I want to be a endurance runner can someone help please?

Question

I want to be a runner i think i've got the potentional but im not sure what to eat and how many times to run and far i would be thankful for your advice.

Answer 1

If you're just starting to run, take it easy at first. Running a lot or multiple times a day will wear out your legs and lungs. I'd say maybe run 2-3 miles a day for a couple weeks, then gradually build up your mileage.

As far as your diet goes, water is a necesity. Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. Fruits and veggies are good too. And eat protein. When I ran cross country, I ate peanut butter a lot.

Answer 2

OK, I'll put in a link to get you started and add a few suggestions.

1. Shoes.  Go to a running shoe store, and get help selecting the right shoe.  This will keep you injury free, and give you a better chance of getting started successfully.

2. Run for time, not distance.  Work on the length of time you can run, and don't worry about mileage.  See the Long Slow Distance (LSD) article in the link.  This will build your base fitness.

3. A runner's diet is about balance and what works for you.  Like any athletic endeavor you need need whole grains, fruits, vegetables, etc.  You will likely find an increased carbohydrate intake will be helpful, but everyone is different.

4. Rest.  Have at least two rest days.  You get stronger on rest days.

5. Have a goal.  Sig up for a race, or something to motivate you.

Just get out there, and see how it goes.  Take it slow.

Answer 3

The biggest piece of advice I can give is to start slow.  The mistake most people make is they they get too excited to jump in to running, and then they go every day for 3 or 4 straight days and they are worn out and running isn't fun any more.  I went from no daily exercises to endurance running and it took a while.  Here is how I did it:

To start, I ran 3-4 Days/week running 1 mile, walking 1 mile, and running 1 mile.  I would do this for a couple of weeks and then increase the amount of running and decrease the amount of walking.  After 3 or 4 months I was running (jogging) 3 straight miles.  After that I tried to improve my time slowly to where I was running 3 miles pretty quickly.  Then I increased the mileage and the amount of days so I was running 4-5 days/week and running 4-5 miles/day.  This was over the span of a year or so.  After that, you can take it as far as you want to go with it.  If you want to run marathons, I recommend sticking to a marathon training schedule, which there are many of on the Internet.

As far as diet and other things, drink lots of water and avoid heavy foods before you run (don't get a big mac on the way to the gym).  One tough part about distance running is that you don't want to stop to take bathroom breaks (#1 OR #2) but you need to make sure your body has enough energy to keep moving fast!

Hope that helps!

Answer 4

I'm an endurance runner, I run close to 40 miles a day in one run. The best advice I can give you is to DON'T STOP when you feel like stopping. Force yourself to go out and run when you don't feel like it, cause believe me, those days will come.

As for nutrition, I eat a slow carb diet, meaning carbs that release into energy OVER TIME, so it'll last longer when you run. That being said, I eat tons of salmon, pasta and nuts.

Check out " Ultramarathon Man " by Dean Karnazes, if you really want to see how it is having the life of an endurance athlete. Good luck!