Running has a lot of benefits. Primarily, it improves one’s well-being, especially cardio fitness. Running burns calories as well as makes bones stronger. And when people run along with their friends and colleagues, they also form a social circle that could improve their social skills.
However, running may need stamina and endurance. The good thing about this is there are ways that could improve one’s stamina. If you want to advance your running stamina, here’s an article that could help you. Keep reading to know how you could increase your running stamina successfully.
1. Take Testosterone-Boosting Food
Testosterone is a natural male hormone that helps develop muscles and enhance performance. While male runners have natural testosterone, they could still take foods that increase testosterone levels for better performance.
To familiarize you with some of the testosterone-boosting food, here are some of them:
- Tuna
- Egg yolks
- Cereals
- Beans
- Beef
2. Practice Breathing Techniques
Breathing correctly during running is a way to run longer without stops. For this to work, you may need to breathe with your mouth and nose combined. This enables your diaphragm to work efficiently, hence allowing maximum oxygen intake.
To prepare for this, you could practice breathing this way in short runs first. When you find it hard, you could resort to belly-breathing patterns. By doing so, you’d be able to stave off fatigue longer.
However, like nose-and-mouse breathing, you also need to practice belly breathing. You could start by breathing down into your tummy, then exhale until you expel your air much better.
3. Run In Tempo
While tempo runs are effective in building up your speed, they could also help improve your stamina. These runs are forms of speedwork that need a running pace way below a person’s standard pace. In this workout, a person needs to take a 20-minute first run and a 40-minute second run. This may be tiring, but it’s a way to prepare your lungs for longer runs. In addition, you could have warm-up runs for 5 minutes before doing tempo runs to have optimal results.
4. Employ Cross-Training
Cross-training or doing other physical activities that involve your lower limbs, heart, and lungs is an excellent way of improving stamina. For example, running and swimming need healthy and robust lungs. So doing one of each benefits the other one. In addition, you may combine indoor and outdoor running workouts for best results.
For other options, you may consider the following:
- Outdoor biking
- Rowing
- Aerobics
- Tabata workouts
5. Develop Upper-Body Strength
Developing one’s upper-body strength could improve running efficiency. As such, a better upper body means advanced stamina. This works as the improvement of the upper body builds a connection between the brain, muscles, and the nervous system.
To develop upper-body strength, you could perform the following:
- Chest presses
- Pull-ups and dips
- Biceps curls
- Dumbbell rows
- Planks
6. Wear The Right Gear
The right gear for running helps in avoiding cramps and running-related injuries. Above all, it could assist in improving stamina. But when choosing the appropriate gear, consider also your comfort and quality. You may also need to wear a hydraulic bladder to drink easily and avoid dehydration.
If you want to know if you’re wearing the right gear for running, here are some of them:
- Running shoes
- Running tights
- Running socks
- Running tops
- Running shorts
7. Consume Heavy Carbs Before Long Runs
To boost your stamina, you may need to eat your pre-run food at least 2 hours before running. This ensures you have fully digested the food that’d fuel your run. For maximum results, here are carb-heavy meals you may choose from:
- Toast with avocado fillings
- Turkey and cheese sandwich
- Banana and almond combo
- Oatmeal and berries
8. Prepare Yourself Mentally
Running isn’t just a physical activity. In the long run, it’d take a toll on you mentally. So to prepare for this, you need to set a clear target. As a beginner, you may try to have a realistic goal—an hour or a one-kilometer run. Making it more realistic is a way of ensuring it’s attainable so you won’t put too much mental weight on yourself. After all, you run to improve your overall health and not to suffer.
You may also take pandemic-prescribed runs your city allows. Yet for better results, you may opt for more challenging runs.
Wrapping Up
Running has been a way to be healthier for many years. But there’s a need to improve stamina to be able to run properly. If you find this hard, you may follow the tips mentioned above. You can do them collectively or just choose some of them. But in doing so, pick the ones that’d benefit you the most. Most of all, you need to select what’s appropriate for your existing conditions. To be safer, you can always consult a professional to get the best advice.
