Runners: Advice for beginners?

Question

I'm gonna start running. A website said to start with 20 minute sessions, three times a week. And then gradually increase.

Apart from that, do you have any advice?

NearlyNapping · Accepted Answer

Any site that says to start with 20 minutes sessions is making some serious assumptions. That could potentially prove to be disastrous. There are people who would keel over dead trying that.

You need to find your own pace. If that means only walking for ten minutes, with no running at all, then that's where you start. Learn to listen to your body. Learn the difference between sore muscles and an injury. Learn to push it a little (VERY little at first), but not so hard that you are injured.

The important thing is to keep with it. Running/walking at the same time each day helps. You might have to force yourself to do it at first. It won't be long before you'll feel like something is missing if you don't go out.

Wear decent shoes. Unless you are rich, I wouldn't spend a fortune though, until you find out if you will keep up with it. (I don't listen to my own advice and run barefoot most of the time, even at night)

Pay close attention to your joints to avoid injury. Especially pay attention to your knees. If your arches hurt, that could be your shoes.

If you are jogging on streets, try to alternate sides if you can do it safely. There can be a lot of crown in some roads, which can cause injury if you always stay on the same side.

You already know this but for completeness... Watch out for idiot drivers. Make sure you can be seen and never assume they see you, or will clear you by a reasonable distance. Personally I'm against running with headphones, your choice.

Joc4Position · Accepted Answer

Get some really good running shoes if you are going to do a lot of running. It's worth the money. I spent 160 dollars on mine. When you run do you plant your heel first or your toes first?

Run on the side of the road where cars are coming your way. Why? Well because then you can see them. Sure you can't outrun a car but it's better than being blind sided.

I wouldn't run when it's muddy and raining. Also, it's better to run on grass. It won't hurt your ankles and knees as much. Trust me on that one.

Don't run in very dark areas. Often times there may be stray dogs. If you don't mind it fine, but I don't think it's worth it.

If you do run at night wear a safety night vest.

www.primemoverworkwear.com.au/.../...2-y-front.jpg

Do NOT wear dark clothing. You want cars to be able to see you.

Bring a water bottle. I usually run with it.

justbanANNAz · Accepted Answer

great decision hun. this is actually such a good way to stay/get fit.
I'm no expert, but coming from someone who's lost a good amount of weight by running, here are my tips:

1. don't overdo it: if the session is 20mins, stick to it. increase when you are ready and no time before then.

2. switch up between walking, slow jogging and fast jogging: changing ur heart rate like that is a good way to keep ur blood pumping and it adds variety to the session.

3. focus on ur breathing: sounds stupid but it's important for endurance. for me this was a major problem at the start.

4. get wired in: you'll probably already do this, but listen to music. makes the session fun.

5. watch your diet: cliche, but diet is the hard part. keep it clean. water, fruits and veggies, lean proteins, but do not starve yourself. aim for a caloric deficit, say 2000cal, and don't go above it. I'm eating around 1200cal now. people say that's no good but I'm feeling fine, working out well and I'm getting results so idc.

hope that helps. have fun with it =] the results will come. they just need consistency and a lot of patience.

kaylaS91 · Accepted Answer

20 minute sessions 3x/week is quite a bit to start with.
Back when I picked up jogging, my boyfriend and I would hit a local running oval and jog 3/4 of it, so... roughly 600m, walk for 200m, then repeat. Till we'd hit 2-3 km of jogging. Interval training will be your best friend, building up your stamina/cardio health as you continue. It'll make coming out and jogging not quite as horrible after 1-2 weeks of doing that a couple of times per week, too.

