Becoming a better, stronger runner isn’t just about upping your mileage. In fact, logging too many miles can be counterproductive. A more strategic approach is to dial into your efforts – and that’s where stamina training comes into play. Building your stamina can provide various benefits for all types of runners, whether you’re a casual beginner, an assured sprinter or a trail ultramarathoner seeking a new off-road challenge.
Here, with the help of two experts, we determine what stamina is, why it’s important for runners and how to start building it today.
What is stamina and how does it differ from endurance?
the key difference between stamina and endurance is how hard you’re working Health & Injuries, who is Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, people often use the terms ‘endurance’ and ‘stamina’ interchangeably’, when they are not actually the same. While stamina is about how long you can sustain or repeat higher intensity efforts, endurance is about how long you can sustain lower intensity efforts.
In other words, as noted by strength coach Frank Baptiste, who founded Frankly Fitness, the key difference between stamina and endurance is how hard you’re working.
Here’s an example. Running an ultramarathon requires endurance, because the goal is to maintain a steady pace for several hours. Tackling 100m repeats at your top speed, meanwhile, demands stamina, because the focus is sprinting at your maximum effort and doing this multiple times.
That said, stamina doesn’t just come into play during super-short workouts or races. You may also need stamina at different points during endurance running. If you’re out for a long, hilly run in your local area, for instance, Brooks says that you’d need stamina to power up to the top of each incline. Or, if you’re competing in a race, she adds, you’d need stamina to repeatedly surge and hold off competitors.
Why is stamina so important for runners?
Many recommendations around physical activity for health are centred upon cardiovascular endurance training, says Brooks, like jogging for 30 minutes for five days a week, or going for brisk walks. While this type of aerobic training is definitely worth your while, Brooks notes that ‘there are so many benefits of being able to repeatedly exercise at that maximal intensity, which is stamina’.
John Korir does step aerobics – and so should you.
If you compete in races that demand a sustained high-intensity effort, like the 800m, for example, then stamina training is a must. More generally speaking, though, Brooks say that being able to pick up the pace at various points during any competitive race can allow you to respond to and hold off other runners more effectively. Stamina can also help you to quickly and adeptly navigate obstacles during cross-country John Korir does step aerobics – and so should you.
Not a competitive runner? Stamina is still important, because you want to be able to crank up the intensity when it matters. Say you’re on the finishing stretch of a race and are within seconds of achieving a new PB – stamina could help you to accelerate and hold that speed until you cross the finish line in your new best time. Or, perhaps you’re trying a new route that you didn’t realise was so hilly – stamina could help you to tackle the inclines more swiftly, without adding too much extra time to your workout.
As Brooks says, no matter what type of runner you are, ‘you don’t want to only be able to go for a long distance at a slow pace’. There are lots of situations – both in competition and in training – where having a decent level of stamina can bring plenty of rewards.
How do you build stamina?
Most importantly, you’ll want to incorporate high-intensity training into your routine. In terms of frequency, if you’re currently running two to three times a week, Baptiste says that training for stamina once a week is a good place to start. If you’re running four to six times a week, he recommends aiming for two stamina workouts per week. Just be sure to schedule at least one day in between stamina-focused workouts to give your muscles enough time to recover from the high-intensity efforts, says Brooks.
Detailed below are five expert-backed stamina sessions to weave into your training routine. Before doing any of these workouts, remember to thoroughly warm up Gait analysis: How and why runners should do one.
1. Start with tempo runs
If you’re new to stamina training, Baptiste suggests starting with 30-minute tempo runs that include one maximum effort interval. That way, you can gently introduce your body to working at a higher intensity.
Tempo runs involve holding a comfortably hard pace. In this scenario, you’d want to gradually increase your speed, then, about two-thirds of the way through, or about 20 minutes into the run, really crank up the intensity and try to hold as fast a pace as you can for three to six minutes. (This doesn’t mean sprinting, though. You should be able to maintain your speed for that entire interval.) Then, gently reduce your speed and ease into a cool-down, says Baptiste.
2. Incorporate interval work
Once you’re comfortable with tempo-interval workouts, up the ante by adding high-intensity interval training (HIIT) runs into your schedule. ‘Intervals will help to improve your stamina,’ says Baptiste.
Although there are lots of different ways to structure HIIT runs, one approach involves a 1:1 ratio of work to rest. This means one minute of hard running, followed by one minute of rest, then repeating that for a set number of times, says Brooks.
Don’t forget that the higher the intensity at which you run, the more rest you’ll need before repeating that effort, adds Brooks. So, if you’re running at an all-out speed for 15 to 20 seconds, you’ll probably need a decent amount of downtime – about 90 seconds – before you could sprint at 100% effort again.
The amount of rest that you need will depend on how hard you run and your current fitness level. As a general rule of thumb, if you’re going for an all-out effort, Brooks explains that ‘you’ll want to have enough rest and recovery that allows you to then go at full intensity the next time’.
You can do intervals on flat ground or on hills. Hill workouts are a great way to incorporate stamina training, because your efforts automatically become higher intensity when you start climbing a hill, so long as you don’t significantly slow your pace in the process.
3. Progress your intervals
To improve your stamina over time, Brooks says that you’ll need to consistently progress your interval training – and this could mean increasing the total time of your interval workout. For example, start with three sets of intervals at 100% effort, then gradually progress to five sets of intervals at 100% effort.
You could also experiment with shortening your rest interval, says Baptise. For example, you could do a series of three-minute intervals at your maximum pace, then slowly jog for three minutes after each interval. The next week, you may try running at your maximum pace for three minutes, then slowly jog for two-and-a-half minutes after each interval. You’d gradually reduce your rest time from there.
Another option, according to Baptiste, is to increase your speed during your rest interval. Say you’re running at a pace of 6:40 min/mile for three minutes, then slowly jogging at a pace of 12 min/mile for three minutes. The next week, you may try slowly jogging at a pace of 11:30 min/mile before progressing to a pace of 11 min/mile – and so on.
4. Consider bodyweight HIIT routines
If you want to have better stamina while running, it’s important to do run-based stamina workouts. But, as Baptiste notes, there can also be a place for non-running stamina workouts, such as bodyweight HIIT routines.
When designing a bodyweight HIIT workout, incorporate exercises that involve movement in planes of motion that are different from running, such as skaters (moving side-to-side) or curtsy lunges (moving diagonally). Training your body to work in all planes of motion – not just forward and backward, as you do when running – can help to target more muscles and make you a stronger and less injury-prone runner.
These types of workouts are a good way to train for stamina on those days when you need a break from running, says Baptiste.
5. Tap into mental techniques
We won’t sugarcoat it – stamina training, if done correctly, is not going to feel comfortable. Pushing yourself to your maximum will inevitably leave you breathless and put your muscles under some strain. So, having some mental techniques in your arsenal can help you to embrace that discomfort and execute your stamina workouts more effectively.
As Baptiste explains, if you’re having a tough time and saying to yourself that you can’t go on or are experiencing pain, your mind will focus on that. As such, you’re more likely to stop earlier than a runner who is using beneficial mental strategies.
the key difference between stamina and endurance is how hard you’re working pump-up playlist to get you in the right mindset for effective stamina training. You may also consider inviting friends to join your workouts for extra motivation and friendly competition, while positive self-talk and working on your mental toughness can help as well.
