By Dr. Kristie

Do you want to know how to improve your running? Whether you’re running for fitness, weight loss, stress relief, or competitively, it’s important to continuously challenge yourself in order to increase your speed and stamina and help promote weight control. Plus, by challenging yourself, you make your workout more interesting which helps to maintain your motivation. Here are some ideas to help you improve your running:

Change the scenery.

If you’re accustomed to running on a treadmill in the gym, why not take your running routine outside? There’s nothing more stimulating and refreshing than a brisk run in the cool, morning air. The sights and smells you encounter are quite stimulating and help you maintain your motivation. Studies have shown that runners who run outdoors burn more calories than those that do a similar distance on a treadmill. Running outdoors can add a whole new dimension to your running experience.

Develop your strength.

Some runners fail to do resistance exercises which is unfortunate since the stronger your muscles are, the easier it feels to run the same distance .You can tone and develop your muscles through weight training at the gym on alternate days or you can develop lower body musculature by incorporating hills into your running routine. If you run indoors, try changing the grade on the treadmill to around five to promote muscle tone. Run at an incline for several minutes two or three times during your workout to improve your running strength and stamina.

Invest in a good pair of running shoes.

A good pair of running shoes can make a significant difference in your running speed as well as your risk of developing a running related injury. Visit a professional sports shoe store and spend some time trying on different styles of running shoes. Have a knowledgeable sales person assess your arch to determine if you have an elevated arch or a flat arch which can impact your choice of running shoe. Try on a variety of shoes and spend some time jogging around the store to make sure the shoes you select are comfortable. A quality pair of running shoes that are compatible with your foot and arch will help to improve your running speeds.

Challenge yourself regularly.

If you don’t challenge yourself, it will be difficult to improve your running. Pick one day each week to perform a more intense running intensely for short periods during portions of your workout. Running hills one day a week will help you to develop speed, strength, and endurance.

Keep a running diary.

A running diary not only helps to keep you motivated, it also allows you to monitor your progress and pinpoint what factors have a positive impact on your training. Include in your diary the date, the weather conditions on the day you ran, details about your nutritional intake before running, how far your ran, how long it took, and your general feeling during the run. By doing this you can begin to see patterns regarding nutritional intake and how it affects your running performance

Knowing how to improve your running will help you get more out of your workouts whether your motivation is to run competitively or just to stay in shape.