Running Exercises to Help Build Your Endurance for a Long Jog
The most important thing in preparing for a long jog is to gradually increase the distance of your longest jog. Several running exercises will increase your strength and endurance and improve your running technique. If your current longest jog is four miles, for instance, you can increase that to 10 miles in about eight weeks. Do three miles or so the other days or do another exercise. Take off running at least one day a week.
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The Long Jog
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Do a long jog once a week, preferably on the same day of the week or weekend. Former Olympic runner Jeff Galloway suggests you add one or two miles every other week until you reach your goal. For instance, if your longest jog now is four miles and your goal is 10, your longest jog for eight consecutive weeks could be 4, 5, 5, 7, 7, 8, 8, 10. This schedule would get you to your goal in eight weeks. Galloway also suggests walking breaks of five minutes in every 30 minutes.
Hill Training
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Hill training builds functional strength for running; that is, it strengthens the muscles you use for running in the way you use them for running. Find a hill that is a block or so long and a grade of about 10 to 15 percent. You need to be able to get all the way up the hill maintaining your speed. You should feel like you are expending 80 to 85 percent of your maximum effort. Walk or jog slowly back down. Repeat when you are sufficiently recovered. Start with four times up the hill, then add one a week until you are doing eight to 10. Do hill training once a week.
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Intervals
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Do intervals once or twice a week on days you are scheduled for a short jog. Warm up for a mile, then go fast for a quarter mile and go slow for another quarter mile. The fast quarter should feel like you are doing 85 to 90 percent of your maximum speed. Follow that with very slow jogging for another quarter. Repeat four times at first to improve speed and stamina. Add one repetition a week until you are doing eight quarter-mile intervals. Do not work on hills and intervals at the same time.
Tempo Runs
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A tempo run is a steady run of 15 to 20 minutes at a pace that feels comfortably hard, about 75 to 80 percent of your maximum speed. Tempo runs help your body learn to buffer lactic acid and increase ability to run faster or longer, according to Ed Eyestone in "Runner's World." Warm up with a mile of easy running before your tempo run, and cool off with another easy mile.
Walk, Run Training
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Walk, run training is popular for marathons, especially with beginners. You can also use it for any long run or jog. Run and then walk a specified time. Start with a five-minute run and two-minute walk, then work up to where you can run for 10 minutes and walk for one or two. Use this technique for long jogs and run all the way when you are doing three miles or so. You can use this technique to transition to running through longer distances, or just do walk, run for the long jog. Some people even go faster with this technique than when they run all the way.
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References
- Photo Credit running down the road image by feisty from Fotolia.com
