Today’s Take It and Run Thursday asks us to share our best tips for getting through the long, hard, hot, hilly, sweaty, torturous (but enjoyable) runs.

I think there are a lot of things that can help get you through your long runs, like…

1. a nice carb loaded meal the night before
2. hydrating properly the days leading up to the long run
3. a good night’s sleep
4. Body Glide
5. proper run nutrition
6. running cap
7. anti-blister, moisture wicking socks
8. music!
9. a running buddy

But I think the most important thing is staying mentally tough through the duration of the run. This is probably the hardest thing to do. If you’ve been following your training schedule as best as you can, you’re probably physically ready to tackle that long run. But nothing fully prepares you for the mental challenges you encounter during a long run.

So my tips on staying mentally tough?

1. Break down the distance. I find that breaking down the distance into smaller segments really makes long runs a lot more doable. No one really likes to think.. ok 1 down, only 19 miles to go! It’s enough to make my mind explode! Instead, I break the distance down into 3-4 mile segments. My mind is much happier thinking that I only have 1 or 2 miles left.

2. Know your route. I also find that it helps to be really familiar with your running route.  The worst thing is running and not knowing when you’ll see the next mile marker or how much farther you have to run. If you know what’s ahead of you, you can visualize yourself running through your route and finishing it.

3. Have your race plan/goals ready. Know what your goals are and how you’ll tackle certain things during the race, like hills and your nutrition. When you’re focused on your goal, it really helps motivate you to dig deep and keep chugging along.

4. Believe in Yourself. Toward the end of your run when you’re struggling because your legs feel like lead and you’re tired as hell, it’s easy to slow down or to start walking. But you’d be surprised with how much you can push yourself even when it seems impossible. This is definitely something I need to work on. I’m pretty notorious for losing it toward the end of races =) haha I’m hoping that by rebuilding a more solid base, I can handle those late race demons better come October =)

And I know I’ve posted this already, but I feel compelled to post it again. It really moved and inspired me when I first read it and I hope it does the same for you, too =)

“I didn’t discover it until later, how MdS changed me. I had changed during the last 12 kilometers of the long stage, in the middle of the empty Sahara Desert night. Out there, I learned that a boundary is only such because it’s arbitrarily established by the human brain, and I broke my own pre-established barrier when I exceeded what I thought were the limitations of my own running ability. We athlete folk can probably count on less than one hand the sporting moments about which we are most proud. Stage 3 of the 2009 Marathon des Sables, with special attention to the stage’s final 12k, was for me one of those moments.” – The Desert Changes You, Meghan

Related posts:

• Fuel to My Fire
• Week 5: 2x1600m at 11:15
• 8 mile long run, Week 4
• Week 8: 12 mile long run
• 6 mile long run, Week 3