We know how beneficial running is for our health. It effectively incinerates calories, liberates the happy-mood endorphins, intensifies bone density, and fortifies both lungs and heart. However, if started abruptly without the health-friendly rules or in a wrong way with incomplete knowledge, running can take a physical toll and trigger an injury. Extra arch support can be added to shoes by the use of an orthotic insole.
So, have you ever started running but left it suddenly? If yes, then it could be a plan without rules or comprehensive knowledge about how to start running.
Is Running Easy or Tough? Well…
It is obvious to think of running as a simple task of putting one foot ahead of the other and doing the same repeatedly. Well, ask anyone who has tried lacing up, who can easily attest that running is not that straightforward, especially if there is a health goal to achieve through it.
Even before you step on a treadmill or land on a road, many questions start to hit your mind. Some of the common ones are why no walking, how far should I run, how about breathing while running, and which type of running shoes to wear. In short, all these questions, right from what to wear to how to run and how far to go, need precise and complete answers.
Many of these queries will have answers that are relative to your personal and physical requirements, which are likely to vary from one individual to another. The answers need to be practical too.
For example, practicing strength running under the supervision of a coach can aid you in determining how far you should go. Although it can help run faster and without injuries, it is a tough strategy to follow for the beginners.
Table of Contents
A Practical View for Beginners
Your coach or guide, if any, shall prescribe a date wise plan of running workouts. However, what a beginner needs first is a motivational hope that it is possible to do it. Thus, beginners need a few helpful tips to make running a joyful task every day. The logic here is simple: If you like what you are doing, you will surely stick to it daily.
Whether you are running for the first time or are starting it again after a long break, it can be a dismaying task to start running for different physical and psychological reasons. However, to get started, the straightforward meaning of running is applicable: To put one foot ahead of the other a bit faster than while walking.
Most beginners consider running for improving their health through weight loss and a sense of self-esteem that comes due to keeping the physical self in shape. However, a few are enthusiastic enough to be a marathoner. Still, this is not the reason that motivates you to read this article.
Plenty of time is there for that ultimate goal. At present, let’s focus on being motivated to get out into the fresh air. Are you ready? To kick-start such that you love running forever, here are some motivating tips!
Each Calorie Burner Step Counts: Get Rid of Age Old Myth!
Do not start running considering that it is the only quickest or most effective way to stay healthy. Believe it or not, when you start to stay active, each of that active task contributes to your health goal.
Walking, gardening, sweeping, paddling, climbing stairs, yard work, and picking flowers – all of them increase your heart rate. Thus, do not be adamant about running distance and time. Similarly, do not believe in the myth that running itself is the only activity contributing to your health goal.
Prepare: To Make Running Enjoyable
You need to prepare for completing any plan in life. When it comes to running, your preparation includes collecting the right gear to wear for staying safe as well as comfortable. It includes considerate planning for where to run, when to run, and even what to eat before and after running. Some of the preparation examples are:
- Keeping clean running clothes
- Checking the weather for the day for running on right time
- Investing in a pedometer
- Thinking of some light snacks to have after running
Get the Right Shoes: Wrong Shoes are Harmful
Not wearing the right pair of shoes for running is the beginning of inviting risks and injuries. A wrong pair can quickly derail even the safest running regime. Thus, it is wise to find and wear the right shoes, which are comfortable to your body. Do so even if you have to invest some more money than expected, as genuine running shoes are certainly not cheap.
However, do not choose a pair as per an attractive style or color. Rather, prefer stepping into a trustworthy store to go through a professional gait scrutiny and consequential suggestions. The latter two are worth having to choose the right running shoe pair on your own when you have no one to guide.
Know Your Body Adaptability: These are Terms of Running for You!
For runners regardless of whether they are beginners or not, it is essential to know their body response or adaptability power for running. To know this, you need to know the following terms:
- Foot Strike: Means how the feet step on the ground. Usually, stepping with the ball of your foot is perhaps the best style (midfoot) for running. This is because it absorbs shock and averts much stress on muscles and joints.
- Pronation: Means how the feet roll while stepping on the ground at the time of running. When the feet roll inward, it is overpronation and is quite common. If the feet do not go inward, it is underpronation and is common with those having high arches. However, both can result in running injuries. Nevertheless, the right shoes can keep this risk away.
- Running form: Means how the body appears and reacts while running. The right form keeps the risk of injuries away and helps in making you a healthier runner. Thus, you need to know how to run precisely.
- Splits: Refers to the time your body takes to cover a prefixed distance through running. A split time aids in strategizing for increasing the pace while running a race. A negative split means faster latter half of the workout or race than the first half.
- Tempo Run: Refers to a quicker pace of running than what you are normally accustomed to, for a prolonged time. Mastering it allows increasing both endurance and speed.
Well, this is why running for a beginner is more than just stepping a foot ahead of the other quickly and repeatedly. Not knowing about these terms is often the cause of failure or quitting this healthy workout.
Start Slow: Hastiness Kills both Passion and Goal
Well, this tip has two inferences: Do not expect to reach the health goal or be ready for running a marathon in just one month. This is because running even for 60 seconds, in the beginning, can be tough.
If done, it is likely to dishearten even the most fervent beginner. Thus, it is ideal to keep realistic expectations considering that your body has its own pace to progress.
Warm Up and Cool Down: Otherwise Be Ready to Harm your Muscles in Between
Each workout has its own warmup exercises and cool down activities. Running is certainly not an exception.
Each running session should start and end with primary exercises to prepare and soothe your body in a few minutes, respectively. Thus, it is a wise practice to begin with a slow jog and end with post-run stretches to dismiss muscle soreness, prevent later injuries, and increase flexibility.
Walk Before You Run
If you are not an athlete who is planning to start running again, it is important to walk before running. Yes, it is a warm up but it is the most important one. Walking for some weeks prepare your bones, ligaments, and muscles for the next workout or for more intense sessions in near future.
Walking regularly for increasing duration aids you to adapt to your new fitness regime without any physical or psychological harm. Begin with short-distanced walks that trigger a refreshing feeling in you at the end.
Gradually raise the walking distance until it becomes easy for you to walk for at least 30 minutes and maximum 45 minutes, four times a week. Unwind during this time to beat the daily stress.
Increase Endurance Power: Low Endurance Often Makes You Quit
With a properly fitting supportive pair of shoes, you may start with small-distanced runs perhaps with a stopwatch to note the duration. Then, continue with this routine twice a week, either on the tracks in a garden or on a treadmill. This is an easy way to develop endurance. Do not bother about how slow or quick you are during this task. Then, slowly decrease the duration of each walk break until you run easily for 15 minutes.
Bring Varieties: No Boredom Shall Come to You
Once you start running for half an hour without any pause, consider going to the next level. Consider changing the route and pace. Rather, consider different routes or blend treadmill time with running on a track outdoor runs.
