Anyone who can run distance ( like a few miles or more )

[BigStewTheJew]

Okay so starting to run before school. I threw endurance out the window a while back when I was bulking. Ran .6 mile today and was out of breath(air is very very thick here in the morning, but that is no excuse)Did some power walking for a few minutes before doing .4 miles to get home. Advice? I want to get up to 2 miles - 3 miles without stopping at some point. I was never a good distance runner btw, always had thick legs, good sprinting. Advice? How long do you think it will take to get 2-3 miles? And my neighbourhood has a lot of hills. Need a lot of help and can't find any answers / decent answers elsewhere, and distance was never my strong point with running, so very descriptive helps a lot.

Thanks in advance ( sorry for not being over 35 just figured a lot of you guys are smart )

[baker]

Same way you get stronger, progressive increases. Run a little further each week. The couch to 5K is a good beginner program.

[JRT6]

You're probably running too fast. Slow way down and the distahce will increase. You may have to put walk breaks in there for a couple weeks.

[drudixon]

Work on your form. Running is about efficiency. Do you use your arms for momentum (especially uphill)? Are your shoulders relaxed? Do you breathe in nose, out mouth? How do your strides match to your breathing? Do you breathe via your belly, or your chest (belly is better, utilizes more of total lungs)? Are you light footed, or heavy footed (light is better)? Does your body move up and down while you run (waste of energy), or is it more fluid forward? Do you run side to side, or straight? Do arms swing straight? Where is your tension (get rid of tension)? Have you learned to shift running style - meaning, if you slightly change your gait, you can change the muscles worked as things get tired? IE. I used to switch from calves running, to hams running, to quad running, then back repeat. You can do this by changing lean and stride length.

When you train, take the total miles you'd like to run a week, say 2, and run 3x that over the course of the week. Like the others said, slow and steady increases over time and your body will adapt.

[flatiron]

If you can only run for a fraction of a mile before you have to stop, then you need to go on slow jogs and focus on the how long you can keep jogging without having to stop and walk. Don't worry about speed or distance, just time moving at a pace faster than a walk. Each time, try to go a little longer even if it is only a minute longer. Once you are up to 20 minutes, then you are going more than a mile. Try to get it to 30 minutes. Once you can go 30 minutes without stopping, then you can try to increase the pace a little. A treadmill can really help because you can tightly control the speed, monitor time and distance, and keep it level.

[BloodySalad]

Way I worked it was to run for 10 minutes to begin with. Once I could do that without killing myself, I upped it to 15. Then 20. Then 25. And so on. I can now easily run for 40 minutes if I feel like it (haven't tried any longer). I don't run so much at the moment as I'm bulking but when cutting, I run at least 3 times a week and tend to keep it around the 30 minute mark.
Don't worry about the speed side of things so much. You'll just naturally get stronger, and therefore quicker, as you keep doing it.

[bmccurdy]

The couch to 5K is a good beginner program.

^^^^This.

The C25K is a great program designed to start you slow so that you don't injure yourself. If you haven't already, go to a running store and get fitted for a pair of running shoes. Running in the wrong shoes can lead to injury and make a world of difference in your running.

[stokey04964]

Slow down your pace and slowly work your way up. After being away from running a while I normally start out at 5.5 on the old mill and then work my way up to around 6.5 to 7 after a couple of weeks. Also helps to get the knees in shape so they don't start to hurt and set you back. At least this works for me and I'm not a very strong runner but can run up to 12 miles.

[HairyScandinavian]

I did the same a couple years ago. I just slowed the pace down for a mile, then ran HIIT on the way back to the house. Eventually my pace quickened for the mile automatically so I stretched it to 2 miles. I have no interest in running more than 2 miles though so that's where it ends for me. If you just want the distance then slow down. Sometimes I run with my wife and the pace is so slow I feel like I could go forever non-stop.