When I started running, I was committed to keeping my word of running a half marathon. Running wasn’t something I truly wanted to do – I thought I “wasn’t a runner” and a person with a limited lung capacity. In true -“I’m keeping my word” fashion, I just started running. I didn’t google anything, I just left my apartment and ran. While this can work for some people, there are many things I wish I had learned or looked into before just running. If you are a beginner looking for a how to run guide, these tips are for you!
Running is a journey that takes time to actually enjoy. Many times I felt like I wanted to die only to realize I’ve only run about 0.4 miles (remember I committed to 13 miles 🤦🏻♀️). Once you get through the I just want to die and need to quit phase, you’ll move on to the injury phase where you have shin splints and sore muscles for days. I am here to save you some of the pain so you can actually enjoy the benefits of running!
How to Run as a Beginner
1. Train Like an Athlete
When People say wow you’re so athletic, I usually laugh because let’s be real, I’m no D1 Athlete. I just enjoy working out and running. The funny thing is, an athlete is defined as “a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina” by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Once you start training for anything, you are an athlete!
Unfortunately, running alone won’t be able to take you to the next level and give you the skills you need to be a better runner. Here is what you should focus on for well-rounded training:
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- Strength – Any runners guide will tell you that you should be strength training about 2-3 times a week to help cross-train for running. You can do these on the same day as your runs or on opposing days. All Runners need strong glutes, hamstrings, and believe it or not – core muscles. These three muscle groups will make us faster, but also stabilize us as we run. Stabilization is KEY. Without it, we are more likely to injure ourselves as the joints can move in ways they aren’t supposed to move.
- Flexibility – You’ve heard about yoga for football players, but have you heard about yoga for runners? It is so so important to stretch and be more flexible so that you have proper range of motion while running. This gives you a healthy running stride. Without stretching, your hip flexors, quads, or calves, your body will work around the restriction, potentially causing injury somewhere else. Of course a pre-run and post-run stretch are great, but really taking the time to do some yoga can improve your flexibility on a deeper level.
- Agility – Agility is the ability to move quickly and easily. It requires a combination of balance, coordination, speed, reflexes, strength, and endurance. Agility drills should be done a few times a week and ideally right before you run. This way your body is primed for the motions while you run. These will help you pick up speed while running.
2. Slow Down
While everyone thinks you need to run fast, most experienced runners know that you should run at a conversational pace. It took me a lot longer than I would like admit to figure this one out. While everyone runs for speed, most runners will run at a pace that is comfortable enough to have a conversation while running a couple times a week. This trains the body’s aerobic system to work more efficiently and allows for faster recovery. One of the great things about running slower is that you can typically run an extra mile or two than you normally would because your body isn’t exhausted from running at a faster pace.
3. Speed-up
While most of your runs should be at a conversational pace, at least once a week you should try to incorporate interval training including spurts of FAST-paced running. While this may seem daunting, you should start slow. There are many structured workouts for beginners that will help you incorporate speed. If you aren’t looking for anything so serious, keep it simple! You can sprint towards a sign or telephone pole, then catch your breath and walk before repeating the exercise.
Running faster will allow you to run more efficiently – faster with less effort. By moving at faster speeds, running also puts a bit of strain on the body. Be cautious not to overdo it and if you do, slow it down and rest to recover. When you are just starting on your running journey, I recommend only incorporating 15-seconds of spadework into your run. After you are feeling more comfortable with the groundwork, you should try a more structured interval run.
4. Varied routes and courses
One way to get sick of running really quickly is to continually run the same route listening to the same music. While I do recommend finding a go-to running playlist, I also recommend trying to mix it out. Whether you run on different streets, try out the local school track, find a running trail, or my least favorite – run on that treadmill! Every ground has a different surface which challenge your body differently that when you continually run the same route!
5. Patience
It can be easy to get caught up in other people’s stats. Mary can one a mile in 8 minutes?! Even today a friend posted that he ran 5 miles in 36 minutes and I had to check myself. The comparison game isn’t fun and truthfully it doesn’t make you a better runner. You know your body best, and running takes time to develop the skill and achieve the goals that you want to with running. Start running slow and mix in some faster runs when you feel ready. Increase your milage slowly reach week to build up to longer runs. Add in that cross-training at your own pace and stay the course. If you feel any kind of pain, take time to rest and recover otherwise you could be out for a lot longer later down the road. You can do this!
If hope you learned how to run as a beginner and take these tips away and avoid my mistakes! As always, be sure to check out these 30 other running tips for a successful run! I’m 9 miles down, (at least) 21 more to go!
xoxo
Krysta
