Ruchel’s Top Long Run Training Tips

​​Hi! My name is Ruchel Stevens and during the day I can be found working at Rocky Mountain Soap, as a Senior Accountant. In my free time I can be found running and exploring as many trails and mountains as possible. Last year I raced competitively in both Canada and the US at some of the Northwest’s most competitive and rugged ultra-marathons, summited 95 mountains, ran a double crossing of the Grand Canyon, and ran a 135KM grand traverse through the Rocky Mountains with my best mountain friend Emily Compton.

One of the most daunting things about training for a race or moving up in distance, is mastering the weekly long run. Here are some of my top tips that will help you go from being nervous and possibly dreading that day a little, to the long run becoming your favorite training session of the week. Ruchel’s Top Long Run Training Tips
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  Friends

Finding a training buddy will help the kilometers fly by! If you don’t know any running friends, local running groups are a great way to get in a weekly training run as well as meet running friends at your level. Check out http://baggingpeaks.com/come-run/ for details on Calgary and Canmore group runs.

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New Trails

Checking out a new trail or a new neighborhood is a great way to add variety and keep your long runs interesting. When you’re stoked on a new trail, running is a great way to explore! Check out

https://www.alltrails.com/canada/alberta for some local inspiration.


Treats

A treat at the end of your run is a great incentive, but most new runners don’t realise that eating during a run is the perfect way to combat the lack of energy you may feel at the end. I always pack something delicious to eat part way through my run, this prevents energy crashes as well as a motivation tool to get through the training session. Try dried fruit, candy, or a fun flavored gel.

Recovery

The best way to want to run again is to recover fast! I love Rocky Mountains Soap Company’s Sport Epsom Salts to soak away the tension of the previous training session and their Sport Massage Butter to hasten recovery with Arnica and a healing blend of essential oils. Check them out here.

https://www.rockymountainsoap.com/collections/collections/sport

Happy Training!

You can follow Ruchel’s running adventures on Instagram as well as her website
http://baggingpeaks.com/.

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