Long runs help boost your endurance and get you used to spending time on your feet. It is the single most important workout you can do. They strengthen your heart, your leg muscles and ligaments, they help burn fat as fuel, they boost confidence, and they can make you a lot faster. But don’t run them too fast, that can lead to injury, overtraining or illness. Long runs are for endurance, they reduce your resting heart rate, making your heart more efficient. The intensity of effort is low, and you should ensure a steady state is maintained. You should be able to conduct a conversation while you’re running. You may even walk at points. Don’t run long more than once a week. It is, after all, a hard session, requiring rest or easy days before and after. Long runs are traditionally done on Saturday or Sunday because that’s when most people have the most time. Also, long distance races are on weekends. Long runs go faster with friends!

Fueling for long runs is essential if you want to avoid hitting the dreaded wall. It’s important to not begin your long run on empty, don’t skip breakfast if you’re heading out in the morning, even if you consume something simple like a banana or some applesauce. And make sure you’re hydrating well enough to support the digestion process. Keep fuelling on runs longer than one hour. To maintain your energy levels past an hour eat 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates every hour after the first hour of a session (and upping your intake to 60 to 90 grams for runs that last longer than 2.5 hours). Your body is better equipped to handle simple carbs, as opposed to foods with more fibre and protein that take longer to break down. Nutrition is highly individualized, what works for the Boston Marathon veteran at the front of the group might not work for a runner who prefers a relaxed pace. You’ll want to do some experimentation to see what works for you, especially to avoid any complications on race day. After you finish your run, get some carbs and protein into your system within 30 minutes to jumpstart the recovery process, like a protein bar or recovery shake until you can have a proper full meal.

Avoid: caffeine, high fibre cereal with berries, sorbitol, spicy foods, dairy products, beans, lentils and legumes. Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol commonly used in products like gum or beverages to replace actual sugar and reduce calories.