Marathon Endurance Training Runs

Probably the most important training run for a marathon is the long run. Why? Simply put, marathon is a long long run. You have to be prepared to run long for several hours, typically from 4 or 5 in the morning up to 8, 9 maybe 10am. It could be the slowest pace of any training runs you have in your marathon training schedule, so is it the easiest?

I think not.

It is one of the most difficult runs I have for this coming Milo Finals. And the training run I look forward to run the most in my weekly schedule. My training history shows that the long run is the cause of most of my running injuries. Be it the knees, the foot, even calf cramps. And with the injuries, I learned how to run stronger and to protect myself better. After months and weeks of training for the Milo Finals, I can now say that the long run is one of my favorites. Because in a lot of ways, the long run speaks a lot about what a marathon is all about.

For consecutive Sundays now.. the routine had been almost robotic:

Phone alarms at 4:30am

Wife hugs, tries to prevent me from getting up

Puts the alarm to Snooze

Phone alarms again at 4:40am

Wife hugs tighter

Manages to squeeze out of her arms to look at the window and the weather

Both of us go downstairs for coffee and milk

Stretching my leg muscles while she prepares the coffee

I wear the shoes, the knee support, puts P50 on my shorts

Starts jogging by 5am when everyone else in the house snores

About 3 kilometers from our house to Silang Proper.

Then 2+ kilometers to KM41, Welcome Silang @ Emilio Aguinaldo Hiway

Then 4 kilometers to KM37, Dasmarinas, Cavite

A newbie runner, a former Cavite Institute classmate, resides in Dasma and wanted to run with me for a few kilometers to Silang, Cavite. By 6 am, I would arrive on foot near their house and we would be chatting and jogging together back to Silang, Cavite.

4 Kilometers back to KM41, Welcome Silang

About 2.5 kilometers to Estrella Hospital, Bypass Road

We would stop at a bakeshop for refreshments. He ends his morning run there and then proceeds to the market for his family's breakfast and lunch. As for me, I have ran about 16 kilometers and still needs about 16 more, sometimes even 23 kilometers more.

1.5 kilometers to KM45, Balinsasayaw Restaurant

5 to 9 kilometers along Aguinaldo Hiway (5 for a 31Km run, 9 for 39km)

Last Sunday, I reached Welcome Tagaytay at KM54 for my 39Km long run. It was a feat for me. That was the farthest I've been since I started to run from Silang to Dasma. By reaching that point, I was now able to run the whole Silang portion of the Aguinaldo Hiway from the Dasmarinas boundary to Tagaytay. Wuhoo!

5 to 9 kilometers back to KM45

1 kilometer to Silang Proper

3 kilometers back to our house

It ends where it started, by 9 in the morning I'm back home with my loving wife. Only this time, I'm in exhausted legs and wet running clothes after about 4 hours of running.

The last 4 kilometers of that long run remains to be the hardest part. I'm almost out of energy as the sun burns my skin from all over. Still, I never cease to praise the Lord and congratulate myself for a nice long run powered with endurance and perseverance. It is pretty hard to understand why we runners punish ourselves so much just to be able to endure a marathon. I guess I just can't get that feeling of reaching the marathon finish line out of my system - I will never tire of trying to get that feeling over and over again.

For this marathon, I have finished TWO 31KMs, TWO 35KMs and ONE 39KM. Last time while preparing for the Milo Eliminations, I got ONE 35KM long run as the peak of my preparations. Now 35KM seemed to be the average! Yey! 

See you at the Finals!