Start training
If you prepare before running and start it right, it is easy and you’ll enjoy your success.
You might bore easily and become discouraged if you start off improperly. Many people who start their adventure improperly quit because of it, not because running isn’t suitable for them.
The basic rules given below should help the beginners. If you follow these rules, your training will be effective and pleasant and will bring benefits without any unpleasant side effects.
Warm up
You should start every training with a warm up. Warming up is a fundamental part of every physical exercise, and running is no exception.
The warm up will prepare your tendons and muscles - this way you can avoid injuries and contusions, which are bound to happen if you overtrain your muscles without the warm up. A fifteen-minute walk is a great way to warm up before running, after that you can move on to slow running.
You can also check out our entire warm-up plan. Just check our Warm-up Before Running.
Don’t run too fast
A fast pace isn’t good for a beginner. When it comes to aerobic training, we run rather slowly.
You don’t have to force the pace of the training, even if you think that you don’t run fast enough. You should be able to have a short conversation while running, even when you are breathing rapidly. It’s called a “conversation pace,” and it’s the best way to run for people who want to lose weight.
Keeping this pace doesn’t overstrain the heart, and the blood is pumping enough oxygen to the muscles. This way you won’t pant during running, and you’ll be able to make progress pretty quickly.
Don’t train too often in the beginning
You don’t have to - and you shouldn’t - train every day.
Start with three times a week and remember to have at least a one-day break between sessions. The breaks will help to regenerate your body. If you train regularly you’ll see the effects and start making progress. Running every day will only overexert you and put you in danger of injury and leg pain.
You should increase the frequency of your training after a few months to half a year of systematic exercise. By then your body should be used to more frequent effort.
Count minutes, not miles
When you start your adventure with running, the distance isn’t important. What counts the most is the duration! Remember to run constantly for some time, don’t pay attention to the distance you’ve run. Don’t plan that you’ll do, for example, 5 laps around the block, but plan to run for 40 minutes every time you train (doesn’t matter what distance it will be). You can start looking at distance when you are an experienced runner.
So, to sum up, the longest constant run is the most important. If you feel like you are about to start panting, slow down. There’s no sense overexerting yourself because it will only cause you to stop. It’s better to slow down a little and regain your breath.
If, during a run, you cannot catch your breath, slow down to a walking pace and walk until you regain your breath. Then you can start running again. Just remember to be calm. Mix walking with running and systematically decrease the time of walking and increase the time of running. This is the key to successful running.
Our “40-minute training” is perfect for beginners. This training will help you to get your body used to a constant run, which will last an even forty minutes.
Walk after running
You cannot just stop running. Don’t interrupt the exercise by completely stopping. During running a bigger amount of blood goes into legs because the muscles need more oxygen for the duration of training. When you run, muscles help the heart pump blood by clenching and unclenching. When you suddenly stop running, the heart has to work more intensively to pump out the blood accumulated in the legs.
You should decrease the exertion little by little. After running, move on to walking, and walk until your breath calms and your leg muscles relax. This usually takes about ten minutes.
Don’t overexert yourself
Being systematic is the key to success. Don’t overtrain yourself because you won’t have the energy for a couple of days or you’ll simply injure yourself. Run regularly, and you’ll derive satisfaction and advantages from it.