Running stamina for a beginner

[Ghazar]

I did a stress test recently, and while my heart is healthy, my stamina is very, very low(expected for somebody who sits as much as I do).
I rarely run, but when I do I can only run for less than 10 minutes, if even that much. For obvious reasons I decided to change that and set a goal for myself, and that is to be able to run a half-marathon (20km) which some of my friends are able to do with relative ease. I'm 22, have low body fat, eat healthy, but not on any strict diet.

In order to have stronger motivation for reaching the goal I need to set the date for it, so my questions are how long will it take to achieve the said goal, how often should I exercise and what is the most efficient way to do it? Thanks in advance

[Puupi]

A couple of years ago I was at 180cm 95kg, I could jog for 8 minutes, 1300m in Cooper test. In three months I lost 20 kg's and could run 1h30min... about 15km - Cooper test about 2500m.

And I was a smoker those days. 28 or 29 years old.

I jogged 5 times a week on average. When I started, I could only run that 8 minutes...so I tried to increase it every day - like a minute a day. Run as long as you can...then walk for 30mins as fast as you can. Do that 5 times a week and you'll get progress. Listen to your body though if you get feet pains or something.

Also, a heart rate monitor is essential to help you make progress. You'll learn to control your pace better. Also it's a good diagnostic tool to notice if something is wrong (overtraining or ill) with you.

Obviously I did some alternative exercises every now and then - like a traditional HIIT exercise on flat ground, a hill running session, 5km time trial, marching 3 hours with a backpack...

(Yet another edit) I also did that on a very heavy calorie deficit - so it was very rough. But as you aren't overweight, increasing stamina is a piece of cake, as long as you stay uninjured.

[Ghazar]

Thanks for the reply, I'll try and do the same thing, cheers

[Egor2765]

Thanks for the reply, I'll try and do the same thing, cheers

You could also try to follow the c25k program. It has 3 workouts every week for 9 weeks and leads you to being able to easily run 5 km.
I suggest this program because it is a relatively low stress program for new runners in particular, and when you're new to running its very important not to focus on running faster/longer/better-than-last right away as this will only lead to injury. Instead you should slowly accustom your body to the new movements and in that way learn to run "the right way."

Once you're able to do 5 km with ease, I believe you might be able to run a 20 km run - although it will be hard even if you take several breaks during the run.

The c25k program be found here in english:
http://www.c25k.com/c25k_metric.html

You might also want to have a look at the running reddit faq for beginners and later, or maybe already, take a look at the order of operations for running (drive.google.com, so you can download as a pdf) suggested on the same reddit.. There is a lot of great info collected there and many active people interested in running aswell.

[Ghazar]

You could also try to follow the c25k program. It has 3 workouts every week for 9 weeks and leads you to being able to easily run 5 km.
I suggest this program because it is a relatively low stress program for new runners in particular, and when you're new to running its very important not to focus on running faster/longer/better-than-last right away as this will only lead to injury. Instead you should slowly accustom your body to the new movements and in that way learn to run "the right way."

Once you're able to do 5 km with ease, I believe you might be able to run a 20 km run - although it will be hard even if you take several breaks during the run.

The c25k program be found here in english:
http://www.c25k.com/c25k_metric.html

You might also want to have a look at the running reddit faq for beginners and later, or maybe already, take a look at the order of operations for running (drive.google.com, so you can download as a pdf) suggested on the same reddit.. There is a lot of great info collected there and many active people interested in running aswell.

I'll make sure to check it out, thanks for the effort!

[Deleted]

In order to get your basic aerobic stamina up you have to start easy. It's harder if you start running with blood in your mouth and heartrate +160 BPM. Get a heart rate monitor if you can and try to keep your BPM below 140 at all times. So start jogging veeeryy slowly and walk if your heart rate jumps too high. It might look ridiculous jogging at nearly walking speed but in just 2 weeks you'll start seeing improvements. The main thing is to start slow, don't push your body for what it is not capable.

EDIT: And just push through the first few weeks. It really sucks at the beginning being out of breath all the time and legs possibly hurting. Just remember if you can commit to like 3 sessions a week, by week 3 you'll be breezing quite comfortably already as in you won't really go out of breath jogging at a relaxed pace. The development from zero to okayish condition is really explosively fast.

[Puupi]

In order to get your basic aerobic stamina up you have to start easy. It's harder if you start running with blood in your mouth and heartrate +160 BPM. Get a heart rate monitor if you can and try to keep your BPM below 140 at all times. So start jogging veeeryy slowly and walk if your heart rate jumps too high. It might look ridiculous jogging at nearly walking speed but in just 2 weeks you'll start seeing improvements. The main thing is to start slow, don't push your body for what it is not capable.

Heart beat rate is quite unique. My heart rate is very high (which is actually quite rare). If I move from walking to jogging my heart rate immediately goes to 160 minimum, I can't jog under 160. Therefore when I try to run long distances I really need to jog with a hand brake on. If I increase the speed even a little bit my heart rate goes up to 175-180 and that will burn me out in 10 minutes.

But this is just me and my heart. It's also the reason why I consider a heart rate monitor to be really important...especially if you have a funky heart like mine. It's quite hard to determine whether your heart rate is too high (165 vs 175) without a HRM. When you start to feel the difference, it's already too late, you are very close to being done.

[Egor2765]

Heart beat rate is quite unique. My heart rate is very high (which is actually quite rare). If I move from walking to jogging my heart rate immediately goes to 160 minimum, I can't jog under 160. Therefore when I try to run long distances I really need to jog with a hand brake on. If I increase the speed even a little bit my heart rate goes up to 175-180 and that will burn me out in 10 minutes.