BertMacklinFBI · Answer

good running shoes and proper running technique, it'll help protect your joints in the long run. so basically, don't be a lazy runner, don't just drag your feet along and let them pound on the ground causing major impact on your knees, pick up your feet with each stride and just gently touch the ground and push off to the next step. if you run uphill you not only burn more calories but you drastically reduce the impact to joints compared to running on a flat surface or downhill. can I start running with you? it'd be nice to have a partner. (serious) lol

WeaponZero · Answer

Use couch to 5k to start. As long as you plan on keeping it casual and not being competitive about it (competing in half marathons and marathons and such) you have a lot of freedom and don't need to follow a specialized plan. Taking it to a competitive level however forces you to follow highly specialized training plans that take away the freedom you enjoy to just go out and run whenever like a casual runner. Also: carbs are your friend. Keep hydrated. Buy specialized running shoes tailored to your stride (you'll need to get checked at a running shoe store to do it). And always remember that running is not a substitute for strength training. You need to be doing strength training as well, and take a day off running the day after doing any extremely strenuous lower body workouts.

meowcow · Answer

Run around a track to monitor your speed and distance. If you start with 20 minute sessions, see how many laps you can run. You should always be improving (more laps in 20 mins). If the number of laps run is decreasing, something's wrong.

Alternatively, I used to run 10 laps total and try to improve my time each day.

Eventually, your body will hit a sweet spot where you can maintain a certain speed indefinitely. You'll feel tired, but it is a manageable level of tiredness that doesn't get worse over time. When this happens, it's time to increase your running speed.

Dubhlann · Answer

I've been running for years... I'm not fast, I'm not good... I'm old and slow. But I run and I've done it a lot.

2 pieces of advice.

1> Good shoes.

Go to a REAL running store. They'll have a treadmill and will analyze your gait and find a shoe to fit your running style. The wrong shoe can lead to tendonitis, shin splints and/or stress fractures. I've had 2 stress fractures and they SUCK.

2> Find a race you want to train for and make that your goal... Be it a 5K or a 10K or a half marathon... I'm currently training for a half marathon in May. I've got a training schedule all worked out... Tomorrow I have a 3 mile run, Thursday a 4 mile run and Saturday a 6 mile run.

SammyGurl · Answer

Learn to stretch prior to running, as well as after. Proper hydration begins an hour or two before the workout begins. Gradually increase your time and distance. Good running shoes which reduce the impact of running on paved surfaces, get the best shoes you can afford once you're serious about running. You can get by with a medium priced shoe when you're just beginning. Supplements start taking vitamins if you are going to run regularly, your body needs extra fuel so add some extra protien and carbs.

ATPPC · Answer

1km = 70ish calories burned

Swing your arm front to back not cross body. Don't know how to describe it otherwise, you may want to do a bit more digging yourself. It makes you run slower/less efficient, and disengages your core and obliques so you don't get the toned abs runners have.

Forefoot striking reduces the amount of shock on your legs but requires stronger calf muscles. Won't be an issue after a month. It also helps you run faster. Just with all the cushiony shoes most people run on the their heals...

Expect very fast improvements, although the first two months will be extremely painful.

You will eventually reach a level of fitness where the burning lungs and the exploding heart feeling goes away and you feel like you can run forever.

timbergag · Answer

Breathing is very important thing. I focus more on that than on anything else.

Warm up a bit. Just some walking or slow running. Stretch afterwards.

The first 10 minutes you run will be pure hell. It goes away. Pain is temporary. Just keep running, provided you know your body. If you don't, you might want to slow down a bit and just gently push it.

And what NearlyNapping said is true, I started by just walking fast, until I was actually walking past some people who were running, and I just couldn't walk any faster anymore. That's when I started running.

And yes, if you're running on the street, be visible and don't wear headphones. Drivers are distracted, you need to actively make up for it and not also be distracted.

OrangeBoy · Answer

Run some seconds
walk some seconds
Run some seconds
Run some seconds
Start running little and walk more
Then run a little more, and walk less time. Until you run like a lot of minuts and just walk 1 min. Stop and start gradually, nothing sudden.

Use proper cloths and shoes.
First layer - no cotton. Let your swet evaporate.

Power walking is a great way to burn calories from fat and not muscle.
Running make you burn more muscle.
Walk slowly and faster, different levels for some seconds or min, so your body don't get used to.

Drink before and after.
Eat and wait a little before start. Watch ouytwhat you eat after.

