Do you find yourself getting tired quickly whenever you are running at a moderate to high pace? Do you feel like your breath can’t keep up with your legs? Well, if you do, you need to learn what stamina is and how to improve it. Rest assured, you are in the right place.
Usually, when you are running longer distances, you start off really well and then you just spend the rest of the time slowly getting worse and worse as you work yourself through those miles.
In this post we are going to discuss few ways you can easily implement to improve your stamina and running performance. But let’s start with the beginning.
What Actually Is Stamina?
Stamina is when you take endurance and strength and you mix them together. Endurance is being able to run really slow for a very long period of time. That is great if you are a marathon runner, but if you are a track runner or even a cross-country runner you want some stamina.
To achieve stamina, you take aerobic strength and speed and combine it with endurance. This way you will be able to run fast for a long period of time or for a long distance. Respiratory endurance and stamina are two of the key factors to competitive running.
Now that we made it clear what stamina is and why it is important for all runners, let’s see how you can improve it.
#1 Tempo Runs With Training Mask
In tempo runs you only run for 20 or 30 minutes (so for a relatively short period of time), but you are running faster that you normally run for that shorted interval. Let’s say your steady pace that you are used to and comfortable with is a 7 minute/mile pace.
What you want to do is to add a little bit of extra stress by running a little bit faster than that. So instead of running faster than you normally would, you keep the same pace you are used to but you are using the Training Mask to build your cardiovascular output and your strengthen your breathing muscles.
Start by using the lowest air resistance setting on the Training Mask. Try to complete your 20-30 minute session while breathing under the same air resistance until the end of your run. That is going to build stamina.
#2 Intervals Running With Training Mask
Establishing a rhythm with your breathing is a vital step to keep you honest with your pacing, but also to establish a good communication with your posture.
What you want to do for this is for your long run, every 1 mile you are going to spend the first minute of that mile only breathing in thorough your nose while using a mild air resistance setting. You can breathe out through you mouth, but adjust your pace as needed to allow yourself to breath only through your nose and out through your mouth.
The reason you want to do that is because when you breathe through your nose you can easily be more aware of your diaphragm and all the respiratory muscles for that matter. This will help you build a stronger core which will give you more stability in your run.
This method will also develop your breathing technique and in will help you become more in control of your breathing tempo.
#3 Cadence with Training Mask
Cadence is how many steps you take in a minute and it usually degrades as you fatigue more and more. A good way to improve your running stamina is to take your natural/average cadence and try to maintain it throughout your long distance runs while using the Training Mask.
As you run the last couple of miles keeping up the same cadence will become very difficult so feel free to change the Training Mask setting to an easy air resistance, or if needed, remove it completely.
Conclusion
There are three different ways of using the Training Mask to improve your stamina and run faster for longer periods of time. Pick whichever appeals to you the most and try it out. Definitely don’t do all of them at once.
