How to run for 1 hour without stopping |Free training plan
Everyone can train to run for 1 hour.
And in this step by step plan, I’ll teach you how you can do it too.
In 6 months.
Even when you have no running experience at all. You just have to be able to walk for 20 minutes without stopping.
I’ll teach you everything you need to know to achieve this, without getting injured or feel bored.
I’ll even give you a free training plan to follow.
Running for 1 hour 3 times a week reduced my fat percentage by 22.3% in one month.
So it’s worth to try right?
Let’s start right away.
The benefit of running
Running, like every form of exercise, has many health benefits.
It helps you to improve your mood, willpower, and energy level. It also helps you to reduce anxiety, lose weight and feel better about myself.
When I run for one hour, I burn 1088 calories. Not bad for 1-hour work.
It depends, however, on your average heart rate, weight, height, age, and gender. Younger people burn more calories because they can exercise at a higher heart rate. Also taller and heavier people burn more calories per hour running.
Remember that this is just an estimation. As you can so, only 15% of these calories come from fat, which is only 163 calories. That equals to 18 gram of fat. Fitness trackers are not accurate, so don’t attach too much value to this number.
It doesn’t seem much, but my body is still recovering from the exercise hours later, at which it still burns more calories than usual. And these come mainly from fat because now my heart rate is much lower. So when you run at a lower heart rate, your body burns relatively more fat for energy.
Furthermore, research shows no effect of running on developing knee osteoarthritis. That means that the assumption that running is bad for your knees is false.
In fact, running can protect you against developing osteoarthritis since it strengthens the bones, cartilage, and muscles.
There is no reason not to run.
Get the right equipment
The first thing you’ll need for your training is good equipment. If you don’t have the right shoes, you will injure yourself fast or suffer from sore feet. Having the right equipment keeps you motivated because you can track your progress, enjoy the activity and it offers some distaction.
I personally run on these New Balance shoes. They last for at least a year, even with intensive use and give good support. They cost some money, but this will help you to stay motivated.
You didn’t spend all this money for nothing.
The second thing is to buy a running watch to keep track of your results. It measures the distance you run, how fast you run and how many calories you’ve burned. It also measures your heart rate, which you need to keep running without getting injured or too tired.
The last thing you need is music. Listening to music when you run makes it a lot easier to keep going. It helps you to get a good running rhythm, and it distracts you from what you’re doing. It always brings me in a trance state. I use an old iPod with a clip that I can attach to my shirt. It’s similar to this mp3 player, which doesn’t cost much. I find it more comfortable than wearing my phone on my arm.
Before you start running
Before you start running, there are a few things you have to know.
Knowing these things will help you enjoy running more and makes sure you won’t get injured or discouraged.
It helps you to make the most of your running experience.
Stretching your muscles
Before you start your run, make sure to stretch your muscles to loosen them up a little bit.
Research shows that stretching doesn’t prevent you from getting injured, but that’s not why you shouldn’t do it.
I stretch before I start running because it feels much better. When I run after I’ve stretched my muscles, they feel looser and less painful than when I didn’t stretch before.
It helps me enjoy my run more and also helps me to run faster.
That’s why you should stretch before a run: It keeps you motivated and feels good.
Stretching your calf muscles
The first and most important muscle to stretch is your calf muscle. During running, this muscle has a lot to endure.
All the forces you produce during running come down to your calf muscles.
Therefore it feels much better when your calf muscles feel relaxed.
Perform the stretching exercise like this:
- Place one foot in front of the other
- Keep your toes pointing forward
- Extend the knee of the leg you want to stretch
- Keep your heel on the ground
- Move your hips forward untill you feel the stretch
- Hold this for 20 seconds
- Repeat three times for each leg
Also, check out the picture.
Stretching your quadriceps muscles
The second stretching exercise is designed to stretch your quadriceps muscles. These also have to endure a lot when you run because you have to lift your knees high.
Perform the stretching exercise like this:
- Grab your ankle with your hand
- Now push your foot against your buttock
- Stand up straight and keep your knees against eachother
- Hold this for 20 seconds
- Repeat 3 times for each leg
Also, check out the picture
Stretching your thigh muscles
The third exercise stretches your thigh muscles. These muscles can start to feel tight when you’ve run for a longer period.
They are also prone to injuries, especially when you run faster.
Perform the stretching exercise like this:
- Stand with your legs wide
- Keep your feed pointing forward
- Now shift your weight towards on leg untill you feel the stretch
- Keep your other leg extended
- Hold this for 20 seconds
- Repeat three times for each side
Also, check out the picture.
