Advice from Runners on how to improve Endurance?

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PhilaScorpio13
PhilaScorpio13 Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,

So I have been doing HIIT Cardio workouts in my room for the last couple years, but after my birthday (November 17th) I decided to start running in an attempt to get more fresh air since I have a love of nature and feel it is healthier than working out in my room all the time.

Since then I have undoubtedly developed a newfound passion for running. I love the calming presence I get from being in the Great Outdoors and the rush of energy all throughout my body. Every time I go for a run it feels like a new adventure.

My endurance has seen improvements since I started a couple months back, but I have noticed I have been dropping weight like crazy at the same time. This morning I weighed in at 121.5 lbs and just for reference I am 5'8". I don't want to focus too much on weight since I believe it is more important to go by how you feel, but I didn't realize how many calories are burned by running. I will admit I have been feeling more drained, unbalanced post-workout lately...but maybe it is the weather?

I like to think my diet is ok. I currently follow an animal-based diet that is centered on food groups like meat, seafood, dairy, and eggs, but I also include grains (mainly bread and rice). I only drink water, milk, coffee, or a variation of these three.

What started out as a hobby has definitely turned into a much welcomed lifestyle. I usually run 5-6 days a week, but I have been thinking about cutting it down to 3 higher intensity runs due to my college Spring Semester that got underway recently.

I would love to hear any tips, advice, suggestions that experienced runners have gathered over the years that positively influenced their performance

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited February 2019
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    Running is easy to calculate calories burnt, so you can make sure you're fueling properly.

    Bodyweight in lbs x 0.63 x distance in miles.

    Run longer, more slowly for improved endurance.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Do you know how much weight you're losing per week?

    Typically, my endurance is slower to improve when I'm in a deficit, which is sounds like you are. Is losing weight your goal? If not, eat more.

    The typical advice for runners who want better endurance is to run more. The catch is that you have to be in a relatively well-nourished state to do this.
  • PhilaScorpio13
    PhilaScorpio13 Posts: 4 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Do you know how much weight you're losing per week?

    Typically, my endurance is slower to improve when I'm in a deficit, which is sounds like you are. Is losing weight your goal? If not, eat more.

    The typical advice for runners who want better endurance is to run more. The catch is that you have to be in a relatively well-nourished state to do this.

    Well about a week before I started running, I gave my old scale to my brother who wanted to track his weight. My new scale literally arrived yesterday. I weight in at 130.68 lbs at the doctor's office on the first day of Winter (December 21), but prior to that it has been over a year since I weighed myself. I was definitely heavier than 130 when I started running though.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    Use the formula @TavistockToad posted to calculate your exercise calories, and eat them back.

    Some endurance athletes prefer to eat relatively high carb diets to fuel their workouts. If your carbs are pretty low, you might try adjusting your macros so that you're still getting enough protein and fat, but adding in additional carbs. Having a carb-rich snack, like fruit, before a run is pretty common.

    Once you're eating adequately, you can follow a structured training plan to increase endurance. C25K is very popular, but depending on the distance you usually run, you may be ready for a 10k or half marathon plan. Hal Higdon has many popular, free plans: https://www.halhigdon.com/training/
  • PhilaScorpio13
    PhilaScorpio13 Posts: 4 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Do you know how much weight you're losing per week?

    Typically, my endurance is slower to improve when I'm in a deficit, which is sounds like you are. Is losing weight your goal? If not, eat more.

    The typical advice for runners who want better endurance is to run more. The catch is that you have to be in a relatively well-nourished state to do this.

    Oh, I forgot to answer your question. No, losing weight is not my goal, I want to improve my general cardio and fitness for running.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Running is easy to calculate calories burnt, so you can make sure you're fueling properly.

    Bodyweight in lbs x 0.63 x distance in miles.

    Run longer, more slowly for improved endurance.

    What Tavistock said.

    Eat more to fuel the runs, and run for longer runs -- but with that caveat of ONLY if you are eating the exercise calories/you are *fully* fueling your workout.

    Since losing weight isn't your goal, have you talked to your doctor to see why you've lost so much weight in only a month? Addressing that needs to be a top concern.
  • dmkoenig
    dmkoenig Posts: 299 Member
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    There are all sorts of running activities that drive different training approaches so before you introduce a new training regimen you would greatly benefit from thinking about what your running interests and goals are. There are various distances to consider - 5K through ultra marathons and different types of events like road racing and trail running, and a protocol that works well for one type of event may not work well for another. Since you like the great outdoors you might want to check out trail running organizations and events in your area. There are also lots of running clubs (your college may one) and often the premium running shoe stores host free group runs. You'll meet a lot of great people who will give you lots of ideas to explore. Enjoy the journey!
  • Nativestar56
    Nativestar56 Posts: 112 Member
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    I'm currently reading Matt Fitzgerald's "80/20: Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower".

    Basically, doing 80% of your training at low intensity and only 20% at high intensity yields better results than going hard at it with high intensity for shorter periods of time. It's a very interesting read and backed up by quite a few studies. It has some running plans in the book but I haven't got to them yet.

    My tip would be to run at what you think is a slow pace, then slow down some more (because I guarantee you'll be running faster than you think) and add more miles gradually with no more than a 10% increase a week. There's lots of good plans for doing this, Hal Higdon as mentioned by Apullum is a good place to start.
  • PhilaScorpio13
    PhilaScorpio13 Posts: 4 Member
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    Nativestar56 wrote: »
    I'm currently reading Matt Fitzgerald's "80/20: Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower".

    Basically, doing 80% of your training at low intensity and only 20% at high intensity yields better results than going hard at it with high intensity for shorter periods of time. It's a very interesting read and backed up by quite a few studies. It has some running plans in the book but I haven't got to them yet.

    My tip would be to run at what you think is a slow pace, then slow down some more (because I guarantee you'll be running faster than you think) and add more miles gradually with no more than a 10% increase a week. There's lots of good plans for doing this, Hal Higdon as mentioned by Apullum is a good place to start.

    That's an interesting study I will definitely have to look into!
    spiriteagle99 wrote: »
    If you're 121 lbs at 5'8" you need to be eating more. Eating too little will make you lose muscle and possibly hair and can cause a lot of other problems. It also makes it difficult to fuel your workouts.

    To gain endurance, you need to run farther at a slow conversational pace. HIIT workouts challenge your VO2 max, but don't really help endurance. That takes more miles. Runs over 90 minutes build mitochondria and teach your body to use fat for fuel rather than just glycogen.

    You may be right, but I don't really want to focus too much on weight right now. Since I started I can't deny I have definitely improved my endurance gradually the last couple months so I'm more focused on improving that through diet and training.

    That is useful info on HIIT, My runs usually are around an hour long so I don't think it is enough to build mitochondria.

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