How to run faster and longer

Running is a function of mental and physical inputs. The physical inputs to running is pretty straightforward. You have to eat the right sources of energy so you can run. No energy, no running. Pretty simple. Your diet also must have enough protein inputs to adequately maintain your muscles. However, if you want to turn up the speed, you need to go mental. Your running speed is a function of the mental processes you go through. Why? Your mind is the source of your will power. If you don’t have the right mindset or mind frame, your will power is weaker, and you can’t step on the gas as much. Your body follows your mind, and you choose your mind set. Use the following techniques to help you get the willpower to push your body’s running speed to the next level. As you can see, it’s all in your mind. That is good news: you can choose your running intensity and speed. It is not automatic that something happens to you but something you choose.

Pulling yourself

One effective way of boosting your running speed is to pretend that there is an invisible rope or connection between you and a fixed distant object. As you run, you imagine that you are pulling yourself closer and closer to the fixed point. There are many ways to imagine this. You can be pulling on a rope. You can also be hauling in a nice fish. You can even be throwing a hook and rappelling forward. There are just so many ways to imagine a situation where you are pulling yourself to a goal. The key here is to boost your speed by tying the achievement of getting closer to the fixed distant posts with something you can consciously control. This gives a sense of excitement and achievement to the process and takes your mind off the exhaustion and minor pains or discomfort you may feel. It helps you focus on a goal.

Imaginary race

Another effective way to boost your running speed is to pretend you’re in a race with another person or moving object. The key here is to run in a direction that goes against oncoming people or vehicles. For example, when you are running on the sidewalk, fix your eyes on a distant oncoming car. Find a halfway point between you and oncoming vehicle. Race the car to the middle point. This can be a lot of fun since your sense of competition is triggered. Moreover, it takes your mind off the extra energy you have to extend and you get tired less. The only reminder you’re going to get that you’re burning extra energy is the fact that you’ll be panting and sweating more as you beat the oncoming car to your mid-point target. Do this enough times and you can turn a mile into a series of short sprints. Once you’ve built up your stamina, you can do this to run long distances in a relatively short amount of time.

Play what if games

While the pulling and imaginary race are the most effective ways of mentally pushing yourself to faster running speeds by using your imagination, you can use imaginary what if games to keep your mind off getting tired. Let’s face it-running can be hard on your body. If you are conscious of how much distance you need to cover and you are fully aware of how much you are panting and sweating, you can get very tired and think of slowing down. If you want to maintain your fast speed, you need to set aside thoughts of how tired you are and focus on something comforting or mentally engaging. Play what if mental games where you explore a new business, imagine yourself traveling, or doing other things other than running. This goes a long way to helping you reach your goal faster.

Finally: Train Until You Drop

It should be obvious that the most important way to run faster is to train as hard as you, and as often as you can. If you aren’t prepared to train on running speed at least 3 times a week you will most likely not succeed in training your body to have what it takes to run faster.