by OldManBurns

Created on: October 06, 2009

The unconverted to the intriguing sport of running may strongly disagree that endurance sports provide any tangible benefits to the participants. They could not be more wrong. Endurance sports, and in this case long distance running offer plenty in terms of increased health and fitness, and other benefits. But it is the psychological rewards that are so appealing to the majority of enthusiasts. It is the entire process of planning, doing and recovering from a long run that has millions of people around the world hooked by running. The fact that you can train as hard and as serious as a world class elite runner, while reaping the same mental rewards is also appealling. You truly get out of running what you put in.

Imagine, it is Saturday morning and it is still dark. The weather may turn nasty later on, or it may not. You have planned to do an endurance building run from one village to another, and you estimate a total running time of around five hours. The body starts to really hurt after around two hours without any nutrition, so this needs to be thought out and provided for. What about warm kit in case of rain and cold weather? Water is a definite requirement, so how much are you taking? And how are you carrying all this kit? Preparation is the key to successful training plans, and this turns long runs into logistical exercises as well as physical and mental ones.

So, you have woken up, had a bowl of porridge to boost your slow release carbohydrates, made a coffee to add a bit of caffeine and are dressed and ready to take off. Your race pack was carefully packed the night before so it is comfortable and won't cause heat spots with the straps. You let the dog out and go with to check on the weather. Being Britain it can turn glorious or miserable later on, so you decide to stick with the base layer and T-shirt for the time being. The jacket is in your pack just in case. With the dog back in its bed (it is only five in the morning!) you lock up and head out through the empty streets. You are now stiff and still half asleep, but very proud of yourself for dragging yourself out of your warm bed and up to your local woods. You soon start to relax into your run, and once you have loosened up, you begin to enjoy yourself more and more. The discipline required to even get this far makes you glad to be a member of the running fraternity. Now all you have to do is finish the actual run you have planned without too much pain! This is where it gets harder, but also

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