Anything to know before starting to take up running?

Question

I usually get out everyday and walk my dog. I want to start running. Is there anything I should know before going out and taking a run? Do I need to do some kind of stretches first..eat something light? How long to run each time?

Any advice would help ...

Answer 1

Make sure you have good shoes. And be careful, when i first started running i ended up getting shin splints. Hurt so bad !  Do some learning about proper running first

Answer 2

Whatever you are doing, make sure it is a gradual progression. Start off being very comfortable and easy. Make sure that you don't run on consecutive days unless you have to or you have months and months of training behind you.

If you have havent' run for a long time, maybe start by jogging slowly for 400-500m and then walking for 500m for about 2-3 kms.

Whatever you do, enjoy it and remember to listen to you body :)

Answer 3

There is a lot you should know before you start running, What you are eating, what kind of shoes you should get, what kind of stretches, and how long are all good questions to start off with.

Lets start off with what you should eat. Running is very stressful on anyones body and having a good diet is the best thing to help your body recover. Protein is the #1 thing I have my athletes make sure they have enough of. Protein helps your body build and repair muscle, Chicken, fish and lean red meats have plenty of protein. Carbs are also important for the distance runner, it gives long lasting energy. Potassium which can be found in bananas, strawberrier, kiwi and many more fruits helps the body prevent cramping.

Shoes, I love shoes. I love them so much I gave a few seminars on running shoes last year. Here goes. Since you will possibly be running on all types of surfaces (pavement, grass, dirt, rocks, etc) you will need a shoe that can take a beating. The shoe will have to be more light weight but yet it will need stability it will also have to have good cushioning and it will need waffles (bottom of the shoe) made for all types of surfaces. Waffles made for pavement are going to be larger than waffles made for grass and dirt. This is because smaller waffles offer more traction but yet they wear down faster on pavement and concrete. So shoes for pavement and concrete are larger to help with the wear and tear. So the key is finding a shoe that has a mixture of both more specifically the heel of the shoe should have larger waffles. With this being said the Asics Kayano is the best on the market right now. The upper is made of mesh which makes the shoe lighter and more breathable. It has plenty of cushioning and the waffles are perfect for all types of terrain.

Now for stretching. You should walk a little or run a little and really easy before you stretch (especially if you run in the morning.) just to get your muslces warmed up. But you should always stretch before you get into your main workout. I put a good link below that helps describe some basic good runners stretches. Before your workout stretching should be 10-15 min. When you get done running walk for about 5 min than stretch again this time for 15 min. minimum.

Last but not least, how much should you run. If you have been walking with your dog every day you could probably start off running for 25 minutes. Take it easy though. Stay at 25 minutes for about a week and than if that first week had gone fine than you could run for 30 min the next week. If you have any problems at all don't bump up 5 more minutes, stay where you are at or move back down in time for a day or two. As long as everything is going good you can increase by 5 minutes a week until you are running however far you want to run.

If you start getting bored with your workouts, change it up. Go for a trail run, go running with some friends, drive to a park or a different place to run. Cross training is also a good change of pace. good examples of cross training are swimming, biking, or the elliptical. Good luck with running and have fun.

Answer 4

Good socks, running shoes. And get a check up just in case.

Stretch before the run and  start slow!

Good luck.

Answer 5

...

There's a ton of advice you can get on this.

Some basics:

-start by identifying what it is that you really enjoy doing, and envelope running with that.  E.g., being with friends, being alone; variety, consistency; competition . . . whatever!  You may end up enjoying running just for running's sake, and you won't need to think about these other things.  However, you may need to consider what else you enjoy and weave that into running so that you stay with running.

-get good shoes.  The #1 reason for running injuries is poorly-fitting, inappropriate, or worn-down running shoes.  Go to a running specialty shop, talk to the folks working there, get a gait analysis if they offer it.  The running shoe shop workers should know more than the average clerk when it comes to shoes, and should be able to match shoes to the way YOU run.

-stretching works best AFTER you've warmed up a bit.  Two good times to stretch are after you've run 10 minutes or so . . . and when you are done running.  

-eating something light before running, but NOT right before running, is a good idea; an hour or so beforehand is about right.

-schedule your daily run!  It may be when you take your dog out.  The earlier the better!

-how long you run depends on what you've been doing to this point.  If you've not been working out too much, start with 10 minutes easy, every day.  After 2 or 3 weeks, start adding 5 minutes a day per week.  So week 4 you run 15 minutes a day, week 5 20 minutes a day, and so on.

In time, you might want to get a copy of a current Runner's World magazine, or even a subscription.  The majority of articles are geared for beginning and noviced runners, so there's much you can learn from it!

Success to you!

Regards,

Phil