{"id":1001755,"date":"2026-06-03T02:40:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T02:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1001755\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T02:40:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T02:40:18","slug":"7-training-hacks-to-fight-fatigue-and-hold-your-pace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1001755\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Training Hacks to Fight Fatigue and Hold Your Pace"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all experienced that point in a run or a race when it feels like you just can\u2019t go any farther. Your legs feel like bricks, your breathing<\/a> labored, and your mind just won\u2019t stop screaming at you to slow down. When fatigue<\/a> hits like that, it can feel nearly impossible to keep going and finish strong.<\/p>\n

While solid training with long, slow distance runs<\/a> and speedwork<\/a> will help you hold onto your pace for longer in a race, other science-backed hacks prove you can push that point of fatigue further down the road.<\/p>\n

To keep running strong through the final miles of your next race, steal these proven strategies for staving off exhaustion and running faster for longer.<\/p>\n

1. Pop in the Sauna Postrun<\/p>\n

You\u2019re sweaty enough postworkout; what\u2019s another half hour of schvitzing? When study participants followed their easy or long runs<\/a> with 30 minutes in the sauna three times a week, they improved their time to exhaustion by 12 percent on average, research<\/a> published in 2020 in the European Journal of Applied Physiology determined.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe performance benefits are linked to the thermoregulatory stress of the sauna heat,\u201d explains Micah Zuhl<\/a>, PhD, a professor in the School of Health Sciences at Central Michigan University, who researches exertional heat stress. \u201cThat stress causes an expansion in plasma volume, so you have more blood volume to circulate to the heart and working muscles.\u201d That means your heart doesn\u2019t have to work as hard to deliver oxygen to your muscles, which lowers your perceived effort<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis also allows for an improvement in managing body temperature,\u201d Zuhl adds. \u201cYou\u2019ll start sweating sooner, and that sweat is more diluted, so you better conserve electrolytes<\/a>, which aid performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just know the key to this benefit is using the sauna<\/a> regularly, research<\/a> suggests.<\/p>\n

2. Add Plyometrics<\/p>\n

Plyometrics<\/a>, or explosive exercises like jumping and bounding, elicit a number of tissue changes in the body, especially related to tendons and neuromuscular control, explains Matt Ferlindes, DPT, a physical therapist who specializes in treating runners and endurance athletes at BioEndurance Physical Therapy<\/a> in Milwaukee. \u201cIf we train this way, our body will be better adapted to absorb and release overall forces, likely leading to improved efficiency<\/a>,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

In fact, research<\/a> published in Scientific Reports found practicing just five minutes<\/a> of hopping each day can help improve running economy<\/a>\u2014or the amount of energy your body uses at a given pace\u2014in amateur athletes. And with that boost in running economy, you can run faster or longer at the same energy output.<\/p>\n

3. Practice Mindfulness<\/p>\n

To quote<\/a> the GOAT, Eliud Kipchoge, \u201cwhen your mind is calm, and well concentrated, then the whole body is controlled.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Zen-master marathoner is on to something: Athletes who followed a five-week mindfulness training program demonstrated more resistance to fatigue<\/a> than those who didn\u2019t practice mindfulness in a study<\/a> published in the journal Neural Plasticity in 2020. The study authors suggested the increased endurance<\/a> could be related to better breathing and posture, but also an acceptance of discomfort<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMindfulness changes how the brain perceives discomfort, reducing the mental resistance that often triggers premature fatigue,\u201d explains Sue Williams<\/a>, a clinical hypnotherapist and certified sports mindset coach in Melbourne, Australia. \u201cWhen athletes learn to quiet the constant stream of conscious thought, they create space to engage deeper mental processes that regulate how the body responds to stress<\/a> and exertion. This kind of mental training can increase resilience<\/a>, improve pain tolerance, and reduce the tendency to overreact to fatigue cues, ultimately extending performance capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Strengthen Your Brain<\/p>\n

Your brain may not be a muscle, but you can train it just like you would your quads<\/a> or glutes<\/a>\u2014and doing so can increase your time to exhaustion, according to research<\/a> published in 2023 in the European Journal of Applied Physiology. Study participants watched four videos and followed the guided instructions for exercises designed to enhance performance twice weekly for three weeks. At the end, the participants were able to increase their time to exhaustion by 10 percent in a cycling test.<\/p>\n

The best part: The mental-skills training the study participants underwent is super easy to replicate at home. The videos included deep, slow breathing<\/a> to reduce stress and anxiety; a lesson on \u201ccontrolling the controllables,\u201d meaning focusing on things you can change; self-talk<\/a> and confidence<\/a> interventions to combat negative thinking and doubt; and imagery instructions<\/a> to help mentally prepare for performances and challenging moments.<\/p>\n

