Run Longer

If you want to run greater distances and improve your endurance, you can start right away. Just add a few minutes to each workout, pushing through the discomfort until your time is up. If you want to gain speed as well, doing plyometrics and sprints will help your body get stronger and faster. Follow these steps to run longer and get more out of your workout.

Steps

Adding Time

1. Check your running form. Before you aim to run longer, it's a good idea to make sure you've mastered the basics. Using awkward form might not make a difference when you're only running a couple of miles, but when you add more time and mileage your running form makes a bigger difference.
   • Pump your arms and take comfortable strides.
   • Relax your upper body instead of holding it stiff.
   • Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
   • Make sure you're running in a comfortable pair of shoes that fit your feet well.
2. Time a run. Before trying to add time, see exactly what you have to work with. Wear a watch on your next run and time yourself. You'll be adding time in small increments, so it's a good idea to know what your starting point will be.
   • Run as long as you can before needing to stop. Try to keep going even after you feel tired and your legs start aching. You likely have a little more endurance than you realize, since a big part of being able to run longer is having the ability to deal with some discomfort.
   • Consider setting a goal based on your starting time. If you can run 15 minutes, your goal might be to make it to 30. If you can run 30, maybe you want to be able to run for an hour.
3. Add 5 - 10 minutes a week. It might not sound like much, but adding 5 - 10 minutes per week, depending on your initial endurance level, will build up very quickly. This is a good, steady amount of time to add to help you run longer without jumping ahead too fast and over-straining your muscles. Make a commitment to running the extra time, even if it's a struggle - that's how you build endurance.
   • If your first timed run lasted under 30 minutes, start by adding 5 minutes next time. Keep adding 5 minutes week after week until you can run for 30.
   • If your first timed run was over 30 minutes, add 10 minutes per week. Keep adding 10 minutes per week (and no more) until you reach your goal.
4. Don't worry about your pace. You can work on your speed later - for now, just focus on the goal of running longer. Your pace should be easy enough that you can have a conversation while you run. Run at a pace you feel like you could keep up indefinitely. Pushing yourself to run both faster and longer could lead to burnout, so if you're concerned about speed, make it a goal to run faster after you've reached your goal to run for a certain amount of time.
5. Fuel your body properly. What you eat and drink before working out matters. If you feel heavy or bloated, you won't be able to run as long. It's very important to be completely hydrated and sated with nutrients so you'll be able to endure the entire run.
   • While you need to have fuel in your body, it's not necessary to "carbo-load" before a run. This can actually really slow you down. Unless you're running a marathon, your body really doesn't need a rush of carbohydrates to complete the run.
   • Try eating a handful of almonds, a banana, or half a bagel with peanut butter about an hour before you run. This should be sufficient to get you through the run without weighing you down.
   • Don't hydrate with sports drinks - just drink water instead. Again, your body doesn't need the extra sugar to perform well. In the end, the extra calories will just make it more difficult to stay in good shape.
6. Stick with your training plan. Building endurance happens when you make a plan and keep at it, week after week. If you skip a few weeks of running, your fitness level will drop a bit and you'll have to build it back up again. If you end up needing to take an extended break because life gets in the way of training, that's OK - just get back out there and start adding time again. Fitness is a work in progress, and you're going to have super-fit times and not-so-fit times - that's just part of the game.
7. Don't push too hard. Attempting to skip ahead in your plan and add more than 10 minutes per week will backfire on you. Your body needs time to slowly build muscle and fitness, and if you try to push too hard you could injure yourself or simply get burned out. You'll be more successful if you build endurance slowly but surely.
   • Make sure to incorporate rest days into your routine. Don't run every single day - you should rest at least 1 or 2 days a week to give your muscles a chance to heal and rest.
   • On the days when you don't run, you can cross train. Try biking, swimming, or hiking as an alternative.

