If you want to increase the distance you run but are finding it challenging, then we’ve got lots of advice for how to run for longer.
Here are our 10 top tips for how you can run further without getting tired.
1. WARM UP
It’s always tempting to just get out the door and go, but doing a warm up before you set off can help you to run further.
By doing some light drills, strides and dynamic stretches you are easing yourself into motion and slowly raising your body temperature and your heart rate, which means more blood flowing to your muscles and that leads to more efficient movements that can help you run for longer while reducing your risk of muscle soreness and injury.
Here’s a great follow-along routine for runners to use before a run.
2. START SLOWLY
Take it easy to begin and don’t just speed off as soon as you press start on your watch.
By running too fast, too early in the run, and you risk running out of energy too soon (you’ll also increase your risk of injury, which will definitely slow you down). In fact, running too fast is one of the biggest mistakes that new runners make. Just slow down and it’s going to feel much easier, and you’ll find that you can run for longer.
All of your runs should start out at a conversational effort, and most of your runs will remain at this effort for the entire time. If you find that it’s difficult to talk then slow down, or even consider progressing into a run-walk for a short time.
3. CHECK YOUR FORM
If you want to run further, you’ll want to feel as comfortable as possible in the process – and having good running form is certainly going to help.
As you run, look ahead and keep your posture straight and tall, with your shoulders relaxed and level. If it helps, imagine there’s a piece of string coming out the top of your head pulling you up. Make sure you’re feet are moving at a consistent, quick cadence.
If we start to run with poor form – which is likely when we get tired – then it can make running feel more challenging. Try it for yourself: run as tall as you can for a minute, then run slumped over with hunched shoulders, and you’ll feel just how much better it feels to run tall and upright.
4. REMEMBER TO BREATHE
By improving your breathing technique you will gradually become a more efficient runner who is able to run further. After all, it’s the oxygen we breath in which goes to our muscles and helps us keep on running. That’s why our breathing increases when we run faster: we need to get more oxygen to the muscles to give them energy to carry on.
Keep your body relaxed and inhale through your nose and exhale from your mouth while running at an easier pace, if you can, and also try to breathe through the diaphragm (you may need to concentrate on doing this to begin, but it will soon become natural).
For more tips on how to breathe properly while running, check out this video.
5. EAT AND DRINK WELL
Running isn’t just about putting one foot in front of the other – what you eat and drink before, during and after can have an impact on how good you feel and how far you can go.
It’s a really good idea to have a carbohydrate-based snack 30-60 minutes before a run or a larger meal two or three hours before a run. Here are some ideas of what to eat before a run. The carbs we eat are used as energy in our muscles. If we’re low on energy, it’s much harder to run.
If we’re doing a longer run, then you might want to have more carbs during the run. You can have energy drink, gels or here are some alternatives to gels (plus a carb calculator to help you know how much to eat).
Be sure to drink plenty of water – little and often throughout the day – to stay hydrated, and top up on electrolytes during or after any hard, sweaty workouts to replace lost salt.
After runs, have a varied diet with plenty of protein, carbs and healthy fats, plus lots of fruit and vegetables. This will help fuel your training and also help you to recover.
6. VARY YOUR TRAINING (AND DO STRENGTH WORKOUTS)
Don’t get stuck in a running rut. Mixing up your running paces, routes and distances, plus doing other activities, can make running feel more interesting.
Do some trail runs, go exploring in new places, try some different running workouts – here’s every type of run explained, plus some examples you could try. Specifically doing shorter faster running sessions, like tempo runs or threshold runs, will build strength and speed endurance, and that will ultimately help you run further at a slower pace.
This also extends to doing more than just running. Try different types of crosstraining like strength training, yoga, swimming, cycling, the elliptical, hiking, climbing… whatever other activities you like, as they can all help to improve your general health, fitness and wellbeing.
Strength and conditioning is especially important to add into your week. Try to do one or two sessions, if you can. You don’t need a gym membership to do this – simple but effective bodyweight exercises at home can keep you in good shape (try squats, lunges, single leg deadlifts, calf raises and some core-strengthing moves like planks). As you’d expect, a stronger body will be able to carry you further on a run, and you’ll be less prone to niggles and injuries.
7. GET THE RIGHT SHOES
The last thing you want is to cut a longer run short because of an issue with your kit, like chafing or blisters.
Find the right shoes for you. For almost all of your runs, a pair of daily trainers is ideal. These are comfortable, durable, supportive and can work for everything from easy runs to long runs, and even some faster runs. Here are some great options for daily trainers. There are also other types of shoes that you might want – here’s all about whether you might want a shoe rotation. If you run on the trails, then you’ll want a specific pair of trail running shoes.
Each running brand fits and feels different. New Balance are softer and wider than others; PUMA are narrow but bouncy; ON and Brooks are firmer; HOKA and ASICS are nicely in the middle in terms of fit and cushioning. But it’s always best to try shoes on before buying.
Get some proper running socks, shorts and tops, and not just cotton items.
8. REST, SLEEP, RECOVER
Running requires mental and physical effort – especially if you want to run far. A key way of making sure you have the energy and enthusiasm to run longer distances is to rest and recover adequately.
When you run – or do any exercise – you create microscopic tears in your muscle fibres that then rebuild to make your muscles stronger. That’s a real plus, but the catch is that this rebuilding and strengthening can only happen when you sleep and rest (and have good nutrition through the week).
Aim for at least seven hours sleep, and ideally eight hours. If you don’t take time to rest properly, your body won’t be able to recover from all the hard work you’ve put in, so the more likely you are to get injured or burn out.
9. RUN WITH OTHERS (AND MAYBE TAKE ON A RACE?)
If you need motivation to run further or even accountability to get going in the first place, running with someone else or a group could work for you.
Running with others – especially at an easy pace – can be a great chance for you to catch up with friends or meet new people, distracting you from the run at hand and incentivising you to keep running that bit further.
You could even sign up to a race as this may encourage you to stick with your training and make sure that you progress with the distances you run each week.
10. COOL DOWN
Although your run is technically ‘over’ by the time you do a cool down, it is an important step that helps you to build up the distance of your runs going forward.
Completing stretches as part of a cool down routine helps your body temperature and heart rate return to their normal levels, and minimises your chance of getting muscle cramps, aches and pains that could impede your next workout. This means you’ll feel fresher and more recovered ahead of your next run, and more capable of running further.
Here’s Jess and Anna taking you through some great cool down stretches to help with your mobility.
