Helpful tips for starting running

Question

Im going to start running next week and just wondered if anyone had any tips on keeping up my enthusiasm and improving my fitness

Answer 1

Don't end up jogging.  You could do with a session with a running coach, to ensure you start with a good posture and gait, and keep it!   You needed your folks to teach you how to ride a bicycle, but we all assume we can run...  Wrong!  

          From the top, you need to keep your head level, slightly forwards, chin and nose up, arms loose, elbows making smooth ovals, not back-stop-forward-stop-back-stop-forward... as if you were sawing wood!  Keep the tummy tucked in, and LIFT the knees as high as is possible each step, think about holding the foot off the floor, as if you were trying to gain every inch of each stride possible.  Let the ankle relax while the foot comes forward, feel for the ground as the heels start to take the weight (I hope you are in excellent distance-running shoes, such as Nike or Adidas, New Balance or Acis to name a few) and roll through the foot to spring-off from the toes.

    Quality is paramount, distance means nothing if you aren't running with perfect form.  Better you only cover 200metres, perfectly, a dozen times, before you run just 400metres, than you go out and slog away, shaking your bones about for two miles.

Good luck!

Answer 2

The most important thing you can do for running, is get some proper running shoes.  Go to a good sports shop and get some advice.

Make sure you stretch fully, both before and after you start your run.

Start off with a 1.5 mile circuit, once you're able to do that relatively easily put it up to 2 then 2.5 then 3 so on until you're doing the distance you want to do.

When you run it should go heel to toe, long strides and keep your arms below your heart so that you don't put undue strain on it. Keep elbows tucked in and stomach pulled in, back straight and pump your arms, it's quite hard to start with but you need to make sure you've got a good running technique early on.  If you don't you're asking for injuries.

Breath in your nose and out of your mouth in long fluid motions, takes some practice and a good way to do it is to practice for a few minutes before sleeping (this will also help with a good nights sleep).

Eat well, you need carbs and protein and I usally have a banana about an hour before running which is good for energy.

Drink lots of water and take a runners bottle (hole throug the centre to hold it) with you as sipping water can make you go further.

When you run only go at a pace where you can still hold a conversation any more than this you'll be over training which is as bad as not training hard enough.

As for motiviation, once you've been a couple of times you'll start looking forward to the next time you can go, exercise released endorphines into the brain which are feel good hormones, so soon you'll look forward to the hard work of a run because it makes you feel so good!

Also running is a quick weight loss tool - road running burns 1 third more calories than treadmill running so get out in the park and do it for free.

I've been running for a long time now and I love it!

Good luck

Kez x

Answer 3

If you are going to take up running and keep it up for a while I would recommend getting a new pair of running shoes from a specialist shop. This might sound expensive but not really compared to other sports (for example, buying a bicycle you would have to spend £200+), good trainers can be from £35 upwards (see the latest "Runners World" magazine), but get them from a running shop who can advise you best. Anyway good trainers help your feet land on the ground well, and cushion your footfalls and can prevent knee injuries. So consider new trainers soon.

On your first run a few things might happen, you might have loads of energy and run for ever or you might get tired very quickly. Both of these are OK, though running out of energy is more disheartening. I would recommend picking a route of maybe 4 miles to jog round. Run until you get tired and need to rest and then walk to recover. When you feel like running again run until you need to walk etc... Next time you go out try to run further until you need to rest. Keep doing that until you can run the whole route and then think about increasing the distance or speed you run for.

The day after a first run your legs might feel tired and sore, that's also normal. You can have a couple of days rest and then run again. Try to run 3 days a week to increase your fitness level, though don't let running rule your life

To keep yourself enthusiastic and to keep going? You could try getting a partner to run with - you can encourage each other (though you can also put each other off if you arnt carefull), have a goal to aim for, perhaps a race for life or something something inm about 2 month time to keep you focused and motivated (and after then get a new goal)

Hope that helps a little

Enjoy running, its enjoyable (probably! though some nights I do wonder)

Answer 4

*Don't increase mileage too soon because you may end up with awful injuries like me

* Slowly increase the amount you do

* Try to find lots of different routes so that they use different muscles (e.g downhill increases strength in thigh muscles ect.)

* If you go in the morning without Breakfast it burns fat so that your body gets used to running with low sugar levels.

* Running slow burns more if you are trying to lose weight

* Take an ipod with you with good rhythmed tunes to help your running patterns.

* Concentrate the most on breathing and pace yourself- don't go off too fast so then you do not get stitches.

* WATCH OUT FOR DOGS!

Good luck, and have fun!!