How to run faster and longer without getting tired is one of the top questions I get here. Welcome to RunDreamAchieve. I am glad you have made it. More importantly, that you are asking a question like this. It tells me you are seeking success and demand that you get better at this sport. Yes, it does take time, patience and persistence to run faster and longer. Furthermore, it most certainly will not occur in a matter of days but weeks and months.
Have you ever felt like you just weren't getting any faster? How often were you practicing at or below your goal race pace? 5 percent of your weekly mileage? 15 percent? The world's best middle to long distance runners spend about 40 percent of their weekly volume at this effort. So, it isn't just because they are from Kenya or Ethiopia. There are runners from Japan, America, Europe and other parts of the world who can run much faster than most of the world's top Kenyans and Ethiopians.
In fact, the national record for the marathon for Japan is 2:04.56. Running fast is about how badly you want success. In addition, how committed you are going to be to achieve your goal.
How Can I Run Longer without Getting Tired?
Well, run longer. One of many ways to run longer without getting tired is simply spend more time on your feet. Are you training for a marathon? What is your longest run? 14 miles? 16? 17? Have you ever tried going 22 to 27 miles in length? How much more confidence do you think you would have if you consistently ran this far? Of course, you won't start off doing your long runs this far. Remember, it takes the body between 3 to 4 weeks to adapt to any stress load you are placing on it.
So, how to run faster and longer without getting tired involves adaptation too. Also, you cannot be in a rush. The training plans and running courses that I have created here are 16 weeks in length. A 4 month marathon training plan is plenty of time to prepare for a race of this length. I also have created 5K to marathon training plans that are 8, 12 and 16 weeks in length.
Of course, the longer you can prepare properly for your race, the better. I also highly recommend subscribing to the RunDreamAchieve YouTube channel. I created new videos there each week to help runners such as yourself run longer and faster.
CHECK OUT OUR RUNNING COURSESRun Your Long Runs Faster
I lowered my marathon PR from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35. So, know that it works. In fact, the long run is without a doubt the most difficult workout that I do. It isn't speed workouts, fartlek or hill repetitions. I always give myself 48 hours of recovery jogging after one of faster, varied paced long runs. Below are some examples of the types of long runs I was doing prior to breaking 2:20:00. Remember, success leaves clues. What I want for you is to consider starting similar workouts.
No, I don't want you running long, fast and far every single weekend. Again, recovery is critical. The benefits of the hard training you are doing today will be seen many months from now. So, be patient.
- 2 mile jog warm-up, 5 miles@5:45 mile pace, 2 miles easy, 1 mile in 4:50, 6 miles@6:00 mile pace, 2 miles easy, 3 miles@5:25 mile pace, 2 mile jog cool-down (23 miles)
- 1 mile warm-up, 17 miles@5:35 mile pace, 2 miles easy, 1 mile in 5:00 (21 miles)
- 2 mile jog warm-up, 10 miles@5:30 mile pace, 4 miles@5:55 mile pace, 3 miles easy, 3 miles@5:25 mile pace, 1 mile jog cool-down (23 miles)
Remember, always alternate a faster long run followed the next week by an easy, relaxed long run.
Incorporate Light Strength Training Into Your Routine
Your goal is not to gain muscle mass and become Arnold. It is simply to stay toned and strong. You do this by light weights, high reps. Also, you don't need to be in the gym more than twice a week. In fact, once per week is plenty. Remember, you can always do push ups and sit ups on the other days you are not in the gym. Again, the focus should be on building muscular endurance, not to gain muscle mass and gain weight.
Examples below are some of my top recommended workout types to consider
- Medicine Ball drills (i.e. 15 throws in front of you to wall, 15 left side throws, 15 right side throws repeated multiple times.
- 2-3×10 bench reps at 90 to 120 pounds
- Box jumps (short sprints jumping up and on box and jumping down from box) – i.e. 10x60seconds
- Planks i.e. 5×2 minutes or 10×1 minute
Again, the point of strength training should be to strengthen the running core muscles of the body. So, you don't fall apart while training and in the race. Strength training is one of the best ways of how to run faster and longer without getting tired.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR TRAINING PLANS1 Speed Workout Per Week
Training at your Vo2max is essential in getting your race pace to feel more controlled. We can only spend a few seconds to a few minutes training at these types of intensities. That being said, they will help you to recruit more fast twitch muscle fibers. The more of these you can recruit the more economical (efficient) you are going to race at. Again, the key is to slow down less than your competition. In addition, to improve your body's lactate tolerance.
You will not be able to do this by simply running slow and easy all week. Of course, most runners know this but it is good to be reminded. So, your plan has to be strategic and specific to your goals. Examples of the types of workouts I normally did are listed below. Again, only examples, but what you need to be thinking about. Remember, I was training for distances from 10 miles to the marathon. So, if you are training for the 800m to 5K workouts should be constructed differently.
- 1 mile jog warm-up, 3-4x100m strides, 6x1mile in 4:44-5:05 (slower when not as fit, faster when very fit), 3 minutes rest between reps when not as fit, 60 seconds rest when very fit, 1 mile jog cool-down
- 2 mile jog warm-up, 3-4x100m strides, 10x800m in 2:16-2:24 (slower when not as fit, faster when much fitter), 2 minutes rest when fit, 45-60 seconds when very fit, 2 mile jog cool-down
- 2 mile warm-up, 10x300m hill sprints (moderate to all out on way up), walking or jogging down for recovery depending on fitness level
- 1 mile warm-up, 2-4x5K on roads in 15:50-17:00, faster when fitter, slower when not as fit (5-7 minutes rest between reps, 1 mile jog cool-down
- 2 mile warm-up, 10x1K on the track in 2:50-3:10 (times dependent on fitness level) with 1-3 minutes rest between reps, 2 mile cool-down
Mental Rehearsal
How often are you preparing mentally for your races? You are shooting yourself in the foot if you are only paying attention to physical training. In fact, you are only doing 50 percent of the work. There are far too many runners who pay little to no attention to mental training. Mental visualization is one of the best way to answer the question of how to run faster and longer without getting tired.
The subconscious mind, cannot tell the difference, between reality and imagination
– Billy Mills, Olympic Gold Medalist, 10,000m
You should start spending 10 to 15 minutes every day seeing yourself succeeding at your chosen event. Perhaps, it is a specific time goal you have for your chosen distance. So, you have to train your subconscious mind to do what it is you are aiming it to achieve. The best times to do this is when you first wake up in the morning or when you go to bed at night.
Closing Thoughts
Remember, these are just a few of the ways of how to run faster and longer without getting tired. You also need to pay attention to what you are doing the other hours of your day. How much sleep are you getting? Are you staying up late or going to bed at a reasonable hour. Are you sleeping 3 hours a night or a minimum of 8 hours per night?
How much water are you drinking? Are you practicing drinking rather than sipping during your long runs? Have you had issues nutrition-wise in your races in the past? A major reason for it is probably not hydrating well enough. In addition, ingesting sufficient calories during the race. I hope this post has been helpful as a reminder of some of the things to keep in mind. Be patient with yourself, adaptation takes time as does great fitness. The results will come if you keep paying attention to the fundamentals.
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