{"id":551164,"date":"2026-06-24T03:42:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T03:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/551164\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T03:42:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T03:42:22","slug":"8-long-run-mistakes-that-can-hurt-your-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/551164\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Long Run Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Training"},"content":{"rendered":"

To crush long distances (think: half marathons<\/a> and marathons<\/a>), you don\u2019t just need a solid training plan. You need a certain level of grit; you must be willing to show up to your workouts, especially those long runs<\/a>, as the best version of yourself.<\/p>\n

Long runs are particularly special because these workouts are going to help you become an endurance monster, Kaitlin Goodman<\/a>, former professional runner and the head coach of Running Joyfully, tells Runner\u2019s World. \u201cThis is the time when you\u2019re building endurance<\/a> and improving your aerobic capacity<\/a>,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

More specifically, long, slow runs<\/a> trigger several physiological adaptations that lead to better endurance. These include an increase in bloodflow, aerobic enzyme activity, and mitochondria (a.k.a. the powerhouses of the cell, which are responsible for producing energy), says Laura Norris<\/a>, an RRCA-certified running coach, strength and conditioning specialist, and exercise scientist. These changes all result in greater oxygen delivery to the working muscles, which helps you run longer<\/a>, she explains.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more: These runs can help you build mental strength<\/a> for your big day, says Goodman. \u201cI personally treat all my long runs as mini dress rehearsals for my long-distance race,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

These are all good reasons to show up to your long run feeling well prepared for the work ahead. But certain habits could actually be sabotaging your long runs, keeping you from showing up as your best self. For what could go wrong, we tapped a few experts and found out what you need to address to have a solid run.<\/p>\n

1. Thinking Only in the Short Term<\/p>\n

To avoid sabotaging your long run, you need to play the long-term game. That means being mindful about what you\u2019re doing in both the days and hours leading up to your workout.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour long run performance is a reflection of your habits across the whole week, not just what you do that morning or the night before,\u201d Ellen Landes, RDN, registered dietitian and certified personal trainer, tells Runner\u2019s World. \u201cStress, poor nutrition, and inconsistent sleep<\/a> can all show up during those miles.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is why she recommends starting your long run prep as soon as two days before. So if you usually run on Sundays, make sure you have consistent meals<\/a> and solid sleep on Friday to support your efforts, she says.<\/p>\n

2. Not Being Intentional About Nutrition<\/p>\n

\u201cThe same way that you would not necessarily try a brand-new restaurant the night before your half marathon or marathon, it\u2019s probably not the night of the week to do that before your long run,\u201d says Goodman.<\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t mean you have to skip your weekend plans. If you choose to dine out, she suggests sticking to dishes you\u2019ve tried before and know will digest well, rather than trying new foods. Her go-to dish: pasta and marinara sauce.<\/p>\n

In general, you want to make sure you consume enough carbohydrates<\/a> (rice, potatoes, pasta, oats, bread, bagels, tortillas, or fruit) the day before a long run, says Landes. \u201cIf your meals are too low in carbs, your muscles won\u2019t have enough glycogen stored to power you through the long miles,\u201d she explains. Even if you feel fine at the start, you\u2019ll likely crash midrun, she adds.<\/p>\n

More specifically, if you expect your long run to last one to two hours, Landes recommends stacking half of your plate with carbs the night before. If you expect to run longer than two hours, do a mini carb-load<\/a> the day before. You can achieve this by making every meal, not just dinner, carb-focused, says Landes.<\/p>\n

Aim for 3.5 to 5.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight spread across meals and snacks on the day before a long run. (For example, a 150-pound runner should eat between 525 and 825 grams of carbs.)<\/p>\n

Also, avoid greasy, spicy, and high-fiber foods<\/a> the day before and the day of your long run because consuming these foods may lead to GI issues.<\/p>\n

Being intentional also means avoiding running on an empty stomach, especially if you\u2019re an early riser. \u201cWithout fuel, running is going to feel harder and you\u2019re more likely to feel sluggish and maybe even hit the wall<\/a>,\u201d says Landes.<\/p>\n

If you have around three to four hours prerun to let your food digest, she recommends opting for a high-carb meal like a bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter and a banana for breakfast. If you\u2019re short on time, with an hour or less before your run, go for an easy carb-based snack<\/a> like graham crackers, dried fruit, applesauce, or a sports drink.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to start your long run hydrated<\/a>, as dehydration can affect your energy levels, body temperature, and recovery, says Landes. \u201cBeing even slightly dehydrated<\/a> can make your long run feel harder than it needs to,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

To avoid this, start drinking fluids early and often, becoming more diligent about maintaining your hydration the day before. Landes recommends drinking water<\/a> throughout the day before and having a glass when you wake up the morning of your long run.<\/p>\n

Light-yellow urine indicates that you\u2019re well-hydrated, while dark urine means you need more fluids, she says. Add electrolytes<\/a> to support fluid balance for longer runs or hot weather<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n

3. Forgetting to Bring Food and Fluids With You<\/p>\n

Paying attention to nutrition doesn\u2019t stop when you start running\u2014you need to refuel and rehydrate during your long runs when they last more than an hour.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if you start out well-nourished, you will need to consume carbohydrates and replace fluids on long runs,\u201d says Norris. Failing to refuel and rehydrate can result in performance declines, overheating, and GI upset<\/a> because you\u2019re using glycogen stores for energy production and losing much-needed fluids and electrolytes through sweat, she explains.<\/p>\n

