BeWell.Active

3 Tricks for Running Harder & Longer
From Women’s Health Magazine, originally featured in Men’s Health Magazine

When fatigue results in aching muscles, shorter strides, and decreasing speed, our mind is actually the culprit. Science has discovered that our brain is hardwired to slow us down and keep some energy in reserve so we don’t completely run out of fuel. There are simple training tactics that can deceive our brains and let us get to that unused energy. Try these during your next workout to run farther and faster than ever before.

Break Up Your Mileage
Interval workouts feel more doable than a long run. "Breaking any long run into more manageable chunks of distance makes it seem like you’re not running as far," says Jason Fitzgerald, a 2:39 marathoner and founder of Strength Running in Washington, D.C. "When you divide it into a warmup, fast repetitions, recovery intervals, and a cool down the total mileage seems less daunting." We can go harder during those short intervals than we would when just doing a steady run for the same distance, too. This increases our VO2 max - how efficiently we take in oxygen to turn calories into energy - so we can push our body farther and faster, according to research from the Mayo Clinic.

Do this: Head to a track and warm up with 10 to 20 minutes of easy jogging. Run 6 x 800 meters (two laps) with a 400-meter (one lap) jog between each. The interval pace should feel difficult but sustainable for a half mile. During the 400-meter recovery, focus on bringing your heart rate down and mentally preparing for the next interval. By the end of this workout, you’ll have banked three miles of hard running and anywhere from six to eight total miles including warmup and cool down.

Boost Strength
Sprint workouts are already tough. But take it to an all new level by throwing some quick bodyweight training between sets. When we attempt our next sprint, our mind will consider it a brand new workout instead of a continuation of the previous sprint. The result: We'll be able to push our limits and finish more sprints than we could before.

Do this: Head to a flat field, park, or track. Complete four 50-, 100-, or 200-meter sprints. Between each sprint, perform a strength move - 15 situps, 20 pushups, a one-minute plank, or 30 squats - instead of walking. Once you complete all four sprints and all four strength moves, take a short rest. That's one round. Do as many rounds as possible.

Speed Up
The term Fartlek is Swedish for "speed play," meaning we vary our pace during our run. "Doing this allows you to focus more on effort and running intensity, rather than total distance," explains Tim Bradley, founder of Big River Personal Coaching in St. Louis, Missouri. Throwing in speed changes that are typically faster than our normal steady-state pace will give us a better workout than if we jogged for the same amount of time.

Do this: Perform a short warm-up. Then begin your running route. Somewhere in the middle of your run, pick up your pace for 30 seconds, slow down for 30 seconds, and then repeat four more times.