Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Get better through interval training
• Method 3 of 3: Improve yourself through strength training
• Tips
• Warnings

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced runner, you probably want to improve your stamina and speed. There are many ways to improve this, but some of the most common are stretching, interval training, and strength training. With patience and hard work, you can improve your best running time in just a few months!

To step

Method 1 of 3: Get better through interval training

1. Begin your workout. Warm up your muscles by walking or jogging slowly for five minutes. This will wake up your muscles and stretch your legs in preparation for the interval workout. Interval training teaches your body to use oxygen more efficiently, improving both your running speed and overall fitness.
2. Walk at a 15-minute moderate pace. Walk at a pace that is not too hard for you, but that increases your heart rate. Aim for 70-80% of your fastest running speed.
   • Don't demand too much from yourself. You should not exhaust this part of the training. Instead, you try to increase your heart rate so that your body starts absorbing oxygen more efficiently.
3. Start the interval training. This is the part of the exercise that improves your endurance and develops your muscles. Run at your maximum speed for one minute and work hard to get your heart rate up and tire your muscles. Then walk for two minutes to let your muscles cool down.
   • Train as hard as you can during the one minute you are running. Interval training does not work well if you do not use all of your muscles. This is called "going into the anaerobic zone," or exercising to the point where you are literally out of breath.
   • Try to time yourself so that you run for exactly one minute and just walk for two minutes. It can be helpful to have a timer app on your phone or to buy a stopwatch.
4. Repeat this process four times. All together this is about twelve minutes of training. This doesn't seem like a long time, but by the end of the twelve minutes, you should be completely exhausted. If not, then you have not asked enough of yourself while running.
   • Repetition is important because it forces your system to absorb oxygen more efficiently. Over time, this increases the maximum amount of oxygen you can have in your blood. The more oxygen you have, the faster you will be able to run!
5. Cool down. Walk for an additional five minutes, at a pace brisk enough to train your muscles but slow enough to slow your heart rate. At this point you should be surprisingly exhausted for such a short workout. If not, your heart rate should be increased more during interval training.
6. Force yourself to go faster. Do this interval training at least once a week. But make sure you don't do this exercise more than twice within a ten day period, otherwise it will be harmful to your body. After a few weeks of interval training, make the exercise more difficult on yourself by shortening the cool-down time during the interval training (one minute instead of two).
   • As you go about your regular running workout, add five minutes to the normal time you run each week. This will slowly expand your workout and help you get better gradually. If five minutes is too much, start adding one minute to your regular workout every week.
7. Track your progress. Time yourself during your regular running workout and record your times in a diary so that success is in black and white. Another great way to track improvement is to run as fast as you can, for as long as you can, and then write down the distance and time. After a few weeks of interval training, you will be able to cover greater distances faster than before.
   • If you are training for a competition, such as a 5k, interrupt your regular training every few weeks and run the full 5k. Keep a diary to keep track of your times. You will start to see a big improvement after a few weeks of interval training.
   • There are many useful apps for your phone that can help keep track of your distances and times. If you don't want to run with your phone with you, consider purchasing a stopwatch to time yourself and accurately measure your distance traveled.
   EXPERT TIP

   Stretch before running. It is important to loosen up your muscles before you start exercising. This can prevent injury and reduce the risk of cramps while you run.

   • Do some lunges. Take a big step forward with your right leg so that your left leg is stretched far behind you. Lower yourself until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Make sure your left knee is not touching the floor and your right knee is directly above your ankle! Repeat for the left leg and do ten lunges per leg.
8. Swing your legs. Hold on to a sturdy object such as a chair. Stand on one leg and swing your other leg forward and backward. Make sure to make the full move; this means that you swing the leg as high as is comfortable and then swing it back as high as you can. Repeat this for both legs.
   • Do not swing your leg haphazardly or you could injure yourself. Try to swing your leg in a smooth, controlled motion.
9. Stretch after doing this. While you are likely to be exhausted from running, it is important to stretch yourself so that your muscles don't cramp.
   • Stretch your thighs. Stand with your legs together. Bring your left foot behind your back to your left hand, keeping your thighs compressed firmly. Press against your foot with your hand, but be careful not to overextend your leg.
10. Stretch your calf muscles in two sets. Stand in front of a wall and press your palms against the wall at chest level. Press the ball of your left foot against the wall, keeping your left heel on the floor. Slowly lean towards the wall, taking care not to overstretch your foot. Repeat this stretch with your right foot.

Method 3 of 3: Improve yourself through strength training

1. Go to the gym three times a week. If you don't spend time developing your muscles in the gym, you could injure yourself while running or encounter a "performance plateau." This means that you will not see any improvement for a longer period of time, despite training harder and harder.
2. Do a few squats with dumbbells. Choose some relatively light dumbbells. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and make sure your toes are pointing forward. Hold the dumbbells in your arms down against your sides. Lower yourself into a squat position, keeping your knees out of your toes and sticking your bottom back. Do several repetitions of this exercise.
3. Do a few plank exercises. Lie on the floor or on a yoga mat. Place your hands right under your shoulders shoulder-width apart. Stretch your back and neck, creating a straight line with your body. Hold this position for a minute before pausing.
   • Make sure your back stays straight - don't let your hips sag to the mat or you could get a back injury.
4. Do some push-ups. Lie on the floor or on a yoga mat. Place your hands on the floor next to your armpits, palms down. Push yourself up from the floor using only your arms and into a plank position. Once your arms are straight, lower yourself again until your chest is just above the mat. Return to the plank position by extending your arms.
   • Make sure to keep your back straight so you don't injure yourself.
   • If regular push-ups are too difficult for you, you can adjust the technique. Instead of placing your feet on the floor, rest your knees on the floor and cross your feet behind you.

Tips

• Be patient. If you push yourself too hard, you will get injured. A patient runner will not notice an improvement for weeks, but when they do eventually arrive, they will be permanent.
• Take long steps. Push your chest forward as you run. Breathe through your nose as you run.

Warnings

• Always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise program.