Increase Your Running Endurance

3 Tips to Help Increase Your Running Endurance

In the past, you've found a distance that was once quite difficult to accomplish, but now is a "walk in the park." Over time your body has adapted to running for longer periods of time and at larger lengths, which means you've increased your running stamina over this period. Today, I'm highlighting 3 tips that will help you improve your stamina and push you beyond barriers that you may currently be struggling to break through. This doesn't mean I'll be able to turn you into an Olympic track star, or the next Boston Marathon winner, but help guide you in the right direction. 

Before we jump into some tips, I have a short disclaimer. It's important to leave your ego at the door and be honest with yourself, as assessing your aerobic base is crucial to increasing your running endurance. Deep-diving into something you can't handle will only lead to injury and exhaustion, which will ultimately hinder your progression.

When it comes to working on your running endurance and stamina, focus on:

1. High-Tempo Sessions

2. Long Sessions

3. Proper Recovery

1. High-Tempo Sessions

Instead of running at a lengthy distance, these high-tempo sessions involve running at shorter distances, but at a higher level than what you normally would. By doing so, it will make your typical running pace feel easier and quicker, which helps enhance your running speed overall. These sessions should not make you feel burnt-out, but should be performed at a hard pace that you can handle. Maintaining a high-tempo throughout the duration of the session is what should be aimed for. For beginner/intermediate runners 20-45 minutes is suggested, while for advanced/experienced runners up to 1 hour is sufficient. 

2. Long Sessions

In order to improve your endurance and to be able to run further distances, you're going to have to get your body accustomed to running these distances. Which means actually running far, not just a couple times around the block. It is imperative to increase your long sessions 5-10 minutes each time or by adding an extra kilometre per session, pushing your body further and further. This training should be done at a slow and constant pace, focusing on covering the distance you set out to achieve.

3. Proper Recovery

The more you push yourself the harder it is on your body, which means taking care of it in between sessions is necessary if you plan on continuing to build your running endurance. Proper recovery includes appropriate cool-downs and stretching, adequate sleep, and a nutritious post-run meal. After you've exercised, your body is depleted and needs proper nutrients, so providing your body with a meal which includes significant amounts of protein and carbohydrates will greatly assist in helping you refuel for the next time you tie up your runners. The ideal time to get in your recovery meal is about 30-60 minutes after finishing your session, as your body can best absorb food during this window.