Tips and resources for new runners

A while back I was asked by a member of BlackGirlsRun Cleveland to post some tips for folks who are just starting out with running. While I don’t do too much running these days (because I have 0 time with med school and all and I’m focusing on aesthetics more than cardiovascular fitness these days) I think these tips are pretty good so I thought I’d share them here also.

 

1-    Start off slowly:

1. Your pace as a beginner should be “conversational” this means that you should be able to run and talk at the same time if you had to. While you should have an increased heart and respiratory rate (it is exercise after all), you shouldn’t be gasping for air, or completely out of breath at any point. If you begin to feel this way, slow down.
2. Walk breaks are ok. If you need a break, take it. Over time, you’ll find that your break-less intervals grow longer and longer.
3. As a beginner you’re just trying to build an endurance base, so don’t worry too much about mileage or pace. *A good goal is to be able to run (at whatever pace) for 30 minutes without stopping.* Once you’re there, you can choose to focus on distance or time for your next goal. Your goal could be totally different, and that’s ok. There are many people who have no desire to be able to run for an hour straight without taking walk breaks. For these people distance is a goal (i.e. they want to be able to run 10 miles or just complete a 1/2 marathon). This said, it’s perfectly ok to continue to be a run/walker. Continue to listen to your body and set realistic goals for yourself. Take walk breaks when you need/want them!

2-    Distractions are a good thing:

Truth is, running kind of hurts when you first start. You’re breathing heavy. You’re making extra demands on your muscles. Its hard for everyone to get out of bed in the morning, lace up their sneaks and run…especially in the cold. Everyone, even great runners have a voice in their head that says “Why the hell are you doing this.” Distractions are great for beginners because they get your body used to the activity of running and will help you establish the routine without feeling miserable. The time will fly by if you’re having fun or listening to songs you like.

1. Run with a buddy and talk. Your ideal running buddy is slightly faster than you, is motivating and is the type of person who is going to annoy the heck out of you if you flake on a morning run.
2. Run in a nice area and get lost in the scenery. I use the scenery on our group runs to also mark my progress and keep me going. When I feel like stopping or slowing down I’ll say “ok just to this tree then you can stop” then when I get to the tree I say “just to the big rock”, or “just to the top of the hill.” Before you know it you have bribed yourself to the finish.
3. Run with music (not too loud if you’re running through the streets – you want to be able to hear approaching traffic and weirdos)
4. Once you’ve established running as a habit, you might find that you can let some of the distractions go.

3-    Record your progress:

Recording your daily/weekly/monthly progress will motivate you tremendously.

1. I use dailymile.com and my nike+ to record progress – on both of thee you can keep track of workouts, distance, pace, times, incline, calories burned, how you’re feeling, etc…
2. Other resources: myfitnesspal.com;  smartcoach from runner’s world

4-    Comfort is really important:

If you are uncomfortable, you are going to be less likely to run for a long period of time.

1. Get fitted for appropriate running shoes asap! You can do this at running stores like second sole (Lyndhurst) and foot solutions (off Chagrin in Beachwood). I usually let the people there tell me what kind of shoes I need and then go off on an internet hunt to find the shoes at a cheaper price (do this if you don’t have money to blow on often overpriced shoes at the running store).
2. You can get a good estimate of your foot/shoe needs by just determining your own pronation. Runnersworld has an awesome link for this à

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-319-327-7727-0,00.html

Once you know your pronation you can use the runners world shoe finder to find a shoe that might suit your needs à

http://www.runnersworld.com/shoeadvisor

3.  Dress appropriately for the sweating and the weather. Wear moisture wicking fabrics close to your skin. Cotton is an enemy if you sweat a lot. This includes cotton undies. You don’t want to find out the hard way when you have equivalent of a rug burn on your nether regions from chaffing. Dressing for cold weather running will come from experience. You won’t really know if a certain amount of clothing is going to be enough or too much until you’re actually out there. Remember you’ll warm up within the first mile so don’t overdo it with the layering unless you want to carry all of that stuff around with you for the rest of your run.

4.  Make sure you go to the bathroom before you run. By this I mean #1 and #2. This is advice that an experienced runner on dailymile gave to me and as unpleasant as it is to discuss, it’s a pretty good tip. The #1 thing is understandable. Using port-a-potties is the epitome of gross. As for #2, if you’re constipated or have sluggish bowel habits, you will likely have more side-stitch pain than you would if the pipes were clean.

