Ways to increase endurance?

[metaphours]

Last year when it came to sports, I was very lazy. I didn't even try out for any. To be honest I'm not a sporty guy, because INFPs dislike conflict, and I think somewhere subconsciously in my mind I feel like sport is just mankind's way of releasing their destructive/conflict-prone instincts, but when I play sports, I am quite good at them. So this year, I decided that I might try out for cross country...

But there's only one thing. My endurance... is terrible. When I'm running on the treadmill and I always have to stop for like a ten second breather and it's annoying. Also, my endurance is very inconsistent because sometimes I can run for like 25 minutes straight and other times, I can barely run for ten minutes without getting exhausted. Is this just a calorie-intake thing, like as in I need to eat more food, thus giving me more calories, thus giving me more energy to run? Or is this an endurance issue?

Any tips on how to boost ones endurance would be helpful.

 

[King sns]

In the beginning it is always very hard to get your endurance up.
Just need to run A LOT and it gets more comfortable. Take a day or 2 off a week to let those muscles relax. Eat right. Plenty of whole wheat pasta on the nights before your long run. Make a schedule, too. Have some other exercises you do on days when you aren't running. (walking, basketball, biking, swimming is actually best if you can do it.) that way you can work different muscle groups.

I find that training for something or atleast having goals is a big factor.

 

[metaphours]

In the beginning it is always very hard to get your endurance up.
Just need to run A LOT and it gets more comfortable. Take a day or 2 off a week to let those muscles relax. Eat right. Plenty of whole wheat pasta on the nights before your long run. Make a schedule, too. Have some other excersises you do on days when you aren't running. (walking, basketball, biking, swimming is actually best if you can do it.) that way you can work different muscle groups.

I find that training for something or atleast having goals is a big factor.

Hmm, how much running would you suggest per day to actually get your endurance rate up?

I also eat pretty healthily, I'm a vegetarian, so I pretty much only eat vegetables and wheat. A little fruit and dairy here and there.

 

[Stanton Moore]

Sounds like a fuel issue.

If you're getting fatigued after 10 minutes, you need to eat a small meal (~300-500 calories) of complex carbs about 1.5 to 3 hours before the run. Oatmeal works well, as do other cereals.
Carry a couple of gels on longer runs.

Hydrate. Water on shorter runs, Gatoraide for longer runs/hotter days.

 

[metaphours]

Sounds like a fuel issue.

If you're getting fatigued after 10 minutes, you need to eat a small meal (~300-500 calories) of complex carbs about 1.5 to 3 hours before the run. Oatmeal works well, as do other cereals.
Carry a couple of gels on longer runs.

Hydrate. Water on shorter runs, Gatoraide for longer runs/hotter days.

Hmm yes, but doesn't Gatorade have simple sugars in it, thus negating the whole point of exercise?

+ What other meals besides oatmeal would you suggest?

 

[JocktheMotie]

To get your endurance up, it's better to do things like intervals, where you heart rate and intensity varies, rather than just run for as long as you can. Running like that will help, but I did this boot camp last summer where there was a lot of running interspersed with leg lunges, pushups, burpees, etc, and my endurance sky rocketed. I was in better cardio shape than I had been when playing sports in high school.

So that's what I'd suggest. If you like the gym, get a treadmill/elliptical and focus on running, then sprinting for 30-60 seconds, then go back to a jog for some time, then 30-60s sprint, ad infinitum. If you like to run outside, I'd run, stop for pushups, leg lunges, then sprint a bit, find some place with hills, etc.

 

[King sns]

Oh, well be careful and make sure that you read up on some meals with enough protein. (You'll possibly also need a B12 supplement)

Umm. Depends on where you're at. I would say if you're highest run was 25 minutes have that as your long run. (I like miles. I would say 2 miles but minutes can be better for some people.)
A day off or walk the day before your long run, and the other days would be like staggered in short runs and long runs. (Like 1/2 mile one day, mile the next, sprint/walk the next) whatever works for you. Some people like to do sprints too which I know really REALLY has helped me in the past but I get lazy and never do those anymore. (Sometimes I just sprint for the last 2 minutes of my run or something.) Your body will be like HOLY SHIT STOP OKAY I'LL GET READY FOR THE NEXT ONE OKAY JUST STOP NOW.) And the next time you're run will feel smoother.

