Executing Your Smoothest Long Run…on a Track

Track Lanes - by Rachel M

Where do you do your long runs? The answer depends on where you live, environmental factors, or personal preference. For many, a typical long run is usually done on a road or a dirt trail. While the benefits of long training runs should be universal regardless of where they’re conducted, there exist characteristics unique to running on a track for a long time.

Recently I’ve done 2 long runs on a 400-meter track in a local high school – they were 20 miles (80 laps) and 28 miles (112 laps) long. This sounds a little unconventional because most people don’t associate marathon training with running in circles for hours on end. However, I planned these workouts for reasons that made sense to me – in addition to my borderline insanity that may or may not exist. Here are some pros and cons pertaining to track running in general:

Advantages

• Soft, cushioned, and smooth running surface with minimal elevation.
• A great psychological training and challenge.
• Easy to set up aid station and manage nutrition without having to carry fuel and liquid.
• No traffic or other automobile-related distractions.
• It’s safe – you’ll always be near where you start.

Disadvantages

• The monotony can be gruesome.
• Due to the lack of variation in terrain and elevation, it may not the best way to train for a hilly or technical race.
• Availability of your local track varies. A track may be closed to public for team practice or hosting games.
• Related to the previous point. You may have to share the track with the general public – it can get crowded.
• It can be weather dependent.

My main reason behind doing long runs on track is to be able to focus on my pace. Most of my long runs are on the roads connecting my neighboring towns – and these roads are hilly and busy. So occasionally running long on a track enables me to gauge my training progress while I maintain my goal pace for an extended period of time.

Psychologically speaking, I’ve never been exceedingly bored that I had to stop running when going long. In fact, an interesting article from Running Times points out that Boring is Better. As I wrote about this topic in the past – during long runs I’m often quite busy maintaining my pace, practicing my hydration/fueling strategy, and monitoring my body. Of course, this experience is personal and can be significantly different for you.

To be completely honest, it does get a bit stale and repetitive for me sometimes. However, this happens mostly in the early portion of a long run, where I’m fresh and can handle more sensory stimuli. But trust me when I tell you this: boredom will not be your biggest concern after 2.5 hours of running. Below are some of my suggestions on executing track long runs:

• Do it early and over the weekend, especially if the track belongs to a school. Check availability beforehand and allow yourself enough time to use the track.
• You don’t have to do the entire long run on a track – you can begin or end a long run there.
• Reverse direction (clockwise to counterclockwise) once in a while to avoid imbalance or over-training. I personally do it every 5 miles. Some tracks have rules regarding this.
• Some people listen to music, ebook, podcast, or the radio and find it helpful to alleviate the boredom.
• Chop those miles into small pieces! Many ultra runners compartmentalize the seemingly endless distance into manageable segments. I usually aim for 5 miles at a time – it coincides with the change of running direction and serves as a great mental break for me.
• Do it sparingly. There is no need to force every long run on a track – unless that’s where the race will be.
• Ask friends to stop by and join you!

Running long on a track isn’t anything revolutionary or spectacular – nor is it much more challenging than a regular long run. As a matter of fact, many ultramarathons (most commonly in 24-hour runs) are competed on a close loop of 1~2 miles or a 400m track. Although this type of training runs are overly repetitious to many, it provides distraction-free and accurate goal pace simulation. With practice – and eventually some mental adjustment – this is just like any other long run.

Where do you do your long runs? Have you done long runs on a track or treadmill? What’s your secret weapon to combat boredom and repetition? Please share in the comment section below.

Author Bio: Kevin Lu is an engineer. He received his B.S. and M.S. in biomedical engineering from NJIT. Science, technology, and running are Kevin’s passions. In his spare time, Kevin trains for and participates in races of various distances. In addition to Beyond Distance, Kevin also writes for iRunnerBlog as a columnist. Find out more about Kevin here and follow him on Twitter.