Running faster naturally requires more stamina to go the same distance or farther. Knowing how to increase running speed and stamina gets you to the finish line faster.
Even if you’re not planning to break any 100-meter sprint world records, increasing your running speed and stamina can make your own runs better.
In fact, it’s not only “runners” who can benefit from getting faster for longer times.
Maybe you play football or other sports that make speed and stamina important to you as an athlete.
Boost your running speed and stamina with the following tips:
4 Tips for Increasing Speed
1. Sprint More
Simply put, you may need to sprint more. If you want to beat your current time for a marathon or 1/2 marathon, adding sprints to your training is vital.
I know how easy it is for me to focus all my attention on endurance, stamina, and fitness. I can spend all my training time doing low-intensity cardio at a steady state when I should be doing HIIT exercises.
It’s going to take adding those quick bursts of speed to move the meter. And using high-intensity interval training increases endurance levels in record time.
You can increase your energy levels, speed, and endurance faster with HIIT of any form than with any other method. And a typical workout lasts less than 15 minutes, plus 10 minutes for warming up. Do this once or twice a week. So be sure to give it a try. You will be impressed.
2. Pay Attention to Head Positioning
No doubt, when sprinting, it’s easy to focus on your feet, breath, or where you’re going. Thinking about where I have my head positioned was one of the hardest things to make a habit of with sprints. However, many top sprinters around the world advise and recommend concentrating on your head position.
How to Position Your Head When Running?
- Tilt your chin down slightly, keeping your eyes fixed firmly and onto where you’re going.
- Your head needs to be stationary constantly and firmly fixed.
- Do not watch your feet, or too close in front of you, but always keep your eyes on the prize ahead
Practice this outside, or inside on a treadmill. Both produce the same results.
3. Do Not Swing Your Arms
Swinging your arms does not help gain momentum to run faster
I see a lot of sprinters swinging their arms in an attempt to somehow gain momentum. That’s not something you want to do, and here’s why: When you swing your arms and hands across the center of your body, you are creating drag.
This swinging action serves no purpose other than to slow you down. If you are swinging your arms when you run or sprint, tucking your elbows close to your sides will actually help you get more speed.
So, teach yourself to keep your elbows close to your body as you run and feel them brush alongside your torso as you sprint faster and farther.
4. Lift Your Knees
My last tip for expanding your stamina and speed is making it natural to lift your knees when you’re running. When your knee lifts aren’t high enough, you are negatively affecting the length of your stride. You need your stride to be as long as possible in order to get all the speed possible and cover ground quickly.
Lifting your feet and knees higher can give you more speed when running
One way to get your feet up is to imagine you are sprinting through water when you are running. If you’ve ever run through ankle- or calf-deep water, you know that you must concentrate fully on picking your knees and feet up higher than normal to make any progress.
5 Tips That Increase Stamina
I absolutely think the real secret to running is simply showing up day after day to run. And that’s the first thing you must do to build endurance.
The following tips will help you build stamina:
1. Eat Healthy
You just as well face the facts! If you’re living on junk food and an unhealthy diet, your endurance levels will suffer. Committing to running better means committing to the best diet.
Read this post for more about healthy foods, and don’t let the title deter you. These are healthy foods that don’t poison your body or your efforts. Your very first step should be a well balanced diet that is primarily fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, lean meats, oily fish, and whole grains.
When your diet is healthy, you will quite naturally increase your fortitude and focus.
2. Stay Hydrated Always
If your body does not have a constant supply of water, you:
- Never feel at the top of your game
- Are fatigued
- Find it more difficult to focus than you should
- Have dry and sticky mouth
- Can not exert yourself fully when you are running
I think the best example of what you do to yourself with too little water is to look at a house plant that’s suffering from lack of water.
Your cells are looking just as bedraggled. Because your blood requires water to transport oxygen and nutrients to cells, you cannot give your all to your training or running if you are dehydrated.
3. Increase Your Mileage Each Week
Now that you’re eating well and staying hydrated, it’s time to gradually increase your weekly mileage. I think the best scenario is adding around 10% a week over a few weeks.
If you’re running 20 miles a week, increase the total to 22 miles the first week, and before your body gets the message, go back to the original 20 miles the next week. The following week, run around 24 – 25 miles, and then back it down to 22 to 23 the next week, followed by an increase the next week.
I always try to make time to run quite a bit farther than normal on my weekends .If you gradually build up your miles like this, you will not overtax your body and mind. Increasing weekly mileage naturally increases endurance.
When you get to the last 1/4 of your run, turn the speed up much higher than your first 3/4
4. Keep a Running Journal
I am a great proponent of keeping a running journal.
I want to be able to see at a glance how far I ran on any given week or day. I also want to be able to look back and see how I felt, if I was sore, what the weather conditions were, if I was training with someone or by myself, and more.
To tell you the truth, I think anyone serious about increasing performance will need to keep a journal.
You can buy nice journals on this website, at the book store, or merely get a spiral notebook and start keeping track of every trip.
That’s really the only way to know for sure where you need improvements, or if you’re even making any.
5. High Intensity Interval Training for Speed and Endurance
HIIT is the most effective exercise you will ever need. HIIT is all about speed and exerting every ounce of energy at your disposal for very short bursts of time, followed by short intervals to catch your breath and start over.
You want to sprint all out (and by all out, I mean holding nothing back) for 30 to 60 seconds, and then stand still and catch your breath or slow your pace all the way to a walk just until you recover your breath.
That rest interval should not be more than 60 seconds, and the entire session shouldn’t be over 15 minutes to get the most out of them.
Conclusion
Running always winds up being mental as much as it is physical. Increasing stamina means continuing on past that part, or wall, where you just don’t want to go on.
The key to building endurance is to push on for at least 2–3 minutes each time you get there. You could be quite surprised at how these few simple minutes can really increase your time. And it all hinges on practicing the right methods and techniques to achieve more.
It doesn’t matter why you love running, going a little faster—and a little farther—will make you feel even better than before.