Q&A for How to Run a 1600 M Race

Try to breathe in through you nose and out through your mouth. It's hard, but it does help. Doing so tells you brain that you're less tired than you actually are.

Set goals for yourself each week to shave one or two seconds off your time. Keep challenging yourself to improve, work on your start and identify your weaknesses so you can improve them.

Try counting your steps on the first lap and then try to keep it to the same number of steps each consecutive lap.

Apply ice, rest and see a doctor if it doesn't improve.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. If you can't keep this up, breathe in and out through your mouth. Make sure you keep a steady rhythm for your breathing or it will impact your run.

Not necessarily; you need to remember that you are running the 1600m and you will need enough energy to get through the whole race. Most runners will run a little faster in the beginning of the race due to adrenaline, but you should save your faster running and sprinting for the last lap. If you would like to be faster in the beginning, then you need to make sure throughout the race you are maintaining a faster speed also. To increase speed, there are many endurance and speed-related exercises you can perform to help you.

Work on your stamina with sprint drills, and remember to use just the balls of your feet.

Do tempo runs, which are a regular 1600, but you surge more often every once and a while. Maybe go a bit faster for the first 100 of each lap.

Focus more on your breathing while you are training and control the inhales and exhales.

You should start with a steady pace that corresponds to your time goal. Try to a go a little faster every lap.

Practice running as much as possible. Maybe do a long run two days in a row, then do a day with repeats. Continue this and you should be able to run faster and longer. Of course, if your schedule gets in the way, you should try something else.

Use interval training to increase stamina and endurance.

Any body weight is good for anything as long as you put your heart into it. Never let your body limit you.

Quotes! Movies! Find your why! Run for a cause greater than yourself. For example, if someone had cancer, imagine what they had to go through. If they could survive that, you can survive the 5k!

Follow the instructions listed in the article above, and continue practicing your running every day.

Yes, but keep in mind that the sand will slow you down, so running on another surface will feel pretty different. I would recommend practicing on other types of surfaces too just so you don't lose the idea of what they feel like.

I wouldn't drink any energy drinks prior to a race, though having one the night before would be fine. Instead, I would stick to drinks like water and Gatorade.

Yes, because being in good physical condition is useful for any runner. However, doing leg exercises (including stretching) is even more useful.

Lifting weights and doing workouts will improve your leg muscles and will improve your running strength.

Adopt a training routine that allows you to build your leg endurance and lung capacity. To cut so much time from your pace will take a while, so be patient.

Pasta the night before can give you energy, and about an hour before, eating an apple can give you extra energy. There are other energy drinks that you can drink before a race or other activity as well.

Set small goals for yourself. If you want to run the 1600 meter race, start by just running 500 meters, then gradually work up to your ultimate goal.

Run fast for the first 200m and go at a medium pace until you reach the last lap, where you should start sprinting and give it your all.

Avoid drinking too much or eating too much right before the race.

It depends on your level of fitness and how hard you train.

You shouldn't. Instead, start at about 70% of your actual speed, then work your way up.

During the first lap of your 1600, in order not to lose leg stamina, take it much easier. The first, second and third lap are all meant to be taken slower, so you can give all you've got on the fourth lap.

As a distance need to use a considerable amount of plantar pressure. The more pressure each foot puts on the ground, the farther you will be taken each stride. This makes for a faster pace.

Just run. Practice makes perfect, so start off at a shorter distance and build up. If you want to build your speed for track, do sprinting exercises.

Breathe in through your nose (to filter out dust and insects) and out through your mouth (to exhale quickly). If you feel short of breath, temporarily breathe in and out through your mouth.