Have you decided to improve your fitness? A well-structured running program is important for beginners to build up their strength and endurance, decrease injury risk, and increase fun! Before lacing up your shoes, check out these 5 extremely useful tips.
1. It all starts with the right pair of sneakers.
Don’t be fooled by name brand shoes. Instead, try on four or five running shoes, let your feet decide. In a sweeping review of the science on running shoes and injuries, researchers found that the most important feature of a running shoe is comfort! That’s it. Choose a shoe that feels good.
2. Start with short running intervals.
As a beginner, you shouldn’t plan on running the entire distance in one go. Break it down into intervals and try to keep them short at the beginning. Walk between the intervals so you can recover a little. Begin by alternating between 2 minutes of jogging and 2 minutes of walking. Increase your running intervals by one minute per workout until you can run the entire distance at a stretch without having to walk.
3. Nutrition is key!!
Don’t drink or eat very much before a run. Eating 100-200 calories of simple carbohydrate after a strenuous run will speed up the reloading of muscle fuel for your next run. Make sure you are staying well hydrated. Calculate your body weight in pounds, divide it by 2 and drink that many ounces of water each day. For example, a 200 pound man should drink 100 ounces of quality water each day! If you are in a hot climate or exercising, you should increase this amount.
4. Your body needs time to recover.
Your first run went great and you are ready to head out again right away? I would recommend waiting a day before attempting your next run to let your body rest. Schedule your training so you run one day and rest the next day, this will avoid overuse injuries. You may possibly experience delayed onset muscle soreness. Keep in mind that stretching after your run will help reduce this soreness.
5. Couch to 5k running app!
Follow this easy, fun 5k training program for beginner runners. Download the application, “couch to 5k” and it will help you pass through the 5k finish line in just 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week for 9 weeks.
Starting a new running habit doesn’t have to be hard — all it takes is a comfortable pair of shoes and a willingness to move a little or a lot, all at your own pace. Are you ready? Let’s go!!
PTC_therapy April 18th, 2018
Posted In: General