Man jogging through the countryside

Five Top Tips To Start Running

There are so many benefits from running but getting started isn’t always easy. Whether you’ve taken a break from running and are looking to don your workout trainers once more, or are taking up running for the first time, these tips can help. 

  1. Make It Into A Habit

The first step is to start, and then to continue. It’s easy to throw in the towel after a week or so, but building running into part of your weekly routine means that it becomes easier on the days when you don’t have that motivation or willpower. Make it easier by giving yourself mental ques, like leaving your trainers by the front door, or running instead of walking the dog at a set time each day. Running at the same time each day is a simple way to build running into your routine. Another way to hold yourself accountable is to run with a friend – set up a specific day to run with them, it can make it more enjoyable too!

  1. Start Off Small

The key is baby steps, or strides. If you try to increase your distance or speed too quickly, you’ll run out of steam – quite literally. Whilst it’s important to set goals, it’s equally as important not to push yourself too hard, as this can lead to injury. Many of us have found this out the hard way.  

  1. Set Yourself Goals

Having a goal to keep you motivated is a great way to stay consistent with running. Whether it be a race that you’re training for or a personal distance goal, like couch to 5k, these goals will keep you focused. Having a race date to work towards is a great motivator and may push you that little bit extra. Using an app to track your progress can also be helpful. There are so many free running apps available. Map My Run and Strava are a couple of the most popular ones. These are the apps populating your Instagram feed with screenshots of people’s route round their local park – and soon they could be showing yours too!

  1. Create A Training Plan

This doesn’t have to be an extensive plan but allocate yourself a few days of the week to run and try to stay consistent. For example, you may want to train three days a week and allocate one of those days to a longer distance run. Remember to incorporate rest days.

  1. Make Use Of The Run – Walk Method

When starting out you don’t have to go full speed ahead. Combining running and walking, as is advised in couch to 5k, is a great way to get started. So that you don’t get bored, try switching up your route every so often.

 

There are our top tips for getting started! If you found this helpful then go check out our post on the core vitamins every runner needs – don’t forget to tag us on Instagram so we can see how you get on!

 

 

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