Running has become a favorite pastime of mine. It burns calories, melts fat, strengthens the heart, and works your lungs. It has great psychological benefits as well-clearing the mind while relieving stress. One unique aspect of running is the satisfaction one gets from reaching longer distances and faster time each run. Personally, I remember when I used to take about 30 minutes to complete a 1-mile run. Nothing wrong with that, but I struggled to run-constantly stopping and starting throughout the run.
Now, I have transformed that into a 3-mile run in 30 minutes, running all the way throughout. In fact, I can now complete 6 miles in 1 hr. Reaching any feat, where you watch yourself improve is beautiful to experience-and this is especially true with running! Although it takes time, there are many things you can do to improve your running times. Here are some things that have helped me and my friends improve our running times.
Tips to improve your running times
Stay consistent.
As with anything in life, consistency is key. When your body becomes used to doing something, that thing naturally becomes easier. Whether you are an athlete or are a beginner to exercise, your body must become used to moving for long periods of time when running. You have to get your body consistently family with running, as the motions of running, breathing, and muscle coordination take some time to get used to.
Establish a schedule where you are aiming to improve your times by running a few times a week.
Set smaller expectations
With consistency in mind, one reason many struggle is, because of the high expectations people set too early. You may feel that you have to run a full 5k every single time you run, and because of the amount of time, distance, or effort that will take, you avoid running altogether. Do not do this.
What helped me is to remember that a little goes a long way. I started setting small goals, such as to run for 10 minutes after every workout. Or, to do just 1-2 miles each week. Some weeks, I aimed to just run as fast as I could for as long as I could. This helped me focus on staying consistent and not feeling overwhelmed by the aspect of running.
Through this, I was also able to go easier on myself and not feel disappointed if I didn’t reach a goal. Over time, as running became easier, I could set bigger goals of longer distances and faster times.
By setting smaller and realistic expectations, I focused more on simply just getting up to run. As long as I could make it to run during the week, I was proud of myself.
Run in various settings
Sometimes I run on the treadmill, and sometimes I run outside in my neighborhood. I do not like to keep the same routine, because I find that I get bored doing the same thing. If I feel that my running routine is getting repetitive, it’ll be harder for me to be excited about my next run.
Choosing different settings for each run helps keep things interesting and exciting making me feel more motivated to run. If I feel like changing things up, I will take a different path outside or run a new trail. This helps my mind as well, as seeing a new environment helps to distract me from the run.
Be adventurous with your cardio
A big part of running and I would argue the main part, is your ability to maintain endurance. A lot of this is dependent on your heart health and lung capabilities. It is also getting your body used to exerting that much energy for a long time. All of that comes from cardio. Cardio is anything that has you up and moving, and raises your heart rate.
I am a cardio fanatic. Whether it’s running, Stairmaster, or dancing, I enjoy any sort of cardio. To build your endurance, you do not have to only run, you can play your favorite sports, swim, dance, join a HIIT class-literally anything. This will help you build stamina and endurance to power your runs and improve your times.
Running a faster time takes a while, but the results are worth the wait. If I were trying to improve my times, these are some things I would do. If you have specific questions, reach out to our admin, by filling out our contact page. We want to see all of you reach your fitness goals and move towards your most well self!
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