5-    Hydration and Electrolytes:

1. Pretty self explanatory, drink water. You should drink at least 2 liters of actual water/day. This should be your minimum water goal. In addition, you should be water drinking whenever you are thirsty.
2. Drinking water while running is a matter of personal need and preference. If you find that you are becoming thirsty on a run, it’s a good idea to bring a water bottle and sip during your breaks in the workout.
3. If you’re sweating a lot (because it’s hot or because you’re in beastmode!) then you need to make sure you replenish your electrolytes as well. Most people overdo it on the sports drinks. You should not need a Gatorade/powerade BEFORE a run or when you are not working out. These should be reserved for during/after high intensity exercise to replenish electrolytes that are lost through sweating. Also keep in mind the caloric content of your sports drink and don’t forget to log that as part of your daily calorie consumption if weight loss is your goal.

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/exercises/drinking-gatorade-vs-drinking-water-during-sports-games.html

6-    Eat Real food:

1. Don’t diet. Fad diets (cabbage diet, lemonade diet, severe carb restricting diets) usually will lack some of the macro and micro nutrients that you need when embarking upon a fitness regimen. What I like to do is “eat sensibly.” Your meal at whatever time should contain some protein (eggs, chicken, fish, tofu, nuts/nutbutters), lots of green veggies (green ketchup doesn’t count), and some starch (brown rice, potatoes, whole grains). I don’t believe in deprivation because for me it makes me binge eat. If I know I can’t have a snickers bar every now and then, I’ll find myself one day devouring a king sized snickers and a snickers blizzard in the same setting just to satisfy a craving…no bueno!
2. There’s a misconception that people who run frequently will not gain weight. Runners, especially beginner runners often overestimate their calorie burn and assume they can eat whatever they want all the time. A 6 mile run at 11 minute pace will burn about 800 calories for a 140lb person. If you eat fully loaded burrito from chipotle. Your calorie balance is still +200-500 calories, so you basically “undid” your run and still are down 200 calories for the day in terms of what you can eat. If you go ham at every meal, you’ll find yourself gaining weight despite your running efforts. If weight loss is your goal, make sure you continue to eat sensibly, despite the fact that you’re working out really hard and have a few extra calories to consume. Keep your treats for the weekends, or have them in small calorie controlled portions once or twice a day. If you’re undure, track your calories for a while using myfitnesspal or a similar program. You will see that your workouts give you a longer leash, but you still have to maintain a little discipline.
3. Running can also lower your immune system. One of the reasons that running is a great exercise is that it calls on virtually all parts of your body to work. This in effect weakens the immune system for the 24-48hr period right after a hard run. Make sure your diet is rich in antioxidants, fiber, and anti-inflammatory nutrients so that you don’t immobilize yourself with a cold.  The best sources of these things are fruits, veggies (corn is not considered a vegetable for these purposes), whole grains, and legumes (beans, lentils, raw or roasted/unsalted nuts).

7-    Set Goals:

Running for no reason or just because you can is awesome, but truth be told most people will do better with concrete goals.

1. Weight loss: If this is your goal, pick a realistic weight and time frame (1-2lbs a week). Then set a running schedule that will help you to meet these goals. For example you can say that you’re going to run/walk 3 miles a day, 4-5 times a week until you reach that particular weight loss goal
2. Couch to 5K. Even if you’re new to the sport, you can progress from a couch potato to a 5K runner in as little as 8 weeks!!! That means in 2 months, you can race a 5K, running the whole time. Check out the couch to 5K program if you’re completely new to running/walking or want a program to take you from walking to running for 30 minutes straight

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtm

3.  Racing: Having a 5K, 10K or ½ marathon that you’re training for is a great motivator to actually run. If you’re going to use a race as your goal, put the race on your calendar (Same one you use for personal and work obligations). Also sign up for the race as soon as possible. After you have paid your money, you’re going to work that much harder to make sure that you get your moneys worth out of the experience.

8-    Training plans:

1. If you’re doing a race, you need to devise, inherit, buy, or find a training plan. I use smartcoach on runner’s world. It’s a free application on runnersworld.com

http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/smartcoach/1,7148,s6-238-277-278-0-0-0,00.html

To use the smartcoach program, you have to first time yourself running a mile at a perceived race pace. This is one full mile without stopping for any rest intervals. If you have to stop, do not stop the timer on the treadmill or whatever device you are using. Then you click on “new plan” and follow the instructions for entering data (how many miles you want to run per week, the date of your race, etc…). The smartcoach will generate a program and give you exact distances and paces for running.

