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Enhance your endurance - Ask Our Experts - Brief Article

Men's Fitness, Nov, 2002

I run 30 minutes either outdoors or on a treadmill three times a week, but that seems to be the limit to my endurance. How can I improve it?

--K.H., TAMPA, FL

Often, endurance limits are psychological. When you plan a run of 30 minutes, it can be a barrier to extending the length of that run, says Brook Gardner, competitive triathlete and editor of RaceCenter Northwest Magazine. "Finding a route that was longer than 30 minutes helped me improve my endurance," he says. "If you've run 30 minutes and you're still quite a distance from your home or car, your ego gets the better of you and you're less likely to stop and walk. Then, all of a sudden, you've run for 40 minutes. Establishing a new route can help you push beyond that mental wall of `I can only run for 30 minutes.'"

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Runners can quit too easily when they train on treadmills or tracks, Gardner says. "Treadmills are the easiest out for cutting your workout short. I have a treadmill, but I'd rather run outside in the rain so I don't have to worry about that temptation to quit."

Pushing beyond that self-imposed wall can enhance your fitness level and provide other benefits, Gardner says. "Your endorphins don't really kick in until you've been exercising aerobically for 30 minutes. Once you can push past that 30-minute threshold, you'll probably find that you have some amazing reserves. Your body starts recycling lactic acid as well. If you have a 30-minute route, then you need to break the cycle and step outside your comfort zone. As you progressively increase your distance, the mental gains and the sense of accomplish you get serve as fuel for the next time you go out. It really makes you want to keep making improvements."

Enhance your endurance - Ask Our Experts - Brief Article

Men's Fitness, Nov, 2002

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