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Beginners, A Basic Guide to Starting Out.

121K views 164 replies 124 participants last post by  DevRunTech 
#1 ·
Stage 1- Before You Run

There are a couple of things to consider before you start putting one foot in front of the other. Running puts a lot of stress on your body and some preparation now will help to keep you injury free.

Trainers: There is one piece of equipment essential to running and that is your trainers. The correct style of trainers will help you to run in the most efficient style for your foot type. This in turn reduces the stresses on other parts of the body and reduces the risk of sports related injury. The best way to determine the right trainers is to visit a specialist running store where they can analyse your 'gait'. Essentially this means they look at how you move and will then suggest the correct type of trainer. Shops very rarely charge for this advice, but would hope that you purchase at least your first pair of trainers from them.

For women: There is one other item; a properly fitted sports bra. Whatever your shape a sports bra will help ensure your comfort and avoid long term damage and stretching. As with the trainers it is worth getting yourself sized properly as the fit is essential to offering proper support.

That is about all you need to get started. In time you will probably purchase sport specific clothing and there are no end of technical gadgets available, but all that can wait until you have some miles under your belt. The first thing to do is get out there and have a go.


Stage 2 - The First Steps.

Many people make the mistake of going for their first run. It may be you already have a level of core fitness due to doing other forms of sport or returning to running after a sabatical. If this is the case feel free to move on to Stage 3. However, if you have not done much exercise in the past few years then this can be quite a shock to the body. As a result, having run as fast as they can for a few yards people can return home convinced that running is not for them.

The majority of new runners are starting from a low fitness base and it is important that the body has time to adapt. A good way of doing this is by starting off run/walking.

To run/walk you start by setting a goal time frame, let us say 20 minutes:

Week one you walk (briskly) for 4 minutes and run (gently) for 1 minute. Repeated four times and you have reached your 20 minute goal. Try this three or four times in a week, whichever you are comfortable with.

Week two you walk for 3 minutes and run for 2 minutes. Repeated four times and you have reached your 20 minute goal. Try this three or four times in a week, whichever you are comfortable with.

Week three you walk for 2 minutes and run for 3 minutes. Repeated four times and you have reached your 20 minute goal. Try this three or four times in a week, whichever you are comfortable with.

Week four you walk for 1 minute and run for 4 minutes. Repeated four times and you have reached your 20 minute goal. Try this three or four times in a week, whichever you are comfortable with.

Week five you run for the full twenty minutes. Try this three or four times in a week, whichever you are comfortable with. Now you are a runner!

If at the end of any week you are not confident that you are ready to move on don't be afraid to repeat the week you have just done. Remember everyone is different and by progressing at your own pace you will minimise the risk of injury.


Stage 3 - Building Up Mileage.

One of the biggest mistakes a new runner can make is to get carried away. Once you can run continuously there is a natural temptation to run more often and further than ever before.

What you have to remember is that whilst you might have the desire, your body will still be adjusting to the increase in exercise and it is at this time that you are most at risk of suffering an overuse injury.

My suggestion would be to start by increasing the distance of just one of your weekly runs and even shortening other runs so your overall mileage stays similar. Once you can comfortably repeat a schedule over a number of weeks then you can increase the distance or frequency again. Always in small stages.

It is also worth looking at other non-impact forms of exercise such as swimming or cycling. This will assist you in improving your core fitness and improve your ability to run, whilst allowing adequate recovery time between runs.

Another way of increasing your motivation is to join a club. Find a local running club and you will find a network of people who will get you running when maybe you don't want too.

Don't forget to keep us posted on your progress. Reading about your small steps helps encourage other people to have a go.



NB: This beginners guide is for information only. It does not constitute professional advice. Please consult your doctor before undertaking any exercise in excess of your current level of activity. If you think there is anything that wants adding to this guide please send me a PM.
 
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#4 ·
Just out of interest, did any one here actually go to their GP before they took up running?

As I see my doctor/nurse on a regular basis it was no problem mentioning I was going to add running to my exercise routine. However, is it the done thing to make an appointment with your GP just to ask them to check you out and give you the green light?

Please note that this is in no way a criticism of the above guide which is excellent.
 
#5 ·
I didn't go to my GP to ask about this specifically, but since I've repeatedly been told I need to do more exercise, even when I was doing five 40min+ sessions a week (classic GP assumption that overweight=couch potato), I felt that was all I needed!

