4 common reasons why you can’t run for a long run

ultramarathoner, founder and coach of the ERA running club

A frequent question asked by those trying to start running is, “Why can’t I run long?”. Let’s break it down.

First, it’s a good idea to understand what “long” means. In the coaching community and experienced long-distance runners, running for more than 1.5-2 hours is generally considered “long” running workouts. For novice runners, an hour-long workout can also be considered a “long run”. However, most of those who complain about not being able to run for long periods of time have to stop or pace after 10-15 minutes. We can agree that “long run” is defined as such a uniform running load that lasts as long as you need (as long as you want, as long as it is written in the plan), usually more than an hour.

Why you can’t run for long periods of time

Next, it makes sense to figure out what your weak link is, which parts of your body and body systems can’t handle long runs.

The pace of running is too fast for you

Most often you hear “not enough breath” – increasing shortness of breath forces you to stop. It should be understood that the ability of the respiratory system to pump a large volume of air through the lungs and provide the blood with oxygen is significantly higher than the ability of the heart to pump a sufficient volume of blood and deliver it to the working muscles. As physiologists say, the reserve capacity of the respiratory system is greater than the reserve capacity of the circulatory system.

However, regardless of which system is failing, the practical conclusion is the same. If shortness of breath forces you to stop or take a step, it means that the intensity of the load is higher than you can currently afford. Muscle work during prolonged exercise is provided with energy, which is obtained by oxidation of carbohydrates and fats (lipids) with the participation of oxygen – this mechanism of energy supply is called aerobic. In aerobic mode muscles can work for hours. If the intensity of the load is too high (too fast running pace), the pumping function of the heart does not provide sufficient blood flow to the working muscles, and the oxygen-free (anaerobic) mechanism is activated to provide them with energy. The greater the running speed, the higher the share of anaerobic energy supply in the total work.

During anaerobic energy supply lactic acid is formed, it gets from the working muscles into the blood and causes a complex sequence of changes in the work of many systems. Among other things, it increases the load on the respiratory system – shortness of breath increases. So, if after a short time from the beginning of running training you have to slow down because of the feeling of shortness of breath, reduce your speed.

In the initial stages of running training is an alternation of fast walking and light running. For example, you walk for four minutes and run for a minute, gradually increasing the duration of the running segments. Training the cardiovascular system (the heart’s ability to pump a sufficient volume of blood, optimal regulation of the vascular lumen to deliver that blood to the muscles) takes a long time, measured in months and years.

Holding one’s breath while running

It happens less often that a person can’t run for a long time because they try to hold their breath and it makes them choke. This is not a good idea, because breathing is a natural process that does not require arbitrary control. Increasing the frequency and depth of breathing movements with increasing load occurs by itself. It does not need to be specifically restrained or accelerated.

Heaviness in the muscles

It is even more rare that the duration of running is limited due to a feeling of muscle fatigue (burning, heaviness, sometimes pain). The ability of specific muscles to run for long periods of time without losing efficiency (power endurance) is trained faster than the general endurance we discussed earlier. Adding multi-repetition strength exercises to your training routine and gently increasing the load will have an effect in a few weeks.

Severe pain that forces you to stop

Finally, the most unpleasant option for me as a trainer. Prolonged running is impossible or difficult because after a while there is pain that makes you stop or take a step. If it is not pain in the subcostal region (in this case, as we said earlier about general endurance, speed reduction and gradual increase of load help), we have to deal with it individually, there is no general recipe. Sometimes correction of running technique helps, sometimes change of shoes, sometimes additional exercises, sometimes you need a doctor’s help.

Whatever the case, it is important to always remember that running (and any other) training should first of all bring joy. No health benefits will happen if you go jogging as a hard labor. Run with pleasure, and the rest – and the ability to run fast, long and beautiful – will come.

Read more about how to learn to run long and why it is not scary in this article.