4 Practices That Took Me From Running 100 Meters to 2 Kilometers at a Stretch
From dreading a run to enjoying the process
I had never been a runner. In fact, I would do everything to avoid it. I would swim, play badminton, cycle, dance and walk, but not run. The internet told me running was calming, therapeutic and felt like meditation. I just didn’t understand.
Back in 2021, I came across a book that changed the way I started approaching my body. It was Finding Ultra by Rich Roll. This guy decided to completely change his life, habits and routine to train for the Ultraman triathlon, which is a pretty intense marathon. This triathlon included an 84km ultra-marathon run, more than what my tiny head could wrap around.
In the past, I had maintained a pretty average fitness routine- working out here and there to maintain a decent level of stamina but never enough to unlock new skills for myself. However, a few months after reading this book, I decided to pick up a skill; martial arts.
My coach was incredible and pushed me to limits I didn’t know existed. I was able to build muscle I hadn’t previously seen and I learned just how much you can push the human body. Little did I know, this was just the beginning. Along with body weight training, techniques and rapid movements, building stamina was also an emphasis during class. After each class we had to complete a 2km jog. By this time in my journey, I had already built a decent amount of muscle. My mind was strong and eager to achieve more. However, I was never able to finish the jog at a stretch and stopped multiple times to catch my breath. One Friday evening, I decided to implement everything I had learned from Rich Roll, and that was the day I had completed the entire 2km jog without stopping or feeling winded. This moment was a huge win for me and the start of my journey to pushing my limits a little more everyday.
1. Go Slow to Go Fast
Our bodies have two basic systems for burning energy: aerobic and anaerobic. Your aerobic system is what helps you fuel up for activity using oxygen and fat as your fuel. However, it has a threshold and once you pass that limit, your body switches to the anaerobic system. The anaerobic system uses stored glucose, or glycogen for energy. There is a limited amount of glycogen stored in the body at any given time and so it can only push for around 90 minutes before getting depleted.
For endurance training, you want to be able to build the efficiency of the aerobic system. To do that, a lactate test can help identify your level of fitness and whether you need to slow down while training. Slowing down consistently means you don’t elevate your heart rate too fast. This enables you to push for longer instead of slowing down periodically during the entire run.
Going too fast on runs left me tired with little progress on speed or endurance. Not entirely my fault, as we’ve been taught, no pain, no gain. Slowing down entirely allowed me to gradually increase my stamina and endurance to running the 2km.
If you want to find your love for running, or boost your stamina, here’s what you can do:
- Instead of trying to finish your lap in record time, go as slow as you possibly can, while still maintaining a jog.
- Regulate your breath and slow it down with your pace.
- Repeat every day. You’ll notice that as practice progresses, you feel less winded while finishing you laps.
2. Being plant powered
Even before I started taking my fitness seriously, I had switched to a diet high in plants. My diet consisted of plenty or fruits and vegetables, beans, legumes and grains with the occasional addition of dairy ( I still hadn’t given it up completely). I noticed a dramatic shift in my energy levels which increased and maintained a natural high throughout the day. My afternoon slumps dissipated, along with the extra weight I was holding on to. I strongly believe this way of eating is what helped me achieve my fitness goals fast.
I fueled myself with bananas and beets before training, and replenished my electrolyte stores with coconut water or lemon water when I felt extremely tired.
What you can do:
- Don’t skip meals, especially when working out.
- Include plenty of plant based protein in your meals like beans, legumes, sprouts and tofu. This will help you feel satiated and fueled. Having beets or beetroot juice as a pre-workout also helps boost endurance.
- If you’re switching to a plant-based diet and you constantly feel hungry, chances are you’re just not eating enough. Plant foods are significantly lower in calories for the same amount as compared to animal foods. Load up.
- Include a mix of raw and cooked food in your diet. Aim to consume thirty plants a week.
3. Saying yes when you want to say no
There is a quote from David Goggins which is also featured by Rich Roll. It’s based on idea that when you’ve reached your absolute limit and you feel like you can’t push for even a second further, you’ve only tapped into around 40 percent of what you’re actually capable of. At this stage, the obstacle isn’t your physical capability but your mind.
Wanting to embody this belief, I repeated this statement to myself when I wanted to give up. I didn’t let myself stop but willed myself to go on because I was utterly capable. Even when my body was fighting me, I assured it with small markers of success. Soon enough, I reached the end point. I had made it.
When this idea worked for me, I only wondered how much could be achieved if we all pushed just a little bit beyond our physical capacity.
What you can do:
- Find a workout buddy, or someone who can push you and motivate you to keep going, because you’re not done.
- Try new classes, ones you never thought you were capable of joining. Prove to yourself you’re bigger than your mind, and your mind will start to expand.
4. Weight training to build up strength
I can’t discount the fact that during this time of building my stamina while running, I was also working on improving the strength in my biceps, triceps, core and legs. I wasn’t going to the gym, contrary to what people associate fitness with. Most of my workouts were outdoors and consisted of body weight workouts, sometimes assisted by resistance bands, like in the case of a push-up. Some classes were purely animal movements, some revolved around core strength, where we literally did every variety of planks I could think of. Some classes included 5-minute wall sits, whereas others included 200 Russian twists (yes, really).
It’s incredible how much a community can push you to workout better. My company consisted of two incredibly strong, motivated fitness enthusiasts who didn’t want to make excuses, but rather push because they knew their bodies would only grow stronger. Training in this environment pushed me to re-evaluate my own goals, and push myself to limits I probably never would have if I was training alone.
I was training to be a badass woman and a kickass fighter. I noticed that when my muscles grew, so did my ability to run. Thinking back on my journey today, I know one thing for sure. Whether you’re training to reach a goal or for maintenance, you need to be building up muscle. Otherwise, you’re going to face some serious consequences in the future.
What you can do:
- Build a routine. This is crucial. Don’t leave it up to fate. Choose a time. Choose your exercises. Follow through till you’re done.
- Build from low to high. Don’t go lifting heavier than you can handle, before you’re ready. Your body needs time to grow, too.
- You should be exercising at least one muscle group a day. If it’s a rest day, keep your mobility active by going on a walk or engaging in light stretches.
To end, I want to highlight a part directly quoted from Finding Ultra. It goes like this:
“I can say with full confidence that my rapid transformation from middle-aged couch potato to Ultraman — to, in fact, everything I’ve accomplished as an endurance athlete — begins and ends with my PlantPower Diet.
I’m not a doctor. I’m not a nutritionist. I’m just a guy who started paying really close attention to what he was putting into his body. A guy who undertook some study to better understand which foods do what and why. And a guy who liked the results so much that he started taking on challenges that he’d never even dreamed of before.”!
These practices changed the way I approached my body, so please give them a try and let me know how things go.
