Have you ever wanted to become a runner? It’s much easier than you think and anybody can be a runner when you follow simple steps to get there.
Many runners started off as avid walkers before they became runners. If you are new to fitness or are returning to working out from injury, go for a walk! Runners will spend a lot of time on their feet. Walking uses many of those same muscles. Don’t focus on speed at first. Shift the focus to spending time on your feet. You should be able to be on your feet for 30 minutes minimum without hurting. You can walk swiftly or casually with your kids or dogs. Get used to the idea of being on your feet and in motion. When those 30 minutes feel easy and natural to you, add in more days. Walk three days a week and then build to five days a week. Then add in another day or two if that feels good. Once you have a solid routine that feels good to you, then you can build on speed and endurance.
One of best ways to build endurance is to use interval training. For new runners, use an easy interval pace of 1:3. Run for one minute and walk for three minutes. Use that interval until that feels easy and then change it. Add to the run time and shorten the walk time. You might be able to move to a 2:2 interval pace after the first week! You need to go by feel and how that feels to you. If you try to push too hard or too soon, you could risk injury. Monitor yourself during these transition periods. You should not feel any aches or pains. You will learn quickly the difference between pain from something hurting and pain from pushing yourself during a challenging workout. If you ever experience pain from something hurting, do not try to push through it. Chances are it will continue to worsen until you stop, and you take the chance of making something minor into a big injury with a long recovery time. When you run, do not worry about speed. The speed will come naturally with time. You want to concentrate on building your endurance and learning what a good pace feels like for you. You should be able to carry a conversation while running. If you are running solo, some runners use the trick of reciting the alphabet or singing a song to judge and monitor their pace and progress. If you are struggling to hold a conversational pace, slow down! Going out too fast can injure you and can set you up for problems down the road. If you do not have good form, it is easier to correct it as a new runner with coaching assistance than it is to try to correct the way that someone has always run for the last forty years! Lace up go outside!
