Running stamina advice

[dewakr]

can anyone suggest me ways to improve my running stamina so that i can achieve my aim i.e. run 5kms in 25 minutes.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[SunsetRunner · Accepted solution]

There are few things to improve your running that you can do. When I started running I was just doing it - running. I neglected lots of things I'm going to write about below. By experience, I learned that you can't be a good runner if you don't improve your body in other areas.

- add strength and resistance training. Stronger legs and core muscles help a lot! Mind that when running you're burning not only fat but also muscles.

- use the treadmill and find your pace for resting, comfortable run and sprint. Setting a fixed pace on the treadmill will help you keep a constant speed. I used to run only outdoor but thanks to the treadmill I trained myself to run slower ( yes, slower, not faster, sometimes to get a better time ( and complete race ) you need to slow down ), recognize what pace I'm running with and when should I change my pace to rest or to sprint. It's very important. Knowing total distance you want to know how to distribute your energy.

- Include exercising with a rowing machine or cycling ( indoor/outdoor ). I find it good for endurance training. I don't go with max resistance but I try to endure a steady pace for longer time ( especially when cycling outdoor and I know I have 30-40km still to go ).

- Improve your VO2Max with HIIT training. Teaching your body how to efficiently use oxygen is very important. Together, with stronger muscles, you going to get better results.

For my first 5k run I used Endomondo training program which was quite good. I remember that one run a week was always HIIT with several intervals of running as fast as I could. Back then, however, I didn't improve in any other area. It was two years ago. The race I completed with time 22:00. This year, after adding all missing bits in my routine, I raced in the same event, the same route and completed it with time 20:17. I don't think I would improve my time if I was focused only on running. I'm not a professional runner so my recipe is just based on what I do. Others will probably have more to say on that topic 🙂

[dewakr]

thanks for the advice.

[dukeluke3]

Coming from someone who ran 3 miles in 19 minutes in cross country, you'd want to increase your weekly mileage up to 30-35 miles/week running 5-6 days a week. If you run 3 days a week and 3-4 miles a run, just add another day of running when you feel like where you're at has become easy. Thus the same to run a fifth day a week. You should probably increase mileage around 2-3 miles/week with every 3rd or 4th week being low-mileage to recover. Once you have the distance down, I'd recommend a long run of 60+ minutes and 2 workouts, such as hills, 1000s, 800s, mile repeats, tempos, fartlek, etc. Runner's world has great info on all this.

[JuanJoFitbit]

Wow, that's an incredible advice @dukeluke3. I have been looking for a very detailed advice and yours is precise and direct to the point.

I have a hernia on the lumbar area. Would you recommend this advice to me?