Your Long Run Is a Dress Rehearsal—Are You Practicing the Right Things?
Updated: 1 day ago
Your Long Run Is a Dress Rehearsal—Are You Practicing the Right Things?
You’ve mapped out your route, charged your watch, and mentally prepared for your longest run of the week.
The first few miles feel good.
Then your stomach starts complaining. Your shorts are rubbing. You realize you brought one gel for a two-hour run. And that downhill that felt effortless earlier? Your quads are starting to have opinions.
You finish the miles, but wonder: “How am I going to do this on race day?”
Your long run gives you an opportunity to answer that question before the starting line.
Along with building endurance, it’s where you practice the details that help you use your fitness: breakfast, fuel, fluids, pacing, and gear.
If you’re following our Snow Canyon Half community plan, this week includes a 10–12-mile long run with some goal-pace miles. Whether you’re preparing for that race or another upcoming event, use this week to rehearse your plan.
Here are five things to practice.
1. Start Your Rehearsal at Breakfast
Race preparation starts before your shoes go on.
Use your long run to test a breakfast you could realistically eat on race morning. Practice the portion size and timing, along with your usual coffee routine.
A familiar, carbohydrate-rich option—like toast, a bagel, oatmeal, or a banana—can be a starting point. Choose foods you tolerate well.
Afterward, ask yourself:
Did I start feeling fueled and comfortable?
Was I hungry partway through?
Did my stomach feel unsettled?
Can I repeat this breakfast when traveling or waking up early?
If your stomach is sensitive, adjust one thing at a time. That might mean changing the timing, portion, or amount of fiber and fat close to your run.
Don’t make skipping breakfast your automatic solution to a nervous stomach. Use these remaining training opportunities to find what works for you.
And remember: breakfast supports the run, but it doesn’t replace eating enough throughout the days leading up to it.
2. Practice Fueling Before You Feel Empty
Have you ever finished a long run completely drained and thought, “I guess I just need more endurance”?
Your fueling may deserve a closer look, too.
For endurance exercise lasting about 1–2.5 hours, common sports nutrition guidance recommends 30–60 grams of carbohydrate per hour. Longer efforts may benefit from higher amounts, depending on duration, intensity, tolerance, and practice.
Start by reading your labels. “One gel” isn’t a standard amount of carbohydrate.
For example, a gel containing 25 grams taken every 30 minutes provides approximately 50 grams per hour. Carbohydrate in sports drinks and chews counts toward your total, too.
During your rehearsal:
Start fueling early instead of waiting until you feel depleted.
Practice opening and eating your fuel while moving.
Follow the product’s instructions about taking it with water.
Notice how your stomach responds during any scheduled goal-pace miles.
Research in runners shows that repeated fueling practice can improve gastrointestinal tolerance, although individual responses vary.
If one product doesn’t sit well, investigate the amount, timing, fluids, and ingredients. One uncomfortable run doesn’t mean you have to give up on fueling.
Fueling is a skill. Give yourself opportunities to practice it.
3. Practice a Hydration Plan That Fits You
Your running friend’s fluid and sodium plan may not fit your needs.
Use your long run to practice carrying a bottle, drinking while moving, and figuring out how you’ll access fluids during your race.
Consider:
What are the conditions?
How thirsty am I?
What am I drinking?
Can I comfortably carry what I need?
How will this work with the race’s aid stations?
Avoid forcing fluids just to hit an arbitrary number. Overdrinking can cause dangerously low blood sodium, and sports drinks don’t eliminate that risk. Thirst is a useful guide during exercise. But if you really want to know your numbers, let's get a sweat/hydration test scheduled ASAP!!
A cool training morning may also feel different from a warmer race day. Your plan needs room to adjust.
If you want more individual information, sweat/hydration test can help guide fluid and sodium decisions. Then practice your plan in conditions similar to your race.
4. Rehearse Your Pacing—Especially on Downhills
You head downhill, your breathing feels comfortable, and your watch shows a faster pace than expected.
It’s tempting to think, “Maybe I should hold this!”
But your lungs aren’t the only part of your body doing the work.
Downhill running requires your muscles to control each landing. Research has documented muscle soreness and reduced muscle function after demanding downhill running, even when the cardiovascular effort feels manageable.
Use familiar downhill sections to practice a controlled rhythm. Avoid deliberately reaching farther forward to chase speed. Notice how your legs feel when the road levels out.
For the goal-pace portions, follow your scheduled workout and account for the terrain. Keep the easy portions easy.
Your dress rehearsal doesn’t need to become a race.
You’re practicing execution, not trying to prove your entire race goal in one workout. Don’t add extra fast miles because the first few feel good.
5. Test the Gear You Plan to Race In
Something that feels comfortable for three miles can become a problem after ten.
Wear the shoes, socks, sports bra, shorts, and fuel-carrying setup you’re considering for race day.
Check:
Any rubbing, slipping, or pressure points?
Can you reach your fuel easily?
Does your belt or bottle bounce?
Are your watch alerts helpful?
Do you need anti-chafe protection somewhere new?
Make adjustments now, then test them again.
Race day already comes with enough excitement. Your shorts don’t need to add a plot twist.
Finish With Notes, Not Just Miles
After this week’s long run, take two minutes to record:
Breakfast: What did I eat, and when?
Fuel: What did I take, how much, and when?
Fluids: What did I drink, and what were the conditions?
Pacing: Did I stay controlled and follow the workout?
Gear: What worked, and what needs adjusting?
A rehearsal doesn’t have to go perfectly to be useful.
Finding a problem now gives you time to address it. Finding something that works gives you a routine you can trust.
You’ve put the work into your miles. Give the details some practice, too.
Need help bringing your training, pacing, and fueling together?
At PR Performance Lab, I help runners build a plan that fits their fitness, goals, and life through personalized run coaching and assessments.
Happy Running and Happy Longest Run Day!
~Dayna,
your fav. Exercise Physiologist & Run Coach
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