Mark Zajdek regularly participates in road races and has made a habit out of both cycling and running. As a result, he knows what it takes to build endurance in a relatively short amount of time, and has offered to share some advice on how to do so. Mark Zajdek says the most important aspect of building endurance is focusing solely on your performance, and not necessarily on the distance you're able to run or bike. He says it is imperative to understand the difference between racing and endurance building, as the key to improving stamina is to pace yourself by running at a slower speed for longer periods of time.
A great way to bring your endurance to the next level is to decrease the amount of time it takes to run or bike through your daily routine. For example, if you normally jog one mile in 10 minutes, try slowing your pace down to the point where it takes you 15 minutes to jog a mile. As a rule of thumb, you should be able to have a conversation comfortably without having to gasp for breath, and if you're unable to do so then need to slow down. Mark says that slowing down gives your body the opportunity to focus more on improving physiological functions during exercise, while also helping your muscles tone more effectively.
A great way to gradually improve your endurance is to run three days each week, and designate one of the days as your endurance testing day. Zajdek says that on your endurance testing day you should try to add between 3 to 5 minutes to your jogging time each week. Once you've begun seeing a gradual improvement in your endurance, you can begin working on your speed by conducting interval training, which involves running an entire mile at a faster pace before taking a break and walking for a mile.
As a rule of thumb, during your "speed mile" you should be moving fast enough to where it is difficult to have a conversation, but not too fast to the point that it is impossible to talk without running out of breath completely. Mark Zajdek is currently training in preparation of three charity races that he'll be participating in 2012 – the 5K Great Prostate Cancer Challenge, the 5K race at the Baltimore Running Festival, and the 8K Rockville Rotary Twilight race.