Increasing Endurance

1. Walk when you need to. When you're building up endurance, you're likely to experience some discomfort as you add time to your runs. You'll get to the point where you feel like you can't take another step. That's OK - you can slow down and walk for a bit. Walk until you feel able to run, then start running again. Keep rotating between walking and running until you've been working out for the amount of time you set out to run.
   • The run/walk strategy is especially helpful if you're a beginner runner. Try to increase the time you're running and decrease the time you're walking with each subsequent workout. Eventually, you'll be able to run the entire time.
2. Run sprints. Doing high-intensity interval training has been shown to increase the body's maximal oxygen uptake - known as VO2 max - which is the standard measure or aerobic fitness. That means that running sprints a few times a week will help you build the endurance to run longer at a slower pace. Try the following routine 2 to 3 times a week for about 6 weeks:
   • Warm up completely. Sprinting puts a lot of pressure on your muscles, and warming up will help prevent injury.
   • Sprint for 30 seconds at 50 percent capacity. Rest for 2 minutes.
   • Sprint for 30 seconds at 80 percent capacity. Rest for 2 minutes.
   • Sprint for 30 seconds at 100 percent capacity. Rest for 2 minutes.
   • Repeat for a total of up to 8 sprints depending on your fitness level.
3. Do plyometrics. Boot camp-style exercises like skipping drills and high-knee sprints have been used to great success by some athletes to improve endurance. These exercises build core muscles and tone the entire body. Incorporating plyometrics helps athletes run longer, faster. You can work with a personal trainer to use your gym's equipment to complete a plyometrics routine 2 - 3 times a week. Alternatively, try the following workout:
   • Run {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} using the shortest, quickest stride you can do. Repeat 6 times.
   • Do a total of 5 minutes of the following exercises: single-leg hops, jump roping, and high-knee skipping.
4. Rotate hard days with easy days. This strategy is used by marathoners who add distance every week. During the week, do 2 or 3 shorter, intense runs - hard runs during which you run faster and with more effort. On the weekend, do your longest run at an easy, conversational pace. You'll find the longer runs to be more pleasant than the shorter ones, even though you're covering more distance and running for a longer amount of time.
5. Try tempo runs. A tempo run is one that starts with 15 minutes at an easy pace, then 20 minutes at a comfortably hard pace (not a sprint), and finishes with 15 minutes at an easy pace. Adding one or two tempo runs to your workout will increase the body's lactate threshold, the point at which the body fatigues while running a certain pace.
6. Stay engaged - or not. In order to keep your mind occupied and away from thoughts of feeling tired, try listening to an MP3 player during your run. Alternatively, you might prefer the quiet time to relax your mind and focus only on your running. Do whatever works best for you and helps you push through the discomfort your body will feel as you gain endurance.

Tips

• Stretch after warming up.
• Motivation is your best friend if you want results. You get what you put out. If you train hard, eat right and stay on track, you'll be running six miles in no time.
• If you are in a race, or running with someone who is better than you, try to keep within in a certain distance of them, as it will distract you from your tiredness and keep you going.
• If you feel short of breath, breathe through your mouth. Breathing through your nose may not get enough oxygen to your muscles.
• Make sure you have a good pair of running shoes with adequate arch support.
• Take a water bottle and a wet cloth to cool you down.
• If you have asthma, or any sicknesses that prevent you from running long distances, take your inhaler, or run short distances, walk, and then continue to run.
• Don't think you can't run try your best and think you are the most athletic person in the world.
• Don't smoke. It affects your running ability.
• When starting to run, start with a fast walk. Keeping a steady pace helps you run longer and faster, which is better in the long run.
• Try to go places where the roads are straighter, or where there is scenery.
• If you are trying to go farther than you ever have before, run with a friend. It will force you to run at a conversational pace, and you'll push each other.
• Go with a friend,they will encourage you.
• Try to set a goal for each run (e.g. to run for a certain time or distance). This will help to motivate you.
• Try stretching after your workout, it cools you down and lessens muscle soreness.
• When running listen to music and keep your mind occupied.
• Don't wear loose boxers during a run, it gets cramped up and cause chaffing.
• Dress for the weather! Temperature discomfort will make running much less enjoyable and make you want to stop running. Make sure your clothes are comfortable for whatever weather you may encounter.
• If you take long strides/steps then you will not run out of energy as fast.
• Listen to music while you run, jog, or work out. Songs will help to keep your mind off quitting.
• Run to music, it seems to help boost your confidence and your willingness to run.
• If you start getting cramps or your shoulder starts hurting, loosen up your arms and try to not run as tense.

Warnings

• Drinking too much water before the run can also throw your electrolytes off balance, making you prone to fatigue faster. You might also vomit and pass out.
• If you feel faint or notice your vision clouding, stop running immediately and walk slowly for a few minutes before sitting down.
• Consult a physician before you undertake strenuous exercise after a period of sedentary living.

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Run a Half Marathon
• Prepare For a Long Distance Run
• Prepare for Running Long Distance
• Run a Marathon
• Run a 4X100 Relay
• Improve Results in Long Distance Events
• Train for a Half Marathon
• Organize a Marathon

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