Quite frankly, unless you have any real issues with your health that mean you need to be careful, I think you're unlikely to get anything other than the standard "do more exercise" mantra. I suppose you might get a blood pressure check, but since the standard response to (slightly) high blood pressure, in my experience and that of my family, is "do more exercise" I'm not sure what the point would be!
 
#11 ·
thanks for that, it was pretty much what I was thinking.I've heard so many people say they love running when they get into it, and I'd love to be that person.however, I've always joked that I'm not built for running ( being 32F) but I think I was just using it as an excuse..lol
I've signed up to the race for life in May, and while that may not sound like much of a goal to some, at this point I can't imagine being able to run ( or even jog) continuosly for 5km.
however, I do walk about 15 to 20 miles aweek with my dog and I'm determined to do this....so, fingers crossed......
 
#16 ·
I'll take advantage of the fact that this thread is back at the top of the page to share my " progress "

I started to follow this programm few weeks ago with a willing but unfit and overweight friend.

The first two weeks we ran on a local beach (I thought it would be safer for our joints) and the programm was working for both of us despite my friend suffering from a small pain in his calves. Unfortunately, my running partner was then told by a friend of his that it was much harder to run on sand than on the road and he insisted that we ran the next run on the road.

As I had feared, my running partner is not able to run much anymore as he suffers from pain in the calfes, knees and lower back :(.

However, we have found a temporary solution;) : I continue with the program (week four) and he joins me but while we do the walking part together, when it is time for the running part, he climbs on his bike and cycle gently enough not to hurt himself anymore:d.

I really hope we can continue that way as I am not ready yet to go running on my own but I am even less ready to stop running:).
 
#18 ·
In fact my friend used to be my hillwalking partner and one condition for him to start running was that we continue walking every other day.

What we plan to do at the moment is to give him a few days or weeks to recover and when he feels ok, we will use what now is my day off running (and our day walking) for him to start the programm from the beginning once more;).

By then, I hope to be fit enough to be able to run a few times one minutes with him on my rest day.

My friend had really started to enjoy running when he hurt himself and he really wants to try again but this time he'll know the risks and get the right shoes and start again by doing most of the running on softer ground.
 
#22 ·
Once you are running continuously you need to decide on your goals. It may be a particular distance, time or weight goal.

At this point google becomes your friend as there are many running schedules out there which will steer you towards a given goal. Alternatively you can just run as you feel :)

As to food, in the early stages there is no need to change your diet.
 
#23 ·
Thanks so much for this guide - I have recently decided to take up jogging to increase my general fitness and lose abit of weight (a slight belly from overindulgence needs to be kept in check!) and didn't really know the best place to start.

Before reading this forum I'd completed my first run (11 minutes of constant jogging, 9 minutes of walking afterwards to cool down) but will start the program you've suggested and build up more slowly.

Any suggestions on good trainer shops in central london, and how much do trainers usually cost?

Thanks!
 
#24 ·
Welcome to RF HAC.

Can't answer the shop question but shoes will cost from £50 ...and more likely closer to £70-£80. Can cost a lot more if you want to go for the all singing variety.

Following the guide is a good idea..sure you'll be minus the belly in no time!!
 
#27 ·
Though it could equally be argued that by starting from scratch and only doing little jogs with walk breaks you'd be less likely to pick up an injury, as muscles, joints, bones etc would all be eased in gradually. Cardio sometimes being less of an issue in the early days than getting everything else used to pounding the streets.

Taking it right back to one minute of running at a time might be a bit extreme though!
 
#26 ·
Hrun I have to say that this was an awesome idea of yours. Really informative and so forth. I think that if this was here last year I'd have done even better. That said, I think my brother may be wanting to do some running (do something about his ever expanding beer belly :lol:) and I shall point him in this general direction, maybe even print it off for him!

Great work.

HAC: I'm with RS on this. Going to the beginning of the program would be going backwards. Maybe start a little later in the program?
 
#29 ·
hi thanks for all your tips I am starting tomorrow, and I am really looking forward to it, im doing in honour of my brother who died at 43 because he did i am very proud of what my brother acieved in his short life he did the potteries marathon 3 times and was a 3rd dan blackbelt in ju - jitsu, he died of cancer so I want to raise money for cnacer uk and crohns diesese as my grandson has just been diagnosed with this. so thanks again for the help will keep you posted of my progress, wish me luck.. Val
 
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