1. Hal Higdon also has ½ marathon and marathon training programs for various levels of experience.

5K training plans: http://www.halhigdon.com/5K%20Training/index.htm

10K training plans:

http://www.halhigdon.com/10ktraining/10kintro.htm

15K training plans:

http://www.halhigdon.com/15Ktraining/GateIntro.htm

½ marathon training plans:

http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/

marathon training plans:

http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Mar00index.htm

 

9-    Consistency is everything

You have to stick with it. It’s amazing how quickly you’ll gain strength and speed. It’s also amazing how out of shape you’ll feel after just a few months of slacking off. Set up a goal get a training plan and make sure you move every day.

 

10-Cross Training

1. It’s important to give your legs a rest, so cross training with non weight bearing cardio is good to do every now and then. Elliptical and the bike are most common for runners.
2. Yoga and pilates are great for flexibility and core stability. You especially want a strong core to improve you posture and running efficiency and having flexibility in the hips will prevent injury and increase your speed over time.
3. Weight training is also great. Make sure you do full body weight training, because believe it or not, tired arms or rear deltoids from pumping back and forth for an hour will slow down your pace.

11- Change is good

After a few months on a particular program or in a particular routine, you’ll stop reaping the same calorie burn and cardiovascular benefit. Your muscles will get used to the exercise and your body as a unit will learn to execute the movements more efficiently. To combat this, it’s good to switch up your routines every now and then. Change the course or the terrain on which you run to engage different leg muscles. Try adding speed work (temp runs, fartleks, track sprints).

 

12- Run through the pain or give it a rest?

1. As a new runner, you’re going to feel soreness in your muscles. This is lactic acid buildup and muscle tears from working out. It’s supposed to happen. If you feel sore and a run is scheduled for that day, you can still do the run. After you get started the soreness will dissipate.
2.  Pain – excruciating pain, or nagging pain with every step while running is not something you should be running through. If you feel actual pain  – in your joints, or muscles and it doesn’t go away within a few minutes of warming up, then you should stop and go see a doctor to make sure nothing is injured.
3. Stretching after a run is essential to preventing injury. You want to make sure you get the major muscle groups – hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, groin area and gluts/hips. Hold each stretch for a count of 10 and do not bounce in the stretch. Try not to lock your knees out while stretching.
4. Foam rolling also helps relieve pain from running injuries and prevent future injuries. If you buy a foam roller it will likely come with exercises and stretches you can do on it. This (myofacial release) hurts more than static stretching. The hurt is akin to what you feel during a deep tissue massage – a good hurt.
5. Ice Ice Baby: If you do have pain in your joints or shins during or after a run, it’s a good idea to ice the area down for 10-15 minutes a few times a day until the pain is gone. A lot of the pain is from inflammation and cooling down the area will decrease the inflammation.
6. Doctors: If you do get injured, make sure you tell your doctor you’re a runner. Best-case scenario he’ll tell you precisely what to do about your issue because he is super knowledgeable about running ailments. Worst case scenario he’ll refer you to see a sports med doctor. Either way, you want to make sure you get sports specific advice here. A sports med doctor in particular will work with you to make sure that you’re back to running as soon as possible. Also, before you begin any training program, you should consult with your primary care provider so you can make the necessary modifications and take the necessary precautions for your specific health concerns.

 

Additional Resources:

–       Runnersworld.com – As you can probably guess, there is a world of information about running for all levels and abilities on Runnersworld.com. This website is maintained by the makers of the Runner’s World Magazine that featured BGR! this month.

–       Runningtools.com – This has a lot of info about form and has a few training plans. The plans are a little different from the ones generated by runner’s world, so check them out even if you’ve already decided runnersworld will be your main go to web resource.

–       Complete Book of Women’s Running, Dagny Scott Barrios (A Runner’s world book, available on amazon.com for around 12$, available at ½ price bookstore in Golden Gate Plaza for around 6-7$) – This book is a great buy! It has lots of information about running with 2 X chromosomes – covers everything from sports bras, to kids, to weight loss and body image.

–       Fitness magazines – Shape &  Self are two mags that pretty often feature running and nutrition articles for people who like to run.