The key point for long runs is simple: stopping doesn’t erase the training. The workout is meant to build endurance over time, and a few pauses for water, a bathroom break, or a difficult stretch don’t cancel that work. The bigger question is whether you’re stopping because the route got in the way—or because your pace, preparation, or fueling needs attention.
Picture a run interrupted by a long traffic light, a water fountain, and a search for shade. It’s reasonable to wonder whether it still counts. Alison Marie Helms, PhD, a NASM-certified personal trainer and UESCA-certified running coach, says the long run is about time on feet; taking one break or several doesn’t invalidate it.
Planned walking breaks are part of the run/walk method, which isn’t limited to beginners. Some runners have qualified for the Boston Marathon with this approach. A study in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport found that non-elite runners using a run/walk strategy achieved similar finish times to runners who ran continuously, with less muscle discomfort. That’s a useful reminder that continuous running isn’t the only measure of a productive effort.
Unexpected stops are part of running, too: traffic, a bathroom, or another interruption can break up a planned session. But if you regularly feel compelled to stop, the pattern may point to something worth changing. Here’s how to tell the difference.
🏃🏻♀️ Ready to take on your longest run yet? Our How to Run Longer program can help you build toward it.
The Benefits of (Sometimes) Taking a Break During a Long Run
Matt Meyer, a certified personal trainer and RRCA-certified run coach in Boulder, Colorado, calls the long run the cornerstone of a runner’s training week. He also hosts Runner’s World’s How to Start Running program.
Long runs extend your time on feet, building aerobic fitness, strengthening slow-twitch muscle fibers, and increasing mitochondrial density. Those changes help your body deliver oxygen and energy to working muscles, making it easier to sustain effort for longer.
If your race goal is to keep running, Helms recommends running as consistently as you can during training. A long run also lets you rehearse race day: test your clothes and shoes, practice fueling and hydration, and get used to the mental strain of distance running. Your brain is learning to stay with the effort when you’re tired. Still, a quick bathroom break or pause to get a gel down won’t defeat the purpose.
Some long runs include faster work, and a pause can serve that session. If you’re running three four-mile repeats at a specific pace, Meyer says, the priority is doing those intervals well. Taking a short break between them to drink or regroup can help you hold the planned pace with better form and less fatigue.
There’s no universal number of acceptable breaks. A 20-mile run on a cool winter morning is a different proposition from a 14-mile jog in the summer heat. Keep the session’s purpose in view, and listen to your body. Stopping when you need to isn’t weakness.
Reasons You Feel Like You Need a Break—and What to Do About It
Occasional pauses are ordinary. Repeatedly feeling that you have to stop is a reason to look at how you’re approaching the run. Start with the basics: pace and fueling.
Are You Running Too Fast?
When Helms works with a runner who stops often, she first asks whether they’re running too fast. As a general guide, long-run pace should be about 90 seconds to two minutes per mile slower than your goal race pace. Pushing too hard on these longer efforts can slow recovery and leave you fatigued on the next one.
If you can’t run the planned distance continuously, Helms suggests shortening the run to a duration you can manage without stopping. A shorter, appropriately paced effort may serve you better than repeatedly forcing a workout that leaves you depleted.
Did You Fuel?
Underfueling can make it harder to keep moving. Research links low energy availability (LEA) with decreased performance. If your body doesn’t have enough energy, sustaining effort over a longer distance becomes harder, Helms says. The research makes the connection clear, though it doesn’t explain every midrun slowdown on its own.
Fueling can make the difference
Long-run stops may be a sign that your energy plan needs attention. For runs lasting more than 75 minutes, aim for about 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour; beyond 2.5 hours, that can rise to 90 grams. Practice taking in fuel during a long run, eat enough calories and carbohydrates beforehand, and have food afterward to support recovery. Pairing carbohydrates with protein is part of that post-run plan.
If you often feel compelled to stop, take an honest look at whether your fueling is giving you enough energy. And widen the lens: Stress at work or home can drain endurance, too. The numbers alone won’t explain every difficult run. Daily conditions vary, so good training means learning when to push, when to ease off, and what each outing is telling you.
Long runs are practice
A pause in the shade or at a traffic light doesn’t erase the value of a run. This is more significant than it looks: a long run is a chance to rehearse, not a test that only counts if you keep moving without interruption. Pay attention to how your body responds to fuel, stress, and effort, then use what you learn to adjust your approach for race day.
Ashley Mateo is a writer, editor, and UESCA- and RRCA-certified running coach. She has contributed to Runner’s World, Bicycling, Women’s Health, Health, Shape, and Self. She’ll travel anywhere once for a good story, and enjoys good pizza, beer, and photos.
