I completed half a marathon today. I’ve surprised myself since I haven’t been running for a long time. Although, I have been cycling and doing HIIT so that may have helped.
Here are my tips:
1. Consistency is important. It’s better to run every other day, even if it’s only for 15 minutes, as opposed to running for an hour once or twice a week. Your body needs consistency to adapt, so be consistent.
2. Please please warm up. Do as many stretches as possible for at least ten minutes. I can’t stress how important this is. If you want to avoid injury, you cannot skip this step.
There are hundreds of YouTube videos on this so take your pick. I’ve never been injured or remotely sore because of this.
3. Allow your body to recover. I know it’s tempting to run everyday because it gets addicting but trust me, your body will repay you back ten fold if you allow it to rest. If you must, do some weight training or calisthenics on your rest days.
4. Keep on pushing. The first few weeks will be tough and it will seem like a struggle, but I promise, if you persist and remain consistent, you’ll look back in a few weeks in amazement.
It wasn’t easy getting back into running and I felt so far behind compared to others… but just focus on your own goals. Gradually increase your distance on each run by 10%.
5. Make sure you get the right running shoes. This can make all the difference between comfort and getting injured. Don’t be shy and go into a specialist store than will measure feet and give you the best option. Don’t be cheap when it comes to your feet.
6. Breathe correctly to avoid getting any pains in your diaphragm. Deep breaths through your nose and your mouth. No shallow breathing as tempting as it is to do short gasping breaths.
7. Have fun! If you can find a group online to run with, do it! It’s a lot more encouraging when you’re running with people at different levels. It will motivate you to get up and run.
Anything else, then just ask.