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.
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 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 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.
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 attempt to run within but close to your lactate threshold and just below your all out goal race pace are an excellent way to develop mental toughness and endurance so you can continue running even when your legs beg you to stop.
How should I handle the mixture?
A common technique for incorporating both short and long runs into your weekly training regimen is the 80 20 method it states that you should exercise at a slower more leisurely long run pace for 80 of the time and at a faster more intense fast run pace for the remaining 20 world class runners like Eliud Kipchoge and Paula Radcliffe have used this technique to prepare for races because it works incredibly well and reduces the risk of injury or burnout a great way for amateurs to cope with this split is to join a good running club.
In order to keep everyone on their toes larger clubs frequently hold different sessions on different days of the week combining longer runs with exercises like splits and interval training as well as the occasional beep test expert run leaders will walk you through each exercise but if you’re working on your own keep in mind that warming up is crucial before beginning any speedwork.
