Top 10 Tips for Running Beginners

8/13/2019 Top 10 Tips for Running Beginners

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Top 10 Tips for

Running Beginners

Brought to you by:

Icamm Pilin

Stay Young and Healthy
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Introduction

Starting a new running program can be both exciting and scary! It canalso a be a challenge, given that most of us just want to jump straight

in and run a marathon without spending months and months training.

But train we must - and here are tips for running beginners to helpma"e sure you go about things the right way.

1 Start Slo!ly

#es it$s true% you can$t jump right in and run for & minutes straight

from day ! If your body is not used to running or exercise in general

then you definitely need to start slowly.

'irst things first, if you haven$t exercised for a while, are overweight orare recovering from an injury, ma"e sure to spea" to your doctor

before you start running. (nd, if even wal"ing fast gets you out ofbreath, you might want to spend a wee" or so just wal"ing a little each

day to ease yourself in.

)ven when you do start running you$re probably only going to be able

to do it for around * seconds at a time to begin with. )ven if you feelli"e you can run longer, stic" to -minute intervals of running and

wal"ing to help avoid injury. (s time goes on you can gradually

increase your running intervals and you$ll be surprised at how +uic"lyyou improve.
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" #a$e % Plan

If you$ve tried and failed to stic" to a fitness regimen before then itmay be time for a solid plan. If you ma"e a note in your diary of what

days and what times you$re going to go for a run then you$re much

more li"ely to actually stic" to it!

ry to plan for at least twice a wee", preferably three times, with aday off in between each run. his means that you$ll be exercising

enough to see improvements, but you$ll also give your body time toprepare in between each running session.

If you don$t want to have to do the planning yourself then than"fullythere are a number of running schedules already available out there.

ouch to /0 is a great example of a free program that$ll tell you

when to wal" and run and how to build this up over a period of 1wee"s. By the end of those 1 wee"s you$ll be able to run /0!

& 'et Proper Shoes

#ou really don$t need to buy much to get started with running, butthere$s one thing that you do need to invest in and that$s a good pair

of running shoes! #ou see, running is a very high impact activity.)very time you land on the ground, your whole body weight is being

thrown onto that leg. hat affects your an"les, your shins, your"nees... everything! his is why it$s crucial to purchase a pair of shoes
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that can literally help to cushion that blow. #ou should also buy a newpair for every & miles you run.

2ow do you "now which shoes to buy3 he easiest way is to head to

your nearest running shop. hey should be able to do a gait analysis -

basically watching you on a treadmill to understand the natural motionof your feet when you land. 4hen they "now that, they will be able to

recommend shoes to match that and help reduce the chance of anyinjury.

( )arm *p

)very time you go for a run you need to ta"e the time to warm your

body up. his will loosen up the muscles, gradually boost your heartrate and improve your breathing ready for the wor"out to come.

4arming up simply means doing something less vigorous beforemoving onto the normal run. ( good five-minute wal" is pretty

sufficient to get you going.


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+ Ta$e Time ,ff

It$s very tempting to go out for a run every day when you$re justgetting started - surely that$ll get you closer to your goal!

5nfortunately, however, that$s not the case. #ou are putting your body

through a lot of stress, and you need to give it time to adapt. hismeans ta"ing at least one day off in between runs so that your body

can repair itself and get used to running.

If you get injured then it$s moreimportant to ta"e time off. It$s crucial

that you listen to your body. 6uscle

aches are normal 7and can bereduced by stretching after each

run8, but joint pains cannot be

ignored. ( large percentage ofrunners will get injured at some

point, so don$t try to fight it. If your"nee is hurting every time you run

then it$s better to simply ta"e acouple of wee"s off now than to ris"

ma"ing the injury worse.

- Stretch

9ust as you should never forget to

warm up for a run, you should alsoalways remember to stretch when

you finish a run. :ever stretch beforeyour run, as stretching cold muscles

can lead to injuries.

(fter a run, wal" for a few minutes to cool down and then do some

stretches after that. #ou should hold each stretch for /-& seconds,wor"ing your way through all of the muscles used in your run. If

you$re not sure how to do a particular stretch, there are a number of

videos covering the subject online.


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. /ont Run Too ast

4hen you do start running, it$s easy just to go as fast as possible andget out of breath. 2owever, this is not the way to running success. he

"ey is not to get so out of breath that you can$t continue, it$s to go a

little slower than you thin" you can just so that you can pace yourselfand "eep running for the entire wor"out time.

Similarly, don$t try to lean forward or stretch your legs too much. his

isn$t the best way to run faster. Smaller strides are a lot better foryour posture and to reduce the chances of injury.

2 Set Yourself % 'oal

:o matter what fitness level you$re at, goals are a huge part of the

success e+uation. #ou need to ma"e goals that are both realistic andthat will push you to go beyond your limits. (iming to run /0 or for &

minutes straight is a good example for someone who is starting offwith no prior running experience. #ou could even boo" yourself in for a

race in a few months time!

4hen you have a goal, you have something to "eep you going even

when you$re having a bad running day7which you will at some point8.It also gives you an end point from which you can brea" it down into

smaller goals for every wee" until you reach that point.

;f course, when you set yourself a goal, it$s important to trac" your
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progress. (nd, when you meet that goal, ta"e some time out tocelebrate that goal before then going and setting yourself an even

bigger goal!

3 Ta$e 4are of Your Body

It can be very tempting to push yourself when you$re just beginning.

#ou might feel joint twinges and thin" that you should ignore it, sinceyou$re only running for one minute at a time. 2owever, remember that

this is all new to your body - it ma"es sense that you could get injuredat some point.

:ote that aching muscles are perfectly normal. here is a differencebetween a muscle ache and a pain that you need to ta"e real note of.

If you are injured, you$ll need to ta"e time out of running. If the injurycomes and goes then be very careful not to push yourself beyond your

limits. #ou may find, for example, that you can run for around


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goals when they ma"e note of how they$re improving. Seeing yourimprovements in blac" and white can motivate you li"e nothing else!

:ote that this does :; mean obsessively weighing yourself. Instead,

it means noting how long you run for each time, using apps to trac"

your speed and distance, and even "eeping a journal of how fit youfeel each time. #ou could ta"e a photo of yourself before you start

running and then ta"e new photos every month to see how your bodyis changing 7because you might not necessarily lose much weight for a

while even if you$re getting more toned8. 9oining a forum and

discussion your triumphs and struggles with others who understand isalso a great way to stay motivated.

Top 10 Tips for Running Beginners

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