Running experts say that building stamina and endurance can boost your performance, whether racing, trying to hit a new PR, or breaking through a plateau. Many runners are interested – me included. However, “stamina” and “endurance” are notoriously tricky words that many use interchangeably. Luckily, Healthline offers some definitions to clear it up:
What is Stamina?
Stamina is defined as the mental and physical ability to sustain activity for a long period. Most people refer to stamina as feeling peppy or energetic while doing an activity.
What is Endurance?
Endurance is your body’s ability to sustain an exercise for an extended period via cardiovascular and muscular endurance. Cardiovascular endurance is the ability of your heart and lungs to fuel your body with oxygen. In contrast, muscular endurance is the ability of your muscles to work continuously without getting tired.
“Stamina is the rabbit in a race, endurance is the turtle.”
Rebecca Stewart, CPT, certified personal trainer, mobility coach, and pain-free performance specialist
Experts recommend activities like strength training, intervals, plyometrics, HIIT workouts, and other physical activities to increase stamina and endurance. While these are all great options, the body is just one side of it. You’ll also want to focus on the emotional aspect to see the most improvement.
Incorporating a stress-relief practice like meditation into your training is surprisingly effective for building stamina and endurance.
Though this ancient practice carries impressive benefits for everyone- such as reducing high blood pressure, symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis flare-ups, improving insomnia, managing pain, reducing anxiety and depression, and even helping people quit smoking- there are several ways meditation benefits runners specifically.
6 Ways Meditation Benefits Runners
Practicing meditation provides some serious perks for your mind and body that will show up on your runs in the following ways:
- It helps you get “in the zone”—the “zone” refers to the flow state, where you are so absorbed in your run that it feels effortless. Meditating can help you let go of worries, perfectionism, and other stresses that make it harder to reach that flow state.
- Improves your perception of pain and fatigue—According to a 2020 study, athletes who participated in mindfulness exercises showed a higher threshold for exhaustion, preventing them from giving up or slowing down on the run. When your brain thinks it has more gas in the tank, your body can push harder- or enjoy the run more.
- Can help you come back quicker after an injury or workout—a 2021 study found that mindfulness training (in conjunction with physical therapies) reduced pain while running, improved coping strategies, and decreased pain catastrophizing in patients with knee pain.
- Reduces muscle fatigue after exercising– a 2000 study found that runners who practiced meditation exercises significantly reduced their blood lactate concentration after exercise.
- Helps fight pain and stress– stress is as damaging for runs as it is in everyday life, affecting recovery, soreness, fatigue, and exacerbating muscle pain. Stress puts many of the body’s processes on pause, but meditation alleviates stress levels so the body can repair itself.
- It might even improve your speed– while it would be an overstatement to say that meditation will make you a faster runner, a 2011 study showed improvements in runners’ mile times one year after participating in a mindfulness training program. Learning to stay present makes it easier to avoid getting stuck in a reaction to something so you can make the best choices for your performance. Ultimately, this could lead you to run faster.
Just as lifting weights strengthens the body, practicing meditation strengthens the mind. When working to improve endurance and stamina, most of the focus falls on the physical aspect, but it’s equally important to develop the emotional side. Meditation significantly benefits runners and, as a bonus, contributes to their overall well-being. In other words, it’s a win-win.
References:
- Yetman, D. (2020, June 12). What’s the Difference Between Endurance and Stamina? Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/endurance-vs-stamina
- Horan, C. (2022, January 12). The Research-Supported Benefits of Meditation for Runners. Runners World. https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a38748482/meditation-benefits-for-runners/
- Breitowich, A. (2023, October 18). Adding Meditation to Your Routine Helps Build Stamina and Endurance. Women’s Health. https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/fitness/adding-meditation-to-your-routine-helps-build-stamina-and-endurance/ar-AA1irdWQ?ocid=msedgntp&pc=W046&cvid=381326dd3aa94bd7b1128a75240f7a2e&ei=75
IMBALANCED 