One of my good friends recently told me that she is interested in taking up running with a bit more regularity and seriousness. She asked what tips or advice I might dispense to a neophyte, and so I put together my best list of "dos" and "don'ts." Because it took me a bit of time to do this, and because this is a running-oriented blog, I thought I'd post a (slightly edited) copy of my email here. To the seasoned runner, this will be painfully obvious advice. But reflecting on the basics reminds me just how far I've come; I never thought, in a million years, that anyone, anywhere, would ever be asking me for advice on running.
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I am always happy when people take up running, but I totally understand that it is not for everybody. If you really enjoy schedules and group workouts, running is, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), an activity that often requires self-motivation to get out the door. Of course, you can always join a running group and/or find a few running partners, and having a race to train for is also a good motivator. But even then, running is simply not an enjoyable activity for a lot of people, and I totally understand that. But even if you don't like it, you have nothing to be afraid of in trying.
My advice would be to try to commit to it for 12 weeks. It will take at least that long for you to get comfortable and start seeing any improvements, and it will probably suck (if not hurt) a lot before that. I ran a bit around 1999-2002 -- mostly 5 to 10km but pretty slowly. I remember the first 10km I did in 2003 with a running group. After they finished ridiculing me for wearing cotton (see #6 below), I found myself at the back of the pack and barely able to keep up. When I got home, I had a shower and sat on my couch and could barely move. It was horrible. I thought I was going to die. And back when I first started running 20km+ on weekends, I'd have to sleep a couple of hours in the afternoon. I hardly (if ever) do that now, though I am pretty tired come 10 pm.
So, this is my basic running advice:
1. Start slowly. In the beginning (and the beginning might constitute months or even a year!), your focus should just be to stay on your feet and keep moving for a longer and longer period of time. Take walk breaks if you need to. Don't worry one bit about how fast you're going. When I first started, I probably could have walked faster than I was "running," but one of the things I love about running is that you see such tangible improvements if you stick at it. You'll get faster and stronger without even trying to. Only once you have been running 15 miles (~24 km) per week for a good six months will you then start to add things like intervals or pick-ups to try to get faster.
2. Don't bounce. Your running style should be more like a shuffle, because the less air you get, the less impact on your joints.
3. On anything longer than 30 minutes, bring water. Get a water belt if you need it. On runs longer than 90 minutes you'll need gels or a sports drink, but you have a way to go before you need to worry about that.
4. Increase your mileage by no more than 10% per week. Try not to run more than 4x per week -- the extra rest days are awesome (though feel free to do as much aerobic cross-training, i.e., swimming, biking, elliptical, etc., as you want on one or two of the other days). Eventually you should get your "long" run to about 60 minutes, which will be about 10 km.
5. Get good running shoes if you don't have them already. Go to a proper running store. Let them watch you run. If the shoes don't feel good, return them (all of the good stores take returns within 30 days). It probably took me a year or more of trying different models before I figured out what works for me. And even now, when they discontinue my shoe, it sometimes takes me a couple of tries before I find a suitable replacement.
6. Get good running clothes. No cotton. No chafing. I swear by BodyGlide.
7. If you feel an injury coming on, ice works magic. I cannot say that enough. Ten minutes at a time for two or three times a day cures everything from sore knees to shin splints.
Beyond that, there is not that much you need to initially learn. Running is awesome because it is one of the most accessible sports out there -- no fancy equipment like cycling, very little in the way of technique like swimming, etc. Sure, once you get more into it you can start to do different workouts, check your leg turnover, get a HR monitor, etc., but for the first six months, your goal should just be to stay on your feet and keep moving!
Again, you just have to try to stick with it before you can make a proper assessment of whether it's for you or not. When I ran my first hard 10 km in about October 2003, it felt next to impossible. In the spring of 2004 I ran my first 30 km race, and in October 2004 I ran my first marathon. And the rest is history.
Wishing you lots of luck!
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