When I run on the treadmill I am dying after just half a mile. How can I make myself go longer?

[thisisme123]

I thought if I ran half a mile without stopping I could build up endurance and go further and further, but I have been running half a mile each time every time and I can’t make myself run any longer. Most I ever did was .6 miles. I have the speed set to 6.2 or so.

 

[heartboy]

@thisisme123 Run slower. Stop quitting when you get to 1/2 mile. Walk a bit if you need to, then run some more.

 

[sefo]

@heartboy This is the way. Walk for 50 metres then run again until failure then walk for another 50 metres. Etc do this for 2 miles.

 

[lelalodavis]

@heartboy This helped me more than anything. Doesnt matter how long you run. Just keep moving and hit that distance goal.

 

[idomesmiler]

@heartboy I second this.

 

[billybillyblue]

@heartboy I used this technique to build up to running 10km (don't know miles sorry) continuously

 

[miho]

@billybillyblue It's about 6.2 miles

 

[castiel]

@thisisme123 Set speed to 5 (12 min mile) and see how far you can go. I had a coworker wanted me to do a half marathon once. I ‘trained’ for a few weeks, let him know it’s impossible, I could never get past .75-1 mile. He asked to join me on a run. I said sure, you’ll see.

So we ran 4 miles that day.

There was a lot of ‘dude slow the fuck down, you trying to kill me?’ from the marathon runner. Any time you want to build endurance, apparently you reduce speed and practice running long. When you want to build speed, you do faster runs for shorter times, and I believe with higher frequency. Very different from weightlifting or other strength training.

 

[dreuter032003]

@thisisme123 Worth looking up programs like Couch 2 5k. Generally starts with mostly walking interspersed with jogging. Over time you do more jogging, then work up from there to running. Basically if you’re starting from close to zero it helps to wave the intensity rather than just going full out and hoping to push it further every time.

 

[ladyfarrier]

@thisisme123 You’ve already gotten some good responses, and I’m really not trying to be a dick, but did it seriously not occur to you to slow down if you were getting tired too fast?

 

[thisisme123]

@ladyfarrier I already used the recliner bike for middle intensity workouts so I was only using the treadmill for high intensity and thus felt the speed had to be high, plus I saw half a mile as a checkpoint and then after that I was way too tired to even run slowly lol

 

[lisachristianforums]

@thisisme123 Choose “high intensity” or choose running more than a half mile. Why on earth are you expecting to do a distance run at high intensity.

 

[thisisme123]

@lisachristianforums But if I ran a mile at that speed it would only be a 9 minute mile so it’s should be doable for me to go a mile

 

[makavelli]

@thisisme123 Run a 15 minute mile before you worry about running a 9 minute mile

 

[thisisme123]

@makavelli Ouch I’m not THAT out of shape

…I think…

 

[lisachristianforums]

@thisisme123 I have bad news for you

 

[makavelli]

@thisisme123 Have you run a 15 minute mile recently? If that is easy do 14 or 13 or 12.

 

[thisisme123]

@makavelli I ran slowly as everyone advised and did an 11 minute mile today, maybe could have done it a tad faster cuz I initially started walking for a while as I set up a podcast before I upped the speed

 

[makavelli]

@thisisme123 This is awesome, great work

 

[thisisme123]

@makavelli I could do an 8 minute mile 7 years ago