Running burns calories and strengthens muscles.
A wide variety of athletes, from basketball players to sprinters, can benefit greatly from learning run faster. If you want to shave a few seconds off your next lap, you will need to focus on technique and strength-building. Vanderbilt University reports that running, "helps lower blood pressure," and, "is often used to treat clinical depression and other psychological disorders." Whether you are running for sport, pleasure or health reasons, it can be fun to push yourself to see just how fast you can finish that next mile.
Instructions
1. Go to a track and use your stopwatch to time how long it takes you to run a single lap as fast as you can. Write this time down, so you can measure your progress at the end of each training week. Set measurable training goals for each week. Your goal may be, "to shave 10 seconds off my mile every week." Keep a log of your times to see if you are meeting your goal consistently.
2. Stick to your weekly running schedule, regardless of how busy life gets. Consistency is key when it comes to shaving time off your mile. Pack a workout bag before going to bed if it helps you get your scheduled run in before work or school.
3. Change up your running routine on a frequent basis, to avoid getting into a training rut. Follow a day of sprints with a day of slow, long-distance running. Do stairs the day after you run laps, and indulge in an easy jog the day after you kill yourself with drills. This allows you to evenly work different muscle groups, which will improve your overall running speed.
4. Increase your breathing speed to increase the amount of blood and oxygen circulating throughout your body during runs. Practice speed breathing by doing 30-second sets of very fast, deep inhalations and exhalations. You may feel like you are going to hyperventilate at first. Don't do more than your body can handle. Increase your speed breathing sets gradually, until you can do a full minute without stopping. Incorporate speed breathing sets into your runs when your body begins to feel tired as they will flood your body with instant energy and make you run faster.
5. Eat a snack with lots of carbohydrates right before you run, for energy. Drink lots of water while you run, to stay hydrated. Eat a piece of fruit if you run for longer than one hour and 15minutes. Eat another small and healthy snack within 30 minutes after your workout, to recharge for the rest of the day. Prepare and eat well-balanced, nutritious meals. Food intake directly affects your running speed, so eat right.
Tags: your body, speed breathing, breathing sets, Increase your, running speed