But this is just me and my heart. It's also the reason why I consider a heart rate monitor to be really important...especially if you have a funky heart like mine. It's quite hard to determine whether your heart rate is too high (165 vs 175) without a HRM. When you start to feel the difference, it's already too late, you are very close to being done.

Would you mind if I ask what heart condition you have?

[Puupi]

Would you mind if I ask what heart condition you have?

Nobody knows. Doctors say "it's all fine and normal". Which I say is bullshit. I have never met anyone that has a rest heart beat of 80-90, and neither have the doctors when I have asked. It's some kind of condition doctors don't know what it is. But I'm pretty sure I won't see pension days myself.

[nancypaul]

There are some common things which you have to do for good stamina which are-
Run for longer
Run faster
Set a SMART Goal
Setup a Training Plan and execute it
Exercise to build your Abs, Hips and Back muscles
Measure your progress
Sleep Well

[Logwyn]

I find that when I start back out running I tend to do better running with intervals than trying to do say a whole mile in one go. Makes my body have less of the "what the hell are you doing feeling". Then again I'm in my early 40s.

Also, get enough sleep it does do wonders!

[durrtygoodz]

Anywhere from 60 to 100 resting rate can be considered normal: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-l...e/faq-20057979

[Gravity2015]

I did a stress test recently, and while my heart is healthy, my stamina is very, very low(expected for somebody who sits as much as I do).
I rarely run, but when I do I can only run for less than 10 minutes, if even that much. For obvious reasons I decided to change that and set a goal for myself, and that is to be able to run a half-marathon (20km) which some of my friends are able to do with relative ease. I'm 22, have low body fat, eat healthy, but not on any strict diet.

In order to have stronger motivation for reaching the goal I need to set the date for it, so my questions are how long will it take to achieve the said goal, how often should I exercise and what is the most efficient way to do it? Thanks in advance

I would suggest checking out an app called C25K - stands for “couch to 5 kilometres” - it starts slow and gradually increases your amount of jog to walk ratio, I did the program last year and succeeded in my goal but didn’t continue on to the next series which I think increased gradually to the 25k. - it’s free and I think there’s a big push to post results on Reddit so check it out

Good luck and be happy

[Shadowferal]

When I started jogging I didn't last 30secs before I had to stop...panting out of breath. That was around 1996.
Today, I jog 6 miles with 5LBs on each forearm nonstop on a good day. (I'm 54yrs old)

Just have to keep pushing yourself.

And yeah, 80 heart rate is normal.

[SoaD009]

I'd recommend a low impact cardio to supplement the running so that you don't have to run 5+ days a week to build your cardio. Do something like biking or swimming. I'm a firm believer that running several times a week is very bad for the joints in the long run. There is a reason that they call it "runner's knee."

[Ashina]

Keep on running. If your stamina doesn't improve after a few weeks then you're going to have to look at what you're doing.

Also: source a solid plan. Too many people might have a workout goal but no plan how to get there. I see it in the pool all the time: people jump in, they swim for an hour and get out. Sure, you might've swum for an hour but what have you accomplished? They don't practice technique, don't isolate specific movements and train those, don't switch up styles, don't do any intervals or sprints. It's a treadmill to nowhere.

Don't forget about the gym to strengthen specific muscle groups that aid you in your running. Another thing a lot of people neglect when focusing on a cardiovascular activity: when I started running I was limited by my flimsy ankles and inflexible joints. I spent a lot of time in the gym working on ankle strength and mobility, lower back/core stability, etc.

In short: have a professional plan, it'll cost you a bit of money but it's totally worth it.

[Puupi]

Are you sedentary in your life?

Yes, but I do exercise most days.

My heart rate has been like that since I was a kid.

[Makabreska]

I started to jog 7-8y ago, while having pretty much zero stamina my entire life. No plans, no goals, no prep, no tests. Just dug out some old running shoes, and went off. Obviously, the beginning was painful, but it got better quick. I still remember this magical moment, when while doing a standard 3-4km every few days, I suddenly felt the power and did 10km easily. My advice - don't over think it, and don't over do it. Jogging in actually a pretty strainful exercise, and I caught several knee/tendon injuries when going to hard. Choose proper surface if you can, stop at first signs of pains etc.

[Puupi]

I started to jog 7-8y ago, while having pretty much zero stamina my entire life. No plans, no goals, no prep, no tests. Just dug out some old running shoes, and went off. Obviously, the beginning was painful, but it got better quick. I still remember this magical moment, when while doing a standard 3-4km every few days, I suddenly felt the power and did 10km easily. My advice - don't over think it, and don't over do it. Jogging in actually a pretty strainful exercise, and I caught several knee/tendon injuries when going to hard. Choose proper surface if you can, stop at first signs of pains etc.

I had similar experience when I started running back in the day.

Gosh, I wish I still could run. Miss it.

[Jessicka]

I would suggest checking out an app called C25K - stands for “couch to 5 kilometres” - it starts slow and gradually increases your amount of jog to walk ratio, I did the program last year and succeeded in my goal but didn’t continue on to the next series which I think increased gradually to the 25k. - it’s free and I think there’s a big push to post results on Reddit so check it out

Good luck and be happy

Can't recommend a couch to 5k highly enough, it builds noticeable and achievable progress that actually feels good going through it. I Got up to running 10ks regularly with it, but illness, injury, put pay to that. Need to get back on it just as soon as I'm able.