7 Tips for Beginner Runners
If you want to start doing a sport like running, you should be familiar with the seven basic rules that will make it easier for you in this endeavour:
1. Choose the right sneakers
By training in the right shoes, you will feel comfortable and protect yourself from injury. Visit a specialized sports store where they will help you choose the right sneakers for your new endeavor. To feel comfortable, change your sports shoes after you have traveled 300-400 kilometers in them.
2. Warm up before you start
Before you start running, warm up your body with exercises to stretch your muscles. In this way, the heart rate slowly increases without overexerting yourself too much.
Warming up the body helps reduce the strain on the heart once we begin intense training.
Start the workout with brisk walking followed by jogging for a few minutes, this way heart rate and blood pressure gradually decrease . Finish the workout with 5 minutes of slow jogging or walking.
3. Pay attention to your upper body
Incorrect upper body position while running can lead to pain in the arms, shoulders, neck and back. Try to move your hands at waist level.
The hands should be at an angle of 90 degrees, and the elbows next to the body. Be careful, you must keep your posture upright, head up, back and shoulders straight.
4. Don’t worry about the pace
As a beginner, you shouldn’t overwork yourself. You should move so that you can breathe and talk easily. Don’t worry about the pace, it’s important to move at the right speed so you can have a conversation without getting out of breath.
In this way, you will avoid the possibility of overexerting yourself and getting injured, or blood pressure fluctuations.
5. Alternate between walking and running
Most beginner runners start with the technique of alternating between walking and running because they haven’t built up the endurance of years of exercise. The aim of the method of alternating running with walking is to increase the duration of running time and gradually reduce the minutes of walking.
With each subsequent workout, you will be able to last longer on the run without feeling exhausted.
6. Beware of overloading
Very often enthusiastic and eager to achieve results, we overload our body and this can lead to extreme muscle strain. Stick to a schedule and don’t increase your weekly mileage by more than 10% per week.
Be sensible and you will gradually achieve your goals, saving yourself pain and frustration. Follow a beginner’s training schedule, which should determine how much distance you should cover in a week, if you need more movement you can go for swimming, cycling or another sport.
7. Breathe through your nose and mouth
According to some advice, you should only breathe through your nose while running. This is achieved through so-called diaphragmatic breathing.
Breathing through the nose and mouth allows enough oxygen to be delivered to the muscles during movement. Taking deep breaths can prevent soreness, which is a problem for beginner runners.
