Starting to run
People choose to run for many reasons and everyone who chooses to lace up a pair of trainers will have their own individual motivations. Whatever your aim is when you first start to run, whether it’s the occasional jog around the park to stay fit, lose weight or attend a local Parkrun, a charity race or even take on the challenge of a marathon, you will have to start somewhere.
Begin with your ultimate goal, see it, imagine how it will feel to achieve it and how it will make a difference then take a step back and work out a few stages along the way. Break that goal into smaller goals like factoring in pit-stops on a long journey. Striving for the ultimate goal too soon, setting your expectations too high is setting yourself up to fail. Setting smaller goals and meeting them will act show you your progression. Chart this progression. Write down what you’ve achieved in each session, how you felt, how far you got, how long you were out. This makes it easier to look back at how far you’ve improved, it’ll all be there in black and white, as proof of your achievement.
Next, take action, work out how you are going to fit this into your day. Make a date with yourself and keep it and if you miss it or don’t quite achieve the desired outcome, re-evaluate, don’t give up. Make a new plan. If you find you can’t motivate yourself then run with friends. Shared encouragement might be just what you need when you find yourself falling behind.
So now you have your gear, your motivation, your goal, what next?
In the early days you should aim to walk-run around three times a week and then once your body becomes used to it you can, if you want to, increase the frequency.
Take a few minutes to warm up with a bit of brisk walking and gentle jogging.. maybe this is all you can manage at first but that’s OK. Build up gradually. Allow your body to slowly adapt to the new demands. It may be that you just just go slightly faster than walking pace from one lamp post to the next, walk for a bit and then do it again. Within a matter of weeks, if you are consistent, I guarantee that you will be able to jog between two, three, then four lamp posts and before you know it, you’ll no longer be thinking about it.. just doing it.
Go at your own pace and just because it’s called running it doesn’t have to be all out, gasping for breath like a pack of wolves is chasing you running.. just a bit more than walking pace. In the beginning you shouldn’t really be pushing beyond a pace at which you can’t hold a conversation. You may feel a little out of breath and this is normal but if you find yourself getting uncomfortable, slow down.
Above all, when starting out, don’t be too ambitious. Allow yourself the time to improve. You will improve.
