How many of you, as your New Year's resolution, have decided you are going to take up running?
You've been out and bought your Nike Zoom Vaporflys (hey, the name alone makes you want them!), you've kitted yourself out with the lastest running paraphernalia, spent £500 on a new Garmin, got your tunes sorted and a pair of AfterShokz Trekz Air headphones to hear them on and off you go.....
How was it for you?...did it hurt a bit?
Some people are natural runners and will find no problem with just pulling on the kit and heading out; the rest of us need to take some things into consideration:
So that you can enjoy the experience (yes, running is enjoyable) and in order to avoid injury, you should ease yourself into running slowly and increase your pace and distance gradually over several outings.
You do not have to have all the gear - how does it go "all the gear and no idea". A decent pair of trainers that are comfortable and appropriate for the terrain will suffice, layers because you will get hot, no matter how cold it is when you look out the window, a good sports bra ladies, reflective gear if running at night, and away you go.
Just get out there. Don't think too hard about it, just get out the door (which can sometimes be the hardest bit) and start to run. Don't start off too fast you are not in a race and don't be afraid to walk.
Walk?? WALK, did you say??
yes, walk.
When I started out I joined the local running club and the girls I 'ran' with would never, ever, walk. They said it wasn't running if you had to walk, so I didn't and boy was it tough. I frequently felt like I was never going to be able to run without my lungs exploding and my eyeballs bursting out of my head.
Begin each session with a walk. Not a potter down the street, a 'Walk With Intention' as I like to call it, get the heart rate up and let your body know you mean action. Then do a walk/run programme, aiming at completing around 20 minutes of exercise. There are many walk/run programmes available online but you will have to try out which one suits you, some seem to be very advanced for a complete newbie and may put you off running rather than help you progress. Roughly speaking, after your 5 minutes of Walking With Intention, try 30 seconds running and 1 minute walking (with intention), then repeat for around 20 minutes. Some streets have nicely spaced out lampposts - you could run to one, walk the next two then repeat. If that is too easy then run for 1 minute walk for 2 minutes, too hard then run for 30 seconds, walk for 2 minutes - whatever works for you. At the end, a few minutes of walking is all you need to get your heart rate back to normal and your body to clear out any metabolic waste you created during your efforts. You will later progress to a cool down aimed at hitting all the muscle groups, when you have built up to running a bit further.
Do this 3 times a week and before you know it you will, you will, begin to find it getting easier and can gradually increase the length of time you are out.
Set yourself a goal. Perhaps a marathon is a bit ambitious in the beginning - but how about a 5k charity race? When we are out of COVID restrictions, you will find loads of charity races springing up and 5k is very doable...come on, you can walk it if all else fails. Rope in some friends and the friendly competition will keep you focused and motivated. There are also online, virtual challenges you can take part it.
Sign up for Parkrun. Parkruns are free, weekly, community events all around the world. The Saturday morning events are 5k and take place in parks and open spaces, once Lockdown is over.
Join a running club - either an affiliated club, which often run beginners' groups or a RunTogether group which aim to provide fun, friendly, supportive, and inclusive running opportunities for everyone: whatever your ability or time availability (yes, after Lockdown!).
Keep a running log, either an old-school paper one or use an app like Strava, which connects with your phone or watch and records your run details - length, speed, splits etc. A running log is great for looking back on if you are feeling you are not progressing because you will quickly see how far you have come from when you started out!
Above all, enjoy yourself, and remember that no matter how much time you spend out and whether you walked more than you ran - you showed up and you ARE a runner.
stay safe xx
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