km
11.66
0
14 km
11.36
1
15 km
10.49
1
16 km
10.67
-2
17 km
12.12
-2
I felt quite warm during the run. After the run, I walked for few minutes, and started feeling the chill of the morning weather. Did lot of stretching in the gymkhana, and for the first time did not feel any stiffness even after one day. But the morning chill did make me feverish for few hours after run, so need to get a running jersey for the cold weather.
Benefits and how to do a long run:
The definition of a long run depends on the individual, based on how much long he has run. For me, above 10k is a long run. It is similar to test cricket or a PhD student's journey which tests your patience, perseverance, stamina and endurance. Definitely good core strength is also important to avoid injuries or side stitches. Comfortable deep breathing rhythm is also important so as to not get tired soon. Also, you will feel the joy of running, by maintaining a overall steady pace throughout the run. The best strategy as per my experience is to decide how much distance you want to cover before the run, cover the first 30% of distance at a average speed of your target speed, the next 30% is little difficult where you will feel like stopping so go with the flow a little slower. The final 40% is where you feel like not stopping the run, given you comfortably completed the first 60%. This is the part which decides your finishing time, you can speed up towards the end as you know that you are going to stop after some time. After the run, slow down and walk few minutes, have lots of water and refuel, then do lots of stretching for at least 20 minutes so as to avoid muscle stiffness later.
The other benefits are you need not and should not do a long run on a regular basis, and for beginners at most one long run in two weeks is recommended, so you finish the long run within 1-2 hours and do not need to bother about it for some time. Obviously, you will feel the Runner's high and accomplished after the run. And also very fresh and energetic throughout the day.
Tips to run alone and comfortably:
The best way to run alone and not get bored on tracks is to plugin music, start your app, and feel the run. Just close your eyes and look up unaware of the surroundings (only on the tracks and for few seconds) and you will feel the bliss of running. The advantage of track running over road running is more concentration on your running form and cadence, and its not dangerous to close your eyes on the relatively empty tracks. Especially beginner long distance runners should train first on tracks, and the proceed to road run after feeling comfortable with long runs, even though I started with road running.
Road running has its own advantages as variation of scenery and environment with time and distance. As also the terrain varies, both elevation and curves, its considered more difficult and more strenuous but depends on the individual. Also, its important to vary your running terrain between tracks, road and grass, to avoid injury and gain more flexibility in running.
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