Whether you’re working out to stay in shape or are preparing for a particular event, varying your running style and distance will keep things interesting and improve your overall fitness (both anaerobic and aerobic), endurance, and performance. But it’s simple to say that. Finding the ideal balance between short and long runs and scheduling them to fit in with all of your other obligations is the difficult part. However, we are here to assist.
Since different people will have very different interpretations of what “short” and “long” runs mean, let’s first discuss what we mean by these terms. A short run for Damian Hall or Jasmin Paris would be a pootle over the Peaks or a 30-mile bimble across the Brecon Beacons. However, those words have quite different meanings for the majority of us.
Any outing that lasts an hour or longer and is done slowly, regardless of distance, will be referred to as a “long run” in this article. We’ll refer to fast-paced exercises like interval and tempo work as “short runs.” Both forms of running have long-term advantages for runners.
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See also 11 Senior Balance Exercises to Boost Stability and Lower Fall Risk. 11 Senior Balance Exercises to Boost Stability and Lower Fall Risk Olympic skier Eileen Gu had a fantastic marathon time and was an avid runner in high school.Why would I want to run for a long time?
Longer runs, in which you maintain a constant pace and cadence for an extended period of time, are excellent for increasing your mental and physical endurance, strengthening your muscles, and improving your breathing patterns, which increases your aerobic capacity and VO2 max score.
Running strengthens your musculoskeletal system strengthens your cardiovascular system, and teaches your body how to store and use glycogen more efficiently. This is due to the fact that your muscle cells produce more mitochondria and capillaries the longer you exercise (during rest days).
To prepare your body and mind for the challenge of running for extended periods of time, you must put in some long miles during training if you want to run a half, a marathon, or an ultra. Knowing how much food and water your body requires for these kinds of challenges is also important, as is figuring out how best to supply it well in advance of race day.
Why would I want to complete the short, fast tasks?
You can improve your running fitness and general health by incorporating some speedwork into your weekly training, even if you don’t want to put cutlery on your mantle or stand on a podium. First of all, speed-based sessions are easier to fit into your work and personal schedules because they are shorter. However, you will eventually need to run outside of your comfort zone if you want to improve your running, even if it’s just a few seconds off your parkrun PB. That entails accelerating.
If this sounds intriguing but a little frightening, it might be helpful to define “speedwork.” While it’s not the same as full-on sprinting, you can use some of the same techniques, like moving your arms more. In essence, the phrase refers to any type of running in which you attempt to run faster than you typically would during extended runs. This can range from tempo runs on non-technical surfaces to track repeats, strides, and fartleks.
Running shorter distances at a faster pace trains your system to function more dynamically and teaches your body how to use the anaerobic energy stored in your muscles more efficiently, which will enable you to run faster for longer. “It recruits and develops fast-twitch muscle fibre, builds muscle, raises heart rate, and burns more calories,” according to running coach Elizabeth Corkum.
Tempo runs, in which you try to run just below your all-out goal race pace and within (but close to) your lactate threshold, are great for building stamina and mental strength so you can keep going even when your legs are begging you to stop.
How do I deal with the mix?
The 80/20 method is a popular way to mix short and long runs into your weekly training routine. It says that 80% of your exercise should be done at a slower, more relaxed long-run pace, and the other 20% should be done at a faster, more intense fast-run pace. This method is popular for a reason: it works very well, lowers the risk of injury or burnout, and has been used by world-class runners like Eliud Kipchoge and Paula Radcliffe to get ready for races.
Joining a good running club can really help amateurs deal with this split. Bigger clubs often have different sessions on different days of the week, mixing longer runs with exercises like splits and interval training, and even the occasional beep test to keep everyone on their toes. Experienced run leaders will explain what you need to do for each exercise, but if you’re doing your own thing, remember that warming up is especially important before doing any speedwork.
