Welcome back to another week of Tuesday Tips with Running Rachel (Running Edition). This week I am going to share with you a few running tips on how to get started running.
Check out the links below to see what you missed!
1. Proper Form While Running
5. Breathing
7. Hill Running
8. Running Gear
We have discussed proper form the past few weeks. When you have proper form… it makes running easier and you are less prone to injury.
This week I will be talking about Getting Started!
Over the years (more lately) I have been asked the simple question, “How do I get started running?” There is no simple one line answer to that question (from me atleast).
As with everything in life, whatever you set your mind to do… you CAN. You just need to practice that craft… make it a priority… and you will soon begin to see progress.
You must remember also, that you need to begin slowly and with baby steps. I would not advise someone just starting out to sign up and run a full marathon next week, that would be silly! One would run the risk of injury, burn out, or other not fun ailment.
Baby Steps
Walk ~ If you are not already walking and striving for your 10,000 steps a day, you should begin here. Thankfully, many of us are fortunate enough to be able to walk on the two legs God gave us. Walking is free. Remember to start off slow and walk at a comfortable pace.
Strive for a goal walking time of 30 minutes. Once you have reached that goal comfortably increase that walking time by 10% the following week.
When you find that walking is getting a bit too comfortable and you want that added challenge, graduate to step 2.
Walk/Run ~ There are many getting started running programs out there. If you are wanting that extra challenge (for fitness or calorie burn – whatever your goal) running is it!
One way to get started running is to simply walk until you feel the urge to run… then RUN (until you are winded and want to stop) then STOP and WALK. Then repeat as often as your little heart and feet desire. If this walk to running approach is too vague for you, and you like a more structured training plan here is a getting started link to get you started: Cool Running – Couch to 5K (3.1 miles) or my friend Janice’s Learn to Run Program
Running ~ As with anything in life (especially fitness related), start off slow. Listen to your body as you run. Feel free to revisit my running tips (links at the top of this post). Focus on form FIRST, then DISTANCE, then lastly you can focus on your SPEED. This will not happen overnight.
Practice makes progress
You can do this! I have found that it is often a mindset that we have to get over – rather than a physical one. How much do YOU want to get healthy? Do you want to get started? Perhaps you can start by walking (do you own a pedometer).
Get out there… get moving… keep moving forward! You can do it!
Have a blessed and active week!
Disclaimer: I am not a fitness professional. The opinions on my blog are written and based solely from my personal experience and what works for me.)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this post… and am glad to see that the middle step – the walk/run step is real… that’s where I am and for a long time thought it was either walk OR run… thank you thank you thank you 🙂 **HUGS**
Thank you!!! I am going to get back into running. I think I know what I need to do now as far as stretching and using the foam roller. I really want to have this on my fitness check list, running 10 min miles for a 5K!!! I must!!
Thanks for all of your advice along the way!!!
I think my first mistake when I started running was not doing the walk/run thing. I could already walk very fast quite well, but running for even a small stretch was so hard. Sometimes I felt like I was going to legit DIE after I ran a mile at times because I didn’t stop to walk. Now, even as a little more experienced runner, I still stop myself to walk if I feel not so good. Walking never hurts you; running when you shouldn’t does! Lesson learned.
I am still at mostly walk and a little run, but I have complete 4 5ks. I need to read your form posts because that is where I am sorely lacking. Thanks!
Great tips for a beginner like me!
You rock so hard with this post, girly! I really need to get back out there again. I took a hiatus when illness hit and never got back into it (I focused on working out and lifting weights instead). Now that it’s summer and the kids are home, I can have the older kids watch the toddler while I pound the pavement in the mornings. Starting over sucks, but running has always been a wonderful release for me.
I definitely started with walk/run intervals and almost always still use them in my running outings. Even if it is a 10/1 or a 15/1 it gives me time to get a drink of water if I like or wipe my brow! Great tips. This is a very helpful series.
We all have to start somewhere! I definitely started out slow and short and over time I am a wee bit faster but can go longer!
I literally started running by picking up a digest in the grocery store aisle about Couch to 5K and voila a runner was born. I started with the walk/run method and it really helped me learn how to run 3 miles in 30 minutes in 12 weeks!
I started running so long ago its hard to remember how I got started but I do know that these tips are also great for getting back to running after an injury. I love the advice about starting a run/walk plan. And the best point of course is always to get out and have fun because that’s what life is about right?!
I have zero memory of when I started running, but I do remember needing to take it slowly. When I was coaching, I worked mostly with women who had never run or hadn’t run since before kids and we definitely started with a lot of walking before we began running.
I wish I would have had this list when I started running. I made rookie mistakes that I still laugh about today 🙂
“Just GO” is truly the best advice ever. I always tell my clients to not worry about “how far” or “how much” or ESPECIALLY “how far/fast/so-and-so-ran”…just GO! Something is always better than nothing, and those “somethings” truly add up over time!
This is a great article. I found a great little iPhone app that I use to get back into running. It is the couch to 5k app. It takes you from zero to 5k in 8 weeks.