Running for Beginners: The Easiest Way to Start Running (4 page)

Don’t let anything get in the way of your running. Schedule your running days and make arrangements around them. Obviously things do crop up but if you make a fixed schedule – i.e. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, it is far easier to get in to a routine and to work your days activities around your runs.

Having something to aim for is a great way to make sure you stick to a program. Enter a race and tell people that you intend to enter it, by telling people it will make you far more likely to put in the effort to run that race. Even better than that, is to enter a race and run for charity – you’ll be even less inclined to pull out of the run at the last minute when you see how much money you could raise for charity and how many people have put their faith in you. The program outlined in the book will get you running three miles (about five kilometres) in 12 weeks, so why not enter a 5k race 12 weeks from now?

They say that variety is the spice of life and variety certainly will keep you running for longer and more consistently. Prepare at least three different routes, you can even run each one of your running loops in reverse sometimes just to give a little more variation, you’ll be surprised how much of a difference it makes. Having a number of routes to run will keep your runs less predictable and give you the motivation to go out. At least once a week (if you drive) I would recommend that you drive somewhere and run in a totally different place. You will be amazed at how easily you can run the same distance in a different place with different things to see.

Nobody sets out to get injured and accidents do happen, but there are many injuries that occur which could have been easily prevented. The best way to stay injury free is to always; warm up, cool down and stretch. Varying the surface that you run on helps, running on grass or soft ground is much better for your joints, so if you live in the city try to do at least one run a week on softer ground.

When you get to the program section of this book I would recommend that you make yourself a chart so that you can put a tick next to the run when you have completed it. If you go to
http://Running4b.com
you can download a chart already prepared and ready to print so that you can monitor your runs and progression.

Many people that start running are extremely self-conscious and I can sympathise with this as I was also self-conscious when I started running. However, I can assure you that the more you run, the less self-conscious you will become. The only people that will be judging you are those that are non-runners or people that are envious of you doing something to improve yourself so don’t let them hold you back.

So what do I recommend when you are starting running?

Many people would say just to get on with it and run where you want to and to keep your head held high. It can be difficult though, as self-consciousness is a very big obstacle to overcome not to mention getting out of the door to do your run in the first place. If you are self-conscious I would recommend that you go and find a field to run around – there are many school fields that are open to the public and you’ll find that if you go early in the morning you will rarely encounter anybody. Going out running anywhere in the morning is generally good solution to this problem –earlier the better as you will see less people. I would like to stress though, that the further you can run, the less self-conscious you will become and soon you’ll be able to run where and when you want to, so don’t get too bogged down with fighting self-consciousness.

In the summer months hay fever is the bane of my life. In addition to over-the-counter nasal sprays and eye drops I have found that wearing a pair of sunglasses and putting a couple of dabs of Vaseline under each nostril seem to reduce the effects of hay fever.

Running isn’t just a case of putting one foot in front of another, sure it works, but you can make it easier on yourself. When I started running I was given the advice to “relax.” My heads initial response to that was how the hell can I relax when I’m gasping for air! Ironically, it is the best bit of advice I was given and for that reason it is also the best advice I could give. The more you run the easier it is to relax.

You were probably expecting to read about stride and how your legs should be moving. The reality is that your legs do what they do, so instead of starting at your feet we’ll start at your head and work down the body.

Whatever you do, don’t run gazing at the floor like Eeyore, look forwards and that’s where you’ll go. Keep looking down and you’ll soon feel the fatigue in your neck and back as it is out of alignment – this will also help with self-confidence.

For me, it is my shoulders that give me the most trouble when I’m running. The more tired I get the nearer they seem to get to my ears. This isn’t good, as it means I’m not relaxed and they are very tense. The best way that I have found to keep my shoulders relaxed and my head up straight is to imagine that I am a puppet and have a piece of string pulling me up from the crown of my head. If you can picture this, it will mean that; your back is nice and straight, your neck is in alignment with your back, your eyes are looking forwards and your shoulders are hanging low and relaxed. Although simple, the importance of this ‘image’ is important as it brings your torso and hips in their natural alignment.

