Running is something we all want to improve on and we all have to start somewhere. Now a lot of people use the Run Walk Run method, which is a great method to get you to the finish and have plenty of breaks to catch your breath. But if you want to just keep running without stopping, how do you train that? Well let’s talk about that today.
As always we’ll start by identifying what the problem is and what the result is that we want. The problem is you’re running and you get too exhausted, you’re out of breath, your body feels tired or you’re overheated. Something is giving you a signal that you can’t go any further and you have to stop. The result that you want is to be able to keep running without having to stop and get to the finish line. Now let’s say it’s a 5K you want to run, the distance doesn’t matter, if you want to train for a 10K or a half marathon without stopping, the principle is the same, but seeing a 5K is most of the time the shortest distance for a race, let’s go for that.
First let’s look at why you are getting exhausted. It can just be that you’re out of shape and you need to build up your stamina, but maybe your form can be improved to make running easier. You have to run up straight without slouching. This might sometimes feel like it’s costing more effort, but it actually will cost you less energy to run up straight than it will cost when you’re slouching forward.
Figure out what the distance is that you can run without stopping. Is it 2K? Is it 1K? Is it 500 yards or a 100 feet? No matter what that distance is that makes it too much for you make a note of that now. It doesn’t matter what it is, that is the distance you need to improve on. On your next run you should run that distance and see how far you can go without stopping. Then walk and make sure to check how far it was. You can catch your breath and get your heart rate down, then run again, but this time when you get to that same distance and feel like you can’t go anymore I want you to push yourself for an extra 100 feet. Take a deep breath in through the nose and exhale out through your mouth. Another deep breath in through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Focus on that breathing and see if that helps you to be able to keep going just a little longer.
The thing is, you’re not going to go from running 1K to running 5K over night. You will have to train for it, but you can do this. Just add a little bit of extra distance to your run every time and you will slowly, but surely build up to that 5K.
While you’re running you will get this feeling that you want to stop and think you just can’t take it anymore. The thing is, you probably can. It might not feel comfortable anymore, but you can still keep going. If you can keep telling yourself that you can still keep going instead of telling yourself you can’t it will make a world of difference. Positive thinking really does help you push yourself.
Now of course you need to listen to your body, if you really can’t go anymore, your heart rate is through the roof or you’re getting aches and pains, it’s time to slow down.
Another great way to keep going is to trick yourself. Now a lot of times the prospect of the end of your run or the finish of the race being so far away is what makes you want to stop, or give up or what makes the whole run just feel like it’s going on forever. If you are running towards something you can see, that makes it a lot easier to grasp what you are running towards. So pick a tree or building up ahead and concentrate on running to it. When you are there quickly pick another goal to run towards and just cut your run up in to bite size pieces, before you know it you will have finished the entire meal.
Now some people will improve faster than others, but that is OK. Just keep at it and give it your best. You’re doing this for you, so don’t worry about it too much, just stick to it and you will get there. Something that can really help with your running to make you stronger, faster and can help with your form is doing strength training. If you want to learn some great exercises for runners that you can do at home, check out the video below.
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