Dietitians recommend you fuel<\/a> with at least 30 grams of carbohydrates every hour when exercising for more than an hour and drink 24 to 32 ounces of water each hour, depending on your sweat rate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

4. Not Getting Enough Sleep<\/p>\n

While you\u2019re balancing the demands of training and everyday life events, maintaining a solid sleep schedule<\/a> can be tough. \u201cIt\u2019s all too easy to stay up a bit later on a Friday or Saturday night, and then wake up early for a long run on Saturday or Sunday morning. However, an acute sleep deficit can impair physical and mental performance on a long run,\u201d says Norris.<\/p>\n

Research supports this: A study<\/a> published by Physiology & Behavior examined the effects of sleep deprivation on 20 runners who completed a 12-minute exercise test. The study found that after a night of sleep deprivation, runners reported higher rates of perceived effort, ran slower, and covered less distance, compared with when they got a normal night of sleep.<\/p>\n

But exactly how much sleep do you need? One review<\/a> published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal recommends getting seven to nine hours of sleep to promote recovery, and Goodman agrees, especially before a long run.<\/p>\n

\u201cThink of it in terms of risk versus reward: you may be able to pull off that long run [on little sleep], but it could come at a cost,\u201d says Goodman. The cost? Putting yourself at risk of injury<\/a> or illness.<\/p>\n

5. Drinking Alcohol the Night Before<\/p>\n

Research<\/a> shows alcohol suppresses REM sleep, which is a more restorative phase of sleep, says Norris.<\/p>\n

Throughout the night when your body metabolizes alcohol<\/a>, you\u2019re more likely to wake up, which can also result in you not getting enough quality sleep, she explains.<\/p>\n

This is why she recommends avoiding alcohol within four hours of bedtime\u2014or avoiding it altogether the day before long miles\u2014so you can get optimal shuteye.<\/p>\n

6. Not Planning Your Route<\/p>\n

Long runs are the perfect opportunity to prepare for race day, which is why it\u2019s important to be meticulous about where you run, says Goodman. If you\u2019re running straight out the door with no set route, then you could be sabotaging your workout because you likely won\u2019t be mimicking your race route. Also, constantly crossing intersections can disrupt the steady rhythm you\u2019ll be expected to maintain on the big day.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s certainly okay to take an occasional bathroom or water break or street crossing, try to minimize any additional unnecessary stops<\/a> along the way. This is why Goodman recommends taking an extra 15 minutes or so to drive to an ideal location, like a bike path, where you don\u2019t have to worry about stoplights or traffic.<\/p>\n

This can also help you avoid hills, especially if you live in a hilly area, but aren\u2019t preparing for a hilly race. And that will make it easier to keep your effort low<\/a> for the entirety of your long run.<\/p>\n

7. Going Too Fast<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to become obsessed with hitting a specific pace, especially if you have a goal finish time in mind. But you have to fight the temptation to run your race pace<\/a> all the time, says Norris.<\/p>\n

\u201cRunning long runs too fast will make them feel more difficult\u2014and sometimes difficult to finish,\u201d she explains. \u201cPlus, running too hard too often in long runs during training creates more fatigue<\/a>.\u201d This could lead to poor recovery, worse workouts midweek, and ultimately a worse result on race day, she explains.<\/p>\n

Instead, Norris recommends that beginners focus on maintaining an easy, conversational pace. More experienced runners should do the same, most of the time, but also incorporate a structured long run<\/a> that includes a few miles at race pace every two to three weeks.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re training for a marathon<\/a>, this could look like running two to three miles easy as a warmup, followed by three to five miles at marathon pace, one easy mile to recover, and repeating for another round. For half-marathoners<\/a>, this could mean running two miles easy, followed by four to six rounds of one mile at half marathon pace and four to five minutes of easy running in between, says Norris.<\/p>\n

8. Running Alone<\/p>\n

Yes, running is an individual sport and going on long runs alone can help you build much-needed mental toughness<\/a>, but that doesn\u2019t mean you always have to run alone.<\/p>\n

In fact, Goodman recommends running with a friend who can help keep you accountable and also make running all those miles more enjoyable. This can make sticking to the ideal easy, conversational pace feel even more effortless, considering you\u2019ll be chatting with your friend along the way.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Monique LeBrun is a health and fitness editor who is based in Easton, Pennsylvania. She covers a wide range of health and wellness topics, with a primary focus on running performance and nutrition. Monique is passionate about creating content that empowers runners to become the best versions of themselves. As an avid runner and parent, she loves spending time outdoors with her daughter, who often accompanies her on weekend runs as her personal mini run coach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"To crush long distances (think: half marathons and marathons), you don\u2019t just need a solid training plan. You…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":551165,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[278],"tags":[199299,223347,18,525,194905,135,19,17,85446],"class_list":["post-551164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-core2","tag-cupdate","tag-eire","tag-fitness","tag-fitr","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-lifeservice"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116803020775958404","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=551164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/551165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=551164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=551164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=551164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}