I’m the worlds worst for not swinging my arms with some purpose whilst running. When I think about it and actually start using them, I run much better and I find it easier too, so always remember to use your arms. The text book form for your arms when running is to have your forearms and upper arms at a 90
^o
angle, your hands should be around the same height as your navel. When you swing your arms they should move from your shoulders. Everybody is slightly different but try to swing your arms front to back and not across your body. Also, be conscious of where your hands are as the more tired you get, your hands will creep up higher along with your shoulders.

Your legs really do what they want to do naturally, and it extremely difficult to make them do something different – that’s why there are so many running shoes on the market to suit your style. The best advice I can give about your legs whilst running is to try and keep the motion smooth. A smooth motion means an efficient motion.

Figure 6 shows the ideal running posture.

Before we get to the ‘main’ running program you need to know that each time you go out running your session will comprise of:

1. A warm up.

2. The main running session.

3. A cool down.

4. Stretches.

This means that although the program is designed to get you running for 30 minutes continuously, you should allow for 45 minutes in total. This will include; a five minute warm up, a five minute cool down and five minutes of stretching. These are not optional and if you are pushed for time then cut your run short so that you can fit in a proper warm up and cool down and complete your stretches -these are far more important.

Every run, regardless of the duration will start off with a warm up. I always like to run in the morning, so I’ll get up and get out of the house as quickly as I can. My warm up consists of a slow walk for about a minute followed by a brisk walk that increases in pace until I’m almost running (but not looking stupid!). I do this for at least five minutes – if you have the time and/or patience, longer is better.

After you’ve warmed up properly you’ll be ready for your running session of the day. The whole program is detailed in the next chapter – The Running4B Program

If you follow your running plan for the day correctly, you will always end on a run interval so you will then do a five minute cool down after your last run. The cool down consists of walking for five minutes, again longer is better if you’ve got the time. If you plan your run correctly, you should end up finishing where you started and that means by default you should end up five minutes’ walk away from your front door.

Many people think that a cool down isn’t necessary but it is essential to reduce muscle soreness that can follow a tough workout. A cool down is also a good way to reduce the possibility of you feeling dizzy. Finishing abruptly after a fast run (or more exertion than you are used to) can lead to blood pooling in your legs which reduces blood flow to the heart and brain. Keeping walking at the end your run will keep your blood circulating and therefore reduce the probabilities of this happening.

Once you are back at home you can begin stretching. I’ll be honest; this is the worst bit of any run for me. I hate stretching, unfortunately though, it’s absolutely necessary. I have forgotten to stretch a few times and for days after my muscles are sore and stiff. So don’t forget!

My stretching routine has served me well, I mainly focus on my legs but throw in an upper body stretch for good measure and to keep my shoulders and back loose.

I always start my stretching session with my legs because your upper body will also get inadvertently stretched. Your legs are made up of four main muscle groups that need to be stretched – these are your; quadriceps (the front of your thighs), hamstrings (the back of your thighs), groin and calves.

Please Note: Never stretch beyond your limit, only stretch to a comfortable point.

I always start with my hamstrings, Figure 7 show the stretch that I do. I do not have very flexible hamstrings and my lower back is not great either, so this method of stretching allows me to hold the stretch for longer without putting excessive strain on my lower back.

You are going to stretch your hamstrings one at a time so we’ll start with your left leg. Sit on the floor facing an open doorway - sit towards the left hand side of the door. Lie down on your back and lift your left leg so that it rests against the door frame. Keep your other leg flat on the floor and don’t arch your back. You should find that you feel the back of your leg being stretched, hold the stretch for 30 – 60 seconds and then repeat it for your right leg. It’s very easy to hold your breath whilst stretching but you must breathe and relax in to the stretch.

At first you may find that you have to lie quite a way from the door frame to get your leg up against it. You will see that the angle between you thigh and body is greater the further away from the door you are. The more flexible you become the closer you will be able to get to the door frame and you are aiming to get the angle between your body and thigh to be 90 degrees. Once you can easily do this, you will need to seek out some other stretches to keep your hamstrings flexible.

Groin Stretch