How to Run Without Getting Tired: 10 Essential Tips

December 11, 2025

Running should feel good. Yet many runners—especially beginners—find themselves feeling tired and gasping for air after a couple of miles. It can be frustrating, especially when you’re trying to build a running habit.

In this article, we’ll discuss how you can improve your stamina, run farther without running out of energy—and enjoy the miles more along the way.

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1. Start slower than you think you need to

Most runners make the same mistake: they take off at a pace that feels easy initially but becomes unsustainable by mile two.

The thing is, your body needs time to shift into aerobic mode, where it efficiently burns fat and oxygen for fuel.

Try this: Start your run at a pace where you could easily hold a conversation. Some coaches call this "zone 2" training. Others describe it as running at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. To keep it simple, you should be able to speak in full sentences without gasping.

Yes, this feels really slow at first. But you're teaching your cardiovascular system to work efficiently before you demand speed from it.

Give yourself that first mile as a warmup—and you will see the difference around mile three when everyone who started fast is struggling.

2. Build your aerobic base before chasing speed

Endurance comes first, speed comes later. Your aerobic base determines how long you can run without fatigue. You build this foundation through consistent, moderate-effort runs over several months.

Plan to spend 8-12 weeks (or longer) running at conversational pace before adding any speed work.

During this phase, gradually increase your weekly mileage by no more than 10% each week. It means if you are currently running 10 miles (16 km) per week, add just one mile the following week.

This slow buildup strengthens your heart, expands your capillary network, and teaches your muscles to store more glycogen.

Your mitochondria—the powerhouses of your cells—multiply in response to steady aerobic work. Rush this process and you'll either get injured or plateau quickly. The runners who skip base building are the same ones complaining about hitting walls during races.

3. Run at different times of day to find your peak energy window

Your body operates on natural circadian rhythms that affect performance throughout the day.

Some runners perform best in the morning when cortisol levels are naturally elevated, providing energy and alertness. Others benefit from peak body temperature in the afternoon, when muscles are most pliable and reaction times are sharpest. Evening runners sometimes enjoy the stress relief after a long day.

Experiment with morning, midday, and evening runs over several weeks. Track how you feel during and after each session. Pay attention to which time slot allows you to run longer without fatigue setting in.

Once you identify your optimal running window, schedule your hardest or longest runs during that time. Save your off-peak hours for easy recovery runs when performance matters less.

4. Strengthen your core and hips weekly

Running economy—how efficiently you use oxygen at a given pace—improves dramatically with core and hip strength. Weak glutes and hip flexors force your legs to work harder to stabilize your body with each stride. This burns through energy unnecessarily.

Add 15-minute strength sessions weekly. Focus on single-leg exercises and include different planks for core stability.

You'll notice the difference within four weeks. Your form will stay cleaner later into runs, you’ll maintain pace with less perceived effort, and you’ll stop wasting energy on unnecessary side-to-side movement.

5. Take walking breaks during your runs

Walking during a run serves as a legitimate training tool. Run-walk intervals allow you to cover more total distance with less accumulated fatigue.

Jeff Galloway has coached thousands of marathoners using run-walk methods, many of whom finish faster than those who try to run continuously.

Try running for 4 minutes, then walking for 1 minute. Repeat this cycle throughout your run. The walking intervals keep your heart rate from climbing too high and give your running muscles brief recovery periods.

As your endurance improves, extend the running intervals to 9 minutes with 1 minute of walking.

6. Breathe from your belly using your diaphragm

Watch a baby breathe. Their belly rises and falls with each breath. Diaphragmatic breathing gets oxygen into your system more efficiently than any other method.

Most runners breathe shallowly from their chest, which limits oxygen intake and creates tension in the shoulders and neck.

Practice this off the run first: Lie on your back with one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Breathe so only your belly hand rises. Once this feels natural, replicate it while running. Your stomach should expand on the inhale and contract on the exhale. This engages your diaphragm fully and prevents those painful side stitches that can derail a run.

7. Keep your torso upright while running

Slumping forward compresses your diaphragm and limits lung capacity. Fatigue naturally pulls runners into poor posture—shoulders rolling forward, head dropping down. Keep your head up and eyes focused about 20 feet (6 meters) ahead. Your shoulders should be back and relaxed, away from your ears.

Your torso should have a slight forward lean from the ankles. Think of falling forward in a controlled manner. This engages your posterior chain and makes each stride more efficient. Imagine a string pulling you up from the crown of your head.

Check your posture every few minutes during runs. When you notice yourself slouching, reset your form.

8. Eat enough carbohydrates before longer runs

Low-carb diets are trendy, but they work terribly for running endurance. Your muscles store carbohydrates as glycogen—the primary fuel source for runs longer than 30 minutes. Deplete your glycogen stores and you'll hit the wall hard, no matter how fit you are.

Aim for 3-5 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight daily if you're running regularly. For a 150-pound (68 kg) runner, that comes to roughly 200-340 grams of carbs per day.

Before longer runs (over 60 minutes), eat a carb-rich meal 2-3 hours beforehand. Good options include oatmeal with banana, whole grain toast with honey, or rice with vegetables.

Skip the meal before a long run—and you're essentially trying to drive a car with an empty tank. Your body will burn through its limited glycogen stores within 60-90 minutes, then shift to breaking down muscle protein for fuel. Running stops feeling hard and starts feeling impossible at that point.

9. Seek out softer running surfaces

Concrete and asphalt are convenient but unforgiving. Every footstrike on hard pavement sends impact forces through your legs that must be absorbed by your muscles, tendons, and joints. This creates fatigue faster than softer surfaces.

Seek out dirt trails, grass fields, or rubberized tracks when you can. These surfaces reduce impact stress by 20-30% compared to concrete. Your legs stay fresher longer, allowing you to run farther before fatigue sets in.

10. Give your body time to adapt

Endurance develops slowly. Your cardiovascular system adapts within weeks, but your connective tissues—tendons, ligaments, and bone—need months to strengthen. This mismatch explains why many runners feel cardiovascularly ready to run longer before their body actually is.

Expect real endurance gains to take 3-6 months of consistent training. During this time, focus on time on your feet rather than pace. A slow 45-minute run builds more endurance than a hard 20-minute run at this stage.

Trust the process, show up consistently, run easy most days, and let adaptation happen gradually. The tired feeling will fade as your body becomes efficient at the specific demands of running.

Some weeks you'll feel invincible. Other weeks you'll wonder if you've lost all your fitness. Both are normal. What matters is the trend over months, and how you feel looking back over several weeks of training.

When fatigue becomes a constant companion

Feeling tired during runs is normal, especially when building endurance. Feeling exhausted all the time, even on rest days, signals something different.

If you drag yourself through every run, wake up feeling drained despite adequate sleep, or notice your resting heart rate climbing 5-10 beats above normal, you might be overtraining. We covered the 10 signs you're about to overtrain in detail, check it out if you want to learn more.

The solution sometimes is simple: take a full week off from running. Seriously. Walk, stretch, sleep extra, and eat well. When you return, cut your mileage in half for two weeks. Add one easy run per week until you're back to your previous volume. Proper recovery is the foundation that allows your next training cycle to actually work.

If fatigue persists beyond two weeks of reduced training, see a doctor. Low iron, thyroid issues, or vitamin D deficiency can masquerade as overtraining. A simple blood panel can reveal issues that no amount of rest will fix on their own.