How strategy made me a great runner

6 months ago, I couldn't even run 3k without being completely out of breath, energy or inspiration to ever go out running again. Today, I aim for the Berlin half-marathon in end of March. I really think i can go 21k, like really.

Have you just started running & have the same issues that I had? Then maybe these tips can help you (or hopefully inspire you!).

In order to start you need to do 5 things.
1. Define if you are aiming to be a fast runner, or a long-distance runner. With training you will be able to do both, but its a good idea to start with one of them.
2. Sign up for a race. Give yourself time to grow with the art of running, but as with any job; its quite hard to stay motivated without any deadlines. There are so many races all around the world and a good start could be a 5k, 10k or 16k.
3. Buy great shoes! This is how you will look after your knees.
4. Have an interactive coach that guide you on speed and distance. This way you can focus on the Now, as well as analysing your data afterwards to understand what you can do differently the next time around.
5. Be consistent. I run every 48h. That really helps the mind to adjust.

So, now you have decided what kind of runner you are, when you are going to reach your goal and how you are getting there.

As a beginner, I just ran & ran. as quick as I could. But by using the 5 steps above, I decided that I wanted to be able (for the first time in my life) to run 10k, I signed up for a race 3 months ahead of me and I invested in great shoes (yes, adidas, of course).

When constantly being out of breath, I decided to change strategy. With the help of my interactive coach, I reflected on how I run and realised that it went too fast for my capacity.
I started slowing down (allow yourself to run maybe 7min/km in the beginning) & took a 30 second break every 2km. Eventually you can skip one of those breaks and decrease the time/km. Almost instantly, I saw a change in my running data, as well as the distance I could manage.

A friend of mine asked me the other day, how I decided to become a runner. And it was as simple as; I wanted to be able to exercise and still be energised enough to do something afterwards (not just lay on the couch). With the help of more clear, strategic thinking, I have managed to incorporate running as being a natural part of my life.

The tipping point for me (and I never thought this would help) but I only breath through my nose. By closing the mouth, my endurance have developed and become almost 100 percent, which is amazing. For about 3 months, I ran almost 30k/week and my only enemy at the end of that period was my hip. To strengthen the muscles remember to also exercise in the gym frequently so that your core can help support the knees, feet and hip.

With a lot of motivation it took me 1,5 month to reach my 10k goal, which allowed me to work on the speed prior to the race I signed up for. First time I ran the distance on 01:08:00. At the race, 28th September 2014, I ran 10k on 00:58:50, which was 10 whole minutes faster. YAY!

This will sound very corny, but running has changed many parts of my life. I sleep better, I feel lighter, my skin is clearer and living in such a dark part of the world (most of the time), the air just help me become more focused.
However, running is a challenge and you need to keep pushing yourself to reach you end-goal and get that ROI that you put in. There will be days when everything just sucks & the last thing you want is to get yourself out there. My advice? Just go!

Some speedy numbers:
- You put 20x your weight every time you put down your feet by running. Thats quite a lot of weight over the course of a marathon…
- Drink 1L more then usual on your running day. Then you wont de-hydrate as fast out in the tracks.
- If you run for 30 min, you will have time to listen to 1/2 podcast or 8 songs. Thats nothing, huh?
Let me know how you are holding up!
With Love,
Matilda /Twitter