Endurance training is so important when it comes to racing longer distances.
I came across a runners twitter page where he was planning to run a half-marathon and the longest he had run was 8 miles.
This individual was worried he would not be able to complete the distance.
Let Go Of Worry
Runners always worry they are not doing enough. It could be just in our DNA to always want to do more. I can guarantee this guy has nothing to worry about.
If he can go out and run 8 miles by himself then running 13.1 miles on tapered legs with runners around him is going to get him to the finish line.
Jeff Galloway over at Runnersworld wrote a short article about this called Learn to Go Longer and Be Stronger Galloway is a big run-walk advocate and if you are just starting off into becoming a distance runner this is not a bad way to start off.
You have to have a starting point regardless and extending your endurance training.
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Walk-Crawl-Run To Endurance Training
I didn't just start off running 100-mile weeks. I didn't run everyday when I first started running.
The Kenyan runners we all have come to admire and adore have years of running in their legs compared to the average American.
We are built to run. We have gotten away from having to travel on our feet especially here in America.
Our Environment
Who is forced to have to walk or run here in this country?
The story is a bit different in Kenya where the only transportation to work or school is by foot. Is it no wonder they are so good?
How many more miles are on their feet compared to the average American?
I have always admired how the poorest countries in the world can produce the most driven, successful athletes.
It is not that the Kenyans are any better than you or I.
They are human and to beat them you had better have done your homework.
They see more enjoyment than pain in long distance running.
Furthermore, they are fast for a reason.
Built For Distance
425,000 runners finished the marathon in 2009.
You are a part of a small minority of people who are willing to run a marathon.
Obviously, this doesn't take into account the thousands of others who run 5K's and other running events.
I came across a very interesting article written in the New York Times titled The Body is Built For Distance
Two biologist brought up an interesting fact about humans.
4-legged mammals have a huge advantage over us in sprinting.
Endurance Training
It is far less likely we can outrun most mammals. That being said, put us up against them in a long distance running event and humans will almost always win.
Hunters had to sprint and run long distances to catch their food.
What is it like today? We live in a very soft. catered to society.
Think of how strong you could become if you were stripped of all the luxuries of life we take for granted?
You would find out how strong and how far you actually could train yourself to become?
We have become too dependent.
Comfort Zone
You have all the potential in the world to become a runner.
Get out there on the roads and put in some work.
Extend Distance
You will never know your capabilities if you don't invest in learning to run for longer periods of time.
If you are just starting out, focus on just time on your feet.
Forget about hitting certain splits.
Also, you should not even mentally entertain worrying about running a certain pace early on in your training.
More consistency
What you can do is focus on becoming more consistent in your training and extending the amount of endurance training you do.
Long distance running is one of the most beneficial things you can do for yourself.
You will get faster simply by building your fitness from running longer. This certainly comes into play if you're coming from a complete sedentary background.
Make sure to subscribe to the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. I create new videos each week to help runners such as yourself get to the next level. There are also running courses and monthly, online coaching available here at rundreamachieve. You can view these options by looking at the navigation menu at the top of this website. I hope this post on endurance training has been helpful to you.
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