Summer is a time when many people are at the LONG part of training for the late summer/fall marathons and half-marathons they plan on running. And its the perfect time for the long runs because it stays lighter out later and for those of us living in the Northern US, the weather is better for running (who likes to do a long run in 30 degree temps while its windy and snowing?).

A common problem with long runs is injury. A common training question is how to stay injury free while increasing your long run.

Here are a couple tips from Runner's World Magazine:

1. Slow your pace. You'll save energy for those bonus miles by slowing your pace. You should feel comfortable and able to carry on a conversation. A good rule of thumb: Add 90 seconds to two minutes per mile to your normal pace.

2. Add miles gradually. To keep injuries and burnout at bay, tack on no more than one to one-and-a-half miles at a time. (For marathoners, add no more than two to three miles per week.)

3. Do one long run per week. Pick a day to tackle a new distance (weekends tend to work best for most people). You don't want to feel rushed to complete your run, so make sure you set aside enough time to get it done at an easy pace. Every three to four weeks, scale back your long run distance to avoid overtraining.