Stretching your hamstring muscles
The final exercise stretches your hamstring muscles.
Your hamstring muscles run at the back of your upper leg and help you to bend your knee when you land on your foot.
The faster you try to go, the more your hamstring muscles have to work. Therefore a hamstring injury is common among runners, especially sprinters. Tight hamstrings can feel uncomfortable during running.
Perform the stretching exercise like this:
- Place one foot forward
- Keep it extended and pull your foot towards you
- Rreach with your arm towards your toes
- Hold this for 20 seconds
- Repat 3 times for each side
Also, check out the picture.
Train your calf muscles
When you just start running, your calf muscles and feet are prone to injuries. That’s because they’re not used to the forces you apply to them when you run. That can lead to an injury, which leads to demotivation.
To prevent these injuries, you have to train your calf muscles. When they become stronger, you’re less likely to get a typical running injury.
Your calf muscle runs from the backside of your knee towards your heel bone. There it attaches to your Achilles tendon, which connects to your plantar fascia. When your calf muscle is too weak, running can lead to calf muscle tendinitis, Achilles tendinitis or plantar fasciitis. It depends which structure gives in first.
Injuries like these will demotivate you to continue running. That’s why you have to prevent them.
The exercise goes as follows:
- Place both feet at shoulder width
- Bend your knees slightly
- Now stand on your toes
- Slowly drop down again
- Repeat this ten times
- Rest for 1 minute
- Repeat this three times
You can also watch this YouTube video to see how to perform the exercise correctly.
Eat something
When you run for a long time, you need enough energy to keep going.
It is especially important when you’re on a low calorie diet. When you don’t eat enough before you run, you can feel light headed and even nauseas during the run. You have to prevent that if you want to enjoy running.
I always eat a banana and drink 2 glasses of water before I start. A banana is high in carbohydrates for energy, but also high in fiber so that the energy releases slowly over time.
Focus on your running technique
Using proper technique when you run helps you to prevent injuries and makes running easier.
There are 3 things you have to focus on when you run.
The first thing is to swing your arms. When you swing your arms during running, your legs will follow without effort. That way running will cost you less energy.
The second thing is to lift your knees. When you lift your knees during running, you will increase your pass length and it makes sure you place your feet right. That will also help you to run faster and prevent injuries.
The third thing is to focus on your breathing. Make sure to breath from your belly. When you inhale, expend your belly and when you exhale tuck your belly in. a belly breath keeps you more relaxed on helps you to control your heart rate were breathing from your chest increases tension and can lead to hyperventilation.
Following these techniques helps you to enjoy running more and improves your running capacity.
Monitor your heart rate
The last important thing is to monitor your heart rate.
When people start running, they often get discouraged because of tiredness or injuries.
That’s because, in their enthusiasm, they run to fast in the beginning. Your body isn’t used to this, and it results in tiredness, injuries and eventually failure. You won’t recover from the last session before your next running session.
You can prevent this by monitoring your heart rate.
According to the American Heart Association, your heart rate should be between 50-70% of your maximum heart rate.
But when you start, I would advise you to keep 60% as a maximum. That way you won’t injure yourself, and you won’t be so tired that you’ll give up quickly.
It will keep you motivated because you’ll see that you can actually do this and make progress.
When your shape improves, you can train at a higher heart rate to burn more calories. I train at a heart rate between 70-90%, without getting injured and can do this three times a week.
Check out this chart to find your maximum training heart rate:
Free training plan to run for 1 hour without stopping
Below you’ll find your free training plan to get you ready for an hour-long run.
It includes three training sessions per week. For fast results, you’ll have to train three times a week. Make sure to have one rest day between each training.
We start really small, to make sure you stay motivated and injury-free.
So for some, the beginning might be too easy, but that’s no problem. You can step in at the level that suits you right now and work up from there.
In this training plan, we only focus on building endurance. If you start from scratch, you have to build endurance to be able to run longer. It trains the capacity of your heart, lungs, and muscles.
Your heart has to be able to transport a larger volume of blood through your body with each beat. Your lungs have to be able to transport oxygen faster to your blood. Finally, your muscles have to be able to absorb the oxygen from your blood faster.
We achieve this by starting slowly and building it up. Your body gets in better shape and starts to perform better. That’s why you can last longer every week. You improve your bodies efficiency.
That’s why we build up really slowly. It takes time for your muscles to adjust.
Don’t rush it.
Now I want to hear from you:
What is the reason that you want to start running for 1 hour?
Is it because you want to lose weight or because you want to show yourself that you can do it?
Let me know in the comments below.
Let’s make the world a happier and healthier place
Cheers,
Martin
