




05
Dear Diane,
I’ve signed up for a 5k race in May and after 3 months of “training,” I still can’t go much further than a mile without stopping to walk. What am I doing wrong?
Colleen
This question is from last spring, but with racing season well under way, it seemed like a good time to post my answer on the blog, as I’m sure many of you have run into this dilemma, or know someone who has.

A typical fitness routine includes the same type of cardiovascular activity, performed for the same length of time, with little variation – and while there isn’t anything inherently wrong with this approach (it is exercise, after all), you probably won’t improve if you continue to do the same thing. To boost endurance (i.e, go longer, faster), something has to change. There are 3 easy ways to improve endurance:
1. Add time to at least one cardio session per week for several weeks, then taper for one week to allow the body to adapt to the increased load. Then start back up where you left off, again adding time to at least one session per week.
2. Make one session per week more intense (harder). Speed work (400×6 sprints, for example), hill-work, or interval training (combine speed and hills, alternating between the two).
3. Strength train. Even the best endurance plan will fall short of success if there are muscle weaknesses. To improve endurance, muscles must be strong, so include at least 2 days of strength training per week.
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This is great advice Diane. There is an old saying amongst runners, that you race like you train. So if you want to run fast, further, or harder etc, sometimes you have to train that way. As always don’t forget to rest up.
Thanks for stopping by Peter! Rest is definitely important, and often overlooked. (Though for those of us addicted to the sport, it is hard to take time off
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