Okay so I'm trying to increase my cardiovascular fitness so that next year when i hope to play social sports, i can walk onto the field and not be breathless :p

At the moment my cardio is looking a bit like this
hill walk x1 p/wk
swim x2
jog x1
ride x 2-3

ok so say for instance i want to improve the distance i can run, is doing different cardio ok (less boring that way) or should i stick to just running running running? Thanks in advance to anyone that can offer advice.

I'd definitely say you should change up your cardio or else your body will get used to all your running and tell you one day: "look, all this running at the same pace and incline is boring me to death and I'm just gonna rebel and stay the same!" Or something along those lines. ;) If you want to stick to cardio, I'd recommend you change up your incline or speed or even try HIIT once in a while. :gl:

Mixing up your cardio is great for fitness goals, but if your goal is to increase your distance each run, you do have to figure out such factors as pace and stride. You don't have to run every day, certainly, but 1 day a week would make it difficult to measure your progress and adjust accordingly.

Your body should be shocked into a better metabolism, but consistancy can be the key to some areas of fitness. When you have a specific goal like this, you have to let your body get used to a routine so you can improve on it.