So you decided to start running to keep fit. Great, but before you tie your shoes and go down the street to toddle, there are a few things you need to know. The first is that it won’t be easy or fun at first (but the improvement curve is very fast, and you just have to hold on for the first few days). The other 10 are in our beginner’s running decalogue.
Alternate between running and fast walking
You can do this systematically (e.g. by running 5′ and walking 2′), or by stopping when your breath is too much and resuming as soon as you feel like it. To start running from scratch, the most important thing is to progressively increase the time you’re out and about more than the distances you cover.
Rest and run on alternate days
Every metre is a small trauma to muscles, ligaments and joints: starting to run after months or years of inactivity means giving your body time to recover from the effort and adapt to the new activity.
Learn to recognise pain
Inevitable: after the first races will be more the pains of joys. But if they pass within 24 hours everything is normal: they are physiological pains of adaptation so you need the day of recovery. If, on the other hand, the pain does not leave you for days and days, it means that you are pulling too hard: walk or run in a gentle way without further traumatizing your body.
Strengthens legs
Of course, running itself strengthens your leg muscles, but a few simple exercises such as pushing your toes, bending your legs or sinking them one leg at a time help your muscles become more toned. Don’t forget that your leg muscles absorb all your body’s weight, and to do so they need to be at least toned.
Dissolve the joints.
More than stretching, before going out for a run it can be useful to do some joint mobility exercises for the hips, back, ankles and knees. When you’re done running, do some stretching: it will help you recover faster.
Use running shoes
The second most frequent cause of injury for a runner is due to the use of unsuitable shoes. Now, having said that there is no such thing as a better pair of shoes, if you have decided to run avoid the sneakers and buy a pair of specific shoes for running like these suitable to start running. It will be the best money spent.
Be honest with yourself.
If you’ve never run, it may be already challenging to walk around the block. So make plans that you’re sure you can keep: wanting to do 10km the first time you tie your shoes is the best way to get rid of the urge to run (but here’s our plan to get to run 10km from scratch).
Run on the soft
Asphalt and sidewalks are hard and highly traumatizing: for the first runners, look for parks, parks, gardens or, if you live outside the city, even paths and dirt roads. Do you want to know which are the most beautiful places to run? Here you will find places in Milan, Rome, Naples and even Paris.
Do not eat before running
Digesting and running are functions and activities that recall blood: if you go to the legs you don’t have any to digest (and vomit); if you use it for digestion you don’t have any to make your legs go.
Drink a little, but often.
The thirst mechanism is always inevitably late with respect to the onset of need. So if you plan to go running, drink 2 if not 3 litres of water throughout the day. And then rehydrate once again returned home.
Start with a good athletic preparation
To start running without injury, you need to prepare your body, joints and muscles for this activity. During running, you tend to make mistakes that increase the risk of injury and limit performance, such as incorrect posture or incorrect foot support. Good preparation helps to avoid these kinds of mistakes and to improve the quality of your running and the resulting well-being.