Why run?
Its a great decision you have made. Whatever your initial motivation, to put your trainers on and get out the door you will reape many, many benefits.
- You’ll be happier
- Lose weight and maintain a healthy weight
- Strengthen your bones and muscles – may protect against osteoarthritis!!
- Keep you sharper as you age
- Reduce your chances of Cancer
- Add years to your life
( Runners World – https://www.runnersworld.com/beginner/a20847956/6-ways-running-improves-your-health-0/ )
Preparation
You’re now ready to get prepared to start your new running habit. So what do you need to do to prepare?
Firstly, if you have any health problems I would suggest having a review with your GP before you start running. Once you have the all clear then your ready to go J
Look about for support – it will help with motivation and increase the chances of maintaining your new running habit. I LOVE parkrun and can not recommend it enough. If you’ve never heard of it they are organised, timed 5k runs every Saturday morning around the UK. You sign up on their website and print your bar code off and then off you go! There is no pressure to ‘race’ the 5km, parkrun actively promote this event as not a race!! You can walk run or jog it there is no cut of time at all. The friendly open support at these event is great to give you support and make it fun.
If you are a bit happier in your own company or don’t think you can cover the 5km initially then couch to 5k (C25K) is for you. There are many different ways to use C25K – you can get a print out from the NHS web site (or many other sites) or download an app. All the plans take you through a schedule where you start off walking and over a few weeks progress to walking less and running more. My favourite is the Zombie C25K app – you listen to a zombie story via the app as your out walking and then your running intervals are when the zombies attack – this is great for kids!!
Running Essentials
Once you’ve got your motivation sorted you need to think about running kit. Whoever said running was a free exercise has never seen my trainer collection! But it doesn’t have to be. You need comfortable clothes and a pair of trainers. Once the bug bites and you’re in love with running (it will happen!) then it would be worth getting appropriate trainers. Don’t believe the hype about which trainers are best, go for ones that are comfortable. If you are getting injured then you would need to look into your trainers more – a biomechanical assessment may help.
Technology
Where to start? So many watches and apps that can help with motivation. This technology allows you to track your run letting you look at your pace or distance while your running, or looking at more in-depth stats when you get back. This lets you see your progress, which is a great incentive. You can also link your accounts with friends and see their runs so you can encourage each other.
Click here for information about our Running Analysis
To stretch or not to stretch?
The evidence for stretching before a run is not very strong. However many people swear by it. I would suggest stretching after your run, it can help prevent the muscle pain the day after your run. What I would suggest is that you add some strength training into your week. Twice a week for 20mins is enough to notice a difference. Strength training can help prevent injuries and make your running more economical. By this I mean your running will feel easy, more fluid, less effort.
Keeping Going!!
Once you are in the habit of running the recommended 3 runs per week, your fitness will be maintained at a level were you get all the benefits of running. If you run twice a week you will struggle to maintain a fitness level where the runs are not a chore. Running should be enjoyable, don’t put pressure on yourself to run fast when you are starting out. Its all about getting a basic level of fitness initially – an aerobic base as it’s known to running folk. If you go out too fast initially you have a higher risk of sustaining an injury, I cannot stress how important it is to build up slowly.
So, what do you do if you have a set back while you’re beginning your running career? This could include an injury or a loss of motivation. Firstly, don’t be to hard on yourself. I would suggest having a plan before these things happen. Even after 6 marathons I lose my motivation sometimes, my plan is to allow myself to take a week or two easy and then start again. I even dust off the old bike and cycle for a few weeks to mix things up. A change of scenery can help re-motivate you, I love hitting the trails out in the country to find my running mojo again. Your first year of running is when most runners get injured, so expect some aches, plan to reduce your miles and speed and see if the niggles settle. If the niggles don’t settle I would suggest seeing a physiotherapist for some rehabilitation. For acute injuries, such as ankle sprain, rather than niggles you would want to see your physiotherapist sooner.
Once you are regularly running you want to maintain the habit. I find signing up for some races helps, again not the cheap exercise advertised as some. Races can cost a fortune – New York Marathon is £220 to enter !! Don’t worry though local races are a lot more affordable, £10 for some. The web site ABC run Scotland is a good source of races when your ready to sign up.
Long Term
Once you’ve made room in your life for running and all the health benefits it brings then your ready to start to progressing these runs by adding interval training, hill sessions and speed sessions. But that’s for another blog!!
Good luck and remember running may not be the cheapest exercise but you wont find a simpler exercise – one foot in front of the other and repeat!