Warm up and cooldown always. They are different.

Hans222 · Answer

Overall, when starting to do sports it's very important to start gently and listen to your body.
Once it starts to hurt, you'll feel like stopping to exercise. So take it easy and upon the first pain, go from running to walking for a minute or so. Than try to restart running at a low pace.
After a few weeks you'll automatically be running more and walking less, without feeling soar :D

MichaelJoseph89 · Answer

You won't be able to do 20 minutes at first anyways if you're heart is out of shape. Your chest is going to hurt a lot the first time. Time yourself for the 20 minutes, and alternate between jogging and walking as needed until you build up your heart strength to jog the full 20. You might even throw up if you push yourself too hard.

Makes sure you breath-in though your nose and out your mouth. Don't inhale through your mouth. Use your abdominal muscles when you exhale.

Your legs are going to have a burning sensation in your legs caused by lactic acidosis. It will go away as you get better.

Littlett25 · Answer

Instead of running for time I would try to build up how many miles you can do. Then you can do slow but long runs or short and fast without having to worry about how long you're running. Once you can run a mile or more then you can try to improve your times!

Sara413 · Answer

Buy good quality running shoes. Drink lots of water about an hour before you go and take a bit with you to stay hydrated. If you find your muscles feel weak not long into the run, try taking a magnesium supplement earlier in the day before your run. Load up some decent tunes. Use the MapMyRun app to track your runs - seeing your route gives you a sense of pride as it gets longer and longer.

OrdinaryGentleman · Answer

hahaha 20 minutes running? no no and no. You want something that is going to build habits. like above.

orphan · Answer

the hardest part is gonna be running on the days u don't feel like it. trust, they'll be plenty of those. set a firm schedule and don't allow yourself to break it.

do not fall into the mentality of running three times a week when you can and feel like it as long as it's three times a week.

goodluck wish u the best

Anonymous · Answer

Hydrate before hand.(so when you piss it should be clear not yellow)

Breathe out your nose not your mouth. Your nose will burn like hell after awhile but it's way better than have a dried out throat plus you dehydrate faster when you're huffing and puffing through your mouth. Have some good motivational songs on your phone to listen to.

ThisDudeHere · Answer

First things first, breathing is most important. The most common rookie mistake is breathing like you usually do. You don't us just the nose or just the mouth. You use both. In and out. With both.

falafelany1 · Answer

I am not a runner but I would say to stay hydrated. It is so important to eat enough and drink enough so that when you run you do not sweat out all your hydration.

rgb008 · Answer

I make playlist and find songs that have a good beat I can run to.
So I'd put maybe 4 or 5 of those in a row and then one walking/slower song.
And repeat that and eventually take away the walking songs and run it all!

JamesDylan1990 · Answer

I just started walking a month ago due to diabetes  Start with walking on your driveway or block  Then build up a run to 30 mins  Your goal should be to make it a mile or an hour of running

Anonymous · Answer

Can you currently run 3 miles without stopping, or no? It sounds like no. Which is fine. Look up 'couch to 5k' program. It's for your situation.

apple24 · Answer

You see that long side walk? RUN BITCH! HAHAH! lol Okay I am done! haha

sexcrazy1 · Answer

good running shoes, a decent warm up including stretching before the run, and a decent cool down including stretching after the run

vekin · Answer

more important then this is too listen to yoru body when it says enough, stop... drink enough and buy good runnign shoes

HaveNoName · Answer

My dear friend, please... Spend lot of time on stretching. Before and also after.

takumii · Answer

Do distance runs instead of time. And try to improve upon the time.

Marlboro_ · Answer

run? run for a reason. as if reaching for something

SunsetRose · Answer

Invest in quality shoes!

Phoenix98 · Answer

Well that kind of depends upon your goals.

Anonymous · Answer

Do you have a goal? 5K or just to run?

Cloudy25 · Answer

Remember to stretch

MoonlitSonata · Answer

Wear shoes.

Runners: Advice for beginners?

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