In this article, I’m going to show you how to run for longer periods of time, so let’s get right to it .

Aerobic (or endurance) training improves your cardiovascular endurance (and thus your ability to run longer) by increasing both maximal cardiac output and your muscles ability to extract oxygen from the blood. Thus, a running program designed to improve your cardio endurance must overload your circulatory system and challenge the oxidative capacity of your working muscles.
Specificity is most important as with all runing programs . If you are a runner and want to improve your aerobic endurance, then you need to run – not bike or swim. Likewise, if you are a cyclist who wants to become more proficient at biking up hills, then that’s where you need to spend more of your training time.
To improve endurance, there are 3 principle aerobic training methods used . They are interval training, long duration/low-intensity, and high-intensity, uninterrupted exercise. Although, there are plenty of studies that validate the use of each method of training, the bulk of the research shows that it is INTENSITY, not duration, that is the most important factor in improving your cardiovascular capacity.

For that reason, I personally use and prescribe interval training and high-intensity continuous exercise . Not only are they highly effective, but they are also very time efficient. Let’s look at each one in more detail.

INTERVAL TRAINING
Performing repeated bouts of high and low intensity runs is what interval training is all about . The length and duration of the high intensity work bout will depend on what you are trying to accomplish (ie. your goals).

For instance, a longer work interval requires greater involvement of aerobic energy production . This is occurs because longer intervals need to moderately lower in intensity (or speed) than shorter ones. After all, for how long do you think you can possibly sprint? 30 seconds for the majority of us .

On the other hand, shorter, more intense intervals, such as sprinting, involve a greater amount of anaerobic energy production . This is the energy system that gives you a lot of ATP (or energy) in a short amount of time but it is also an energy pathway that fatigues quickly and produces lactic acid in your muscles. That’s why higher intensities can only be sustained for a short amount of time.

In planning your interval training runs, you need to consider several factors :

1. The length of the work and recovery intervals (duration)
2. The intensity of the efforts (intensity)
3. The number of sets

In general, if you want to run longer, the work intervals should last longer than 60 seconds in order to get maximum involvement of the aerobic energy system. You can monitor your intensity by taking a 10-second heart rate by checking your pulse. Ideally, your work interval should elicit an intensity that represents 85% to 100% of your maximum heart rate.

The recuperation interval could consist of brisk walking or light jogging to bring down your heart rate, ideally to about 120 beats/minute by the end of the recovery bout. Note: Your heart rate will drop more rapidly as you get fitter which will allow you more time to recover efficiently .

Depending on your fitness level you will want to select a work to recover ratio that is suitable for you . For instance, as you get fitter aerobically, you won’t need as much recovery time as you would when you first started. So, if you just starting to run intervals you may want to begin with a work to recovery ratio of 1:3, meaning that your recovery bout will be 3x as long as your work interval. If you ran 1 minute for your work bout, you would recover for 3 minutes, for example.

As you improve your cardiovascular fitness, that ratio would go from 1:3 to 1:2 and then down to 1:1, and even lower. Ultimately, the goal of interval training is to get your body used to running (or exercising) at a faster speed for a longer period of time. And that will get you ready for the next training method .

HIGH INTENSITY, CONTINUOUS RUNNING

If two people are running, the one who can run faster for longer will win. It’s as simple as that. You will become a faster runner by following this form of training along with HIIT .

How? Because it conditions your body to maintain a fast pace for as long as possible . Thus, numerous physiological changes occur that will improve your running endurance. It is believed that running a intensity between 80-90% of your maximum heart rate is optimal. Furthermore, it seems likely that a work rate that is equal to or slightly above your lactate threshold provides excellent melioration in your maximum aerobic endurance and your ability to run longer.