Mental Toughness for Long Runs: How to Train Your Mind
The long run. For some it’s the weekly highlight, for others it’s the day they hate most. If you want to be a better distance runner, you can’t skip them. The good news: you can make long runs more enjoyable, and use them to improve your mental thoughness for race day.
By Quentin van Bentum •
Obvious Progression You Can Feel
For me the best part about long runs is how quickly you can actually feel the progress. The first few long runs will make you sore for days. Stay consistent week after week and suddenly those 20+ km runs start to feel easy. Seeing that progress is powerful and a great motivator.
Confidence builds fast here. No other session moves your belief like this one. That is why the long run is so important for race day preperation, it prepares you for everything that is to come.
How to Push Through When It Gets Hard
Long runs have a moment where your brain says: enough. That’s the thought you have to overcome. When it shows up, think of the following:
- Future you: Picture the satisfaction after you finish. It’s worth a few difficult minutes.
- Perspective: What you’re doing is impressive. Most people won’t try. You are.
- Shrink the task: One more minute. One more kilometer. Reach the next tree. Repeat.
You’re not just ticking off distance, you’re practicing staying in the work when it’s uncomfortable and hard. That skill will reflect in your races, workouts, and life.
Try Going Without Music
Music can help, but try a few long runs without it. No distractions, no noise, just you. It forces you to create your own momentum and manage your thoughts and mind. The boost you can get from not using music is incredible. In the beginning it will be hard, but at some point it becomes peaceful.
I always used to run with music, and I didn't think I would ever try without. But at some point something switched, I wanted to be able to run destraction free, take control of my mind and enjoy being outdoors more. Since then I never ran with music again and it has helped me mentally a lot.
Not ready to go full silent? Try: music for the first half, then switch it off and finish in quiet.
Take Control of Your Mind
Your mind usually quits before your body does. Train it. Here are simple tools that work when during long runs when the wall shows up and your brain is telling you to stop:
| Mental Tool | How to Use It on Your Next Long Run |
|---|---|
| Chunking | Break the run into small blocks (1 km or 5 minutes). Finish the block you’re in. Reset. Repeat. |
| One-Minute Reset | When it gets ugly, commit to 60 seconds of smooth running: tall posture, relaxed hands, easy breath. |
| Mantra | Short cues you can believe: “Calm and strong.” “Light and quick.” “Forward only.” |
| Counting | Count breaths or steps to 20, twice. It locks you into rhythm and out of spirals. |
| Reframe | Swap “I’m dying” for “This is the work.” Effort is the point, not the problem. |
| Next Landmark | Choose a mailbox, lamppost, or corner. Get there. Choose another. Keep stacking wins. |
| Affirmation | When it gets though, keep reminding yourself how impressive it is what you are doing. Positive words come a long way. |
Make Long Runs More Enjoyable
A few tweaks turn long runs from something you survive into something you look forward to:
- Route design: Out-and-back to practice even pacing, or a loop with a nice finish.
- Negative split: Keep it truly easy early, then gently build the last third.
- Company, smartly: Meet a friend for the back half when focus usually drops.
- Fuel and water: Don’t let low energy become a “mental” problem. Eat early, sip often.
Long runs should feel mostly controlled. Training toughness ≠ racing every Sunday. Save big efforts for when the plan calls for it.
A Simple, Safe Progression
Build gradually for safe progression. Here’s a simple eight-week pattern you can adapt:
| Week | Long Run | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12–14 km easy | Find rhythm, finish wanting more |
| 2 | 14–16 km easy | Practice fueling/drinking |
| 3 | 16–18 km easy | Try 10–15 min without music |
| 4 | 12–14 km easy | Drop back to absorb |
| 5 | 18–20 km easy | Chunking + one-minute resets |
| 6 | 20–22 km easy | Try some goal Pace blocks in the end |
| 7 | 22–24 km easy | Form cues + steady cadence |
| 8 | 18-20 km easy | Negative split the last third |
Your Next Long Run
Pick your route, pick your tool (chunking, counting, mantra), and commit to finishing strong, not fast, strong. Afterward, take a momen to evaluate your run, the ups and downs. Do that every week and you won’t just have a better long run, you’ll have a tougher mind.