Then build up your long run each week or every other week. Like if your having trouble with 2 then leave it at 2 and so on. You'll hit some kind of hard ones. (Specifically six miles has always been very difficult for me.)

 

[metaphours]

So I should just try interval training/sprinting for 2 miles every day + eating healthily/food with enough carbs?

 

[Stanton Moore]

Hmm yes, but doesn't Gatorade have simple sugars in it, thus negating the whole point of exercise?

+ What other meals besides oatmeal would you suggest?

Yes, sugar, but you need simple sugars so they can be quickly converted to glycogen, which is the form your muscles can use.
If you're trying to lose weight, then skip the Gatoraide, but you MUST HAVE electrolytes. Without them, your muscles will start to shut down. So use Pedialite or something like that. Actually I think Gatoraide makes a sugar free version now.

Any complex carbohydrate will be fine. Veggies, whole wheat pasta (as shortnsweet said), breads...really lots of foods are good. Just stay away from simple sugars (soda, candies) , white breads, starches; stuff that will raise your blood sugar too fast and make you crash.

 

[Stanton Moore]

To get your endurance up, it's better to do things like intervals, where you heart rate and intensity varies, rather than just run for as long as you can. Running like that will help, but I did this boot camp last summer where there was a lot of running interspersed with leg lunges, pushups, burpees, etc, and my endurance sky rocketed. I was in better cardio shape than I had been when playing sports in high school.

So that's what I'd suggest. If you like the gym, get a treadmill/elliptical and focus on running, then sprinting for 30-60 seconds, then go back to a jog for some time, then 30-60s sprint, ad infinitum. If you like to run outside, I'd run, stop for pushups, leg lunges, then sprint a bit, find some place with hills, etc.

That sounds like a really cool program.

 

[King sns]

So I should just try interval training/sprinting for 2 miles every day + eating healthily/food with enough carbs?

yea and enough protein

 

[metaphours]

Yes, sugar, but you need simple sugars so they can be quickly converted to glycogen, which is the form your muscles can use.
If you're trying to lose weight, then skip the Gatoraide, but you MUST HAVE electrolytes. Without them, your muscles will start to shut down. So use Pedialite or something like that. Actually I think Gatoraide makes a sugar free version now.

Any complex carbohydrate will be fine. Veggies, whole wheat pasta (as shortnsweet said), breads...really lots of foods are good. Just stay away from simple sugars (soda, candies) , white breads, starches; stuff that will raise your blood sugar too fast and make you crash.

Alright so this is the stuff I've been eating a lot of, a couple months ago I decided to completely stop drinking sodas and I haven't since then so that's good, I guess. But here's my list of foods that I eat typically:

Wheat bread
Cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, provologne)
Spaghetti, ravioli
Vegetable stirfry
Veggie burgers
Apples, pears
Grapes
Cereal
Hummus and pita
Milk
Water, of course

 

[King sns]

would you eat cottage cheese with fruit?
or peanut butter crackers?

 

[metaphours]

would you eat cottage cheese with fruit?

Hmm, I dunno. I have eaten grapes wrapped in provologne cheese, but I don't know if provologne cheese has the same amount/kind of nutrients that cottage cheese does.

 

[metaphours]

^ Peanut butter crackers, yes I would eat.

 

[King sns]

Those are good vegetarian sources of protein.

 

[metaphours]

alright, cool.
thanks everyone!

 

[Clonester]

Good advise already, but you can certainly mix running with walking. If your stamina only allows you to run for a few minutes right now (except those 25 minute run days), walk for a bit and then keep running. Ex training schedule (per week, a few times a week):

5 min running; 5 min walking; 5 min run; 5 walk; 5 run;
then
8 min run; 4 min walk; 8 min run; 4 walk; 8 min run;
then
10 min run; 3 min walk; 8 min run; 3 min walk; 10 min run

Just as a guide. After a few weeks you should be able to do a straight run for 20 minutes at a slow steady pace. Increase the time as you feel comfortable. If you're having a "25 minute run" day, just run faster during your running session. The idea is to build speed and consistency.

It may seem like a step back at first, but this method works for all distances of running. I'm doing 5 and 10k runs right now. But if I'm in a rut and want to improve my time I actually have to train at 400 meter and 1 mile distances at a faster and more steady pace than at my longer distances.

 

[avolkiteshvara]

Eat your spinach.