5. Lift Weights<\/p>\n

After 10 weeks of incorporating 45-minute strength-training sessions<\/a> every two to four days, runners demonstrated improved running economy durability<\/a> and increased high-intensity time to exhaustion at the end of a 90-minute run, a 2025 study<\/a> from the American College of Sports Medicine determined. FYI: The authors noted that their findings are particularly relevant for road races between 10K<\/a> and the marathon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The benefits of strength training go deeper, though. \u201cBiomechanically, it reduces the energy cost of running by increasing musculoskeletal stiffness, increasing muscle strength, and increasing the rate of force development,\u201d explains Nick Occhipinti<\/a>, DC, CSCS, chiropractor, assistant professor, and director of exercise science at Centenary University in Hackettstown, New Jersey.<\/p>\n

\u201cMetabolically, it\u2019s the opposite of distance running in that the way we regenerate ATP [a.k.a. adenosine triphosphate, the body\u2019s primary energy currency] for muscle contraction is from anaerobic<\/a> pathways that primarily use stored muscle glycogen for fuel,\u201d he adds. \u201cAs a result, the body increases its storage capacity for glycogen, which means you\u2019ll have more fuel for higher-intensity running, thus increasing time to exhaustion.\u201d<\/p>\n

FOLLOW OUR GUIDE TO RACE-READY STRENGTH<\/a><\/p>\n

6. Take Caffeine<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a legal performance boost, it might already be in your kitchen. Caffeine intake showed a meaningful performance-enhancing effect in increasing the time to exhaustion in a systematic review and meta-analysis<\/a> published in the journal Nutrients in 2022.<\/p>\n

Caffeine<\/a> works by blocking adenosine, a chemical in your brain that makes you feel tired<\/a>, which increases with prolonged exercise, says Occhipinti. \u201cCaffeine also increases the release of a class of hormones known as the catecholamines, or epinephrine and norepinephrine,\u201d he adds. \u201cThese hormones are involved in our fight-or-flight mechanism and also get released with exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best results seem to be around three to six milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight, which for a 150-pound person, would be 204 to 409 milligrams,\u201d says Occhipinti. \u201cFor reference, there is about 100 milligrams of caffeine in a typical 8-ounce cup of coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n

FYI: Higher doses do not seem to have an additional performance<\/a> benefit, and side effects are usually seen with very high doses (up to 9 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight), he adds. Also, because caffeine content and absorption rates can vary significantly, it\u2019s important that you really get to know how your body responds to caffeine.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not much of a coffee drinker, or prefer to avoid caffeine in general, research shows you can run faster if you just believe you\u2019ve taken it. A study<\/a> published in 2024 by Nutrients tested if the placebo effect could influence running performance in 13 recreational runners. The study participants completed a six-minute time trial, one with the placebo and one without, seven days apart to test the effects of perceived caffeine intake. Researchers found the runners ran farther when they believed they ingested caffeine. The mean distance traveled was about 50 yards (or 46 meters), about half the length of a football field.<\/p>\n

So, if you want to hold a faster pace for longer<\/a>, you might need to go the extra yard and stop by your local caf\u00e9 for a coffee\u2014decaf or not.<\/p>\n

7. Listen to Your Favorite Music<\/p>\n

For many runners, music is an integral part of the experience. So it shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise that listening to your favorite music while exercising can increase your performance. A new study<\/a> published in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise found recreationally active adults upped their time to exhaustion by 20 percent and spent more time cycling above their anaerobic threshold<\/a>\u2014without increasing effort level\u2014while listening to self-selected tunes.<\/p>\n

Another study<\/a> published in the Journal of Human Kinetics in 2022 found listening to preferred music while completing a running time trial led to a 10 percent increase in total distance covered.<\/p>\n

On the surface level, \u201csyncing your movements to a steady beat can improve running efficiency and pacing,\u201d explains Elisha Peterson<\/a>, MD, an anesthesiologist and pain medicine physician in Washington, D.C. \u201cAdd in the distraction effect\u2014where music draws attention away from internal sensations of strain\u2014and you\u2019ve got a powerful endurance enhancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

But if you look a little deeper, you\u2019ll find that \u201cmusic activates two key systems in the brain that are directly relevant to endurance performance,\u201d Peterson says. \u201cIt strengthens the descending modulatory system, which decreases pain signals from the body\u2014like the internal signal to stop when you\u2019re about to hit the wall<\/a>\u2014before they reach conscious awareness, and it stimulates dopamine release in brain regions tied to motivation<\/a> and pleasure, like a neurochemical \u2018second wind.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Ashley Mateo is a writer, editor, and UESCA- and RRCA-certified running coach who has contributed to Runner\u2019s World, Bicycling, Women’s Health, Health, Shape, Self, and more. She\u2019ll go anywhere in the world once\u2014even if it\u2019s just for a good story. Also into: good pizza, good beer, and good photos.<\/p>\n