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All runners have to start somewhere. Even Olympic medal winners will have taken their first few forays into running at some point. This new beginning is often what inspires people to make running a part of their lives but it can also be a challenging time. So I asked the Twitter community, what advice would you give a new runner and they shared with me their top 3 tips;
- Build up slowly & gradually
- Make running part of your routine
- Get support & feedback from other runners
@T_Time_Taylor – start slowly…..if aiming for a time, build up pace slowly. Better than burning out too fast
- Appropriate shoes that support your feet
- Get any existing injuries looked at before starting
- Don’t go mad on the 1st run!
- Get the best shoes you can afford
- Start of with small but realistic targets
- Don’t worry about other runners. Its about you
- Take it slowly
- Don’t be afraid to adopt a walk/run approach
- Log your runs to gauge progress, it’s great for motivation
- Start slowly/gradually 2 give body time 2 adapt
- Listen 2 advice from others carefully
- It should b fun, not a chore
- Follow the 10% rule when increasing distance
- Invest in a foam roller
- Fuel your runs with good natural nutrition.
- Build up training gradually
- Get a good pair of trainers
- Enjoy it 🙂
- Got at your own pace
- Set realistic targets
- Enjoy yourself
(Knowing the Captain quite a well I’d also add one more bit of advice…don’t go for a long run when you’re desperate for a wee!)
- Read Born to Run
- Don’t heel strike
- If it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right!
- Full body postural analysis by therapist who treats runners.
- Take their advice on footwear
- Do the stretches they give you!
Quit a mix of thoughts there but a few common ones; build up slowly, take advice from fellow runners and remember it shouldn’t be a chore!
If I was to add 3 of my own they’d be;
- Find a running speed that allows you to comfortably cruise along – this way you’ll enjoy it more
- Embrace variety – try different routes, surfaces etc.
- Run with others – running clubs or having friends that run make it far more sociable – you needn’t be the lone runner!
RunningPhysio has plenty of advice suitable for new runners so for more information see to run or not run, top 10 tips on managing running injuries, how to avoid injury through training error and loads more via our contents page.
My experience – after five years of being a runner myself, growing up in the 80s with a marathoning dad, and watching friends and family try and eventually give up on running – is that (and those of us who’ve been around awhile probably take this for granted now), but you have to run for *you*.
I’ve seen so many people who give up on running and “don’t know why” when it’s painfully obvious to an outsider why – they were doing it for someone else. They were doing it so they’d have something in common with a spouse, even though they hated it. They were doing it to show their kids what “real athletes” (i.e., not the Nike-ad sweat princesses – not my term, btw) look like, or because everyone else in his/her demographic seems to be doing it. Their peers are doing it and they don’t want to feel left out.
Personally, and this is 100% true, I started running because I was finishing up my MBA program and needed a new challenge. I’m not an athlete…I hated running as a kid because my dad was super-competitive and sucked all the fun out of it. Fortunately, I didn’t keep up with it just to try and please him – like my mom did. After a few months she suffered a “knee injury” and never ran again.
I’m a passable runner, but my goal was to become the best runner I could. It’s been really hard – lots of injuries, lots of dashed dreams, but I’m still here. And after this long, I consider myself a runner for life. It’s part of me now, and it goes beyond cute race outfits or “bling” or people telling me I’m awesome and amazing.
YOU have to get some sort of personal payoff and pride from running, or it will never work.
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