Running: Where to start and tips for your initial runs

As I have previously mentioned, running will be the new age golf. It is already well on its way to becoming THE sport when it comes to networking. I have also started noticing dinner table conversations revolving around ” what was your mileage for the week?”, ” Which is the next run that you are preparing for? ” and so on and so forth. So, it seems to be the obvious next step that everybody who is somebody, anybody who is anybody and a nobody who wants to be somebody wants to jump on the running bandwagon. Human beings are social animals, we have this innate need to be accepted and liked. An easy way to do so is to have common conversational topics with other fellow humans. And since a large number of people seem to have caught the running bug, it seems only natural that the rest of us join in.

They say an action well begun is already halfway done. So for all of the rookie and returning runners, the great health benefits, superb networking opportunities, the purchase of the awesome new running shoes and some fabulously flattering running outfits that come with running, have already helped achieve the action well begun. It is the final implementation which proves to be a road block for many of us. A lot of us highly over-estimate our abilities and go too far too soon, thereby injuring ourselves. This leads to us being scared of the sport instead of making it our new best friend. So, over the next few weeks and more, I will try to help you make this sport your friend.

Now that we have all the excuses out of the way, are well equipped and have got ourselves into the routine of making time for our run, the idea is to lace up our shoes and head out. Of course, at that point in time, weather would be another excuse which will tend to make you change your mind, but you need to learn to “run through these mental blocks”. As they say, there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad attitude.

To begin with, we will have to learn to keep ourselves “on our feet”. Considering the sedentary lifestyle most of us lead, we humans seem to have forgotten how to stay on our feet for a period longer than a few minutes. So the idea is that we start off with a stipulated period of time that we decide for ourselves. I would suggest 30 minutes as a fair amount of time for a beginner. If, as a beginner, you expect to be able to run right through for the 30 minutes, you have another thing coming. More often than not, you would tend to get fatigued, in, say one-third the time, unless of course you have superior natural abilities (Kenyans – thank you very much!). So in this case, the idea is get a comfortable pace and run as much as you can. Don’t exhaust yourself but do tire yourself a fair amount.

As you start feeling fatigued, it would be a good idea to consciously slow yourself down to a brisk walk so that you can give your body time to recover from the aerobic and high impact activity that you have just put it through. In case you do not want to do it consciously, there’s no love lost as the body itself will slow down and demand recovery. It’s not fair to first make it lazy over all these years and then suddenly ask it to perform as though it’s a lean, mean running machine! But then again, remember it is a brisk walk and not an amble along the beach.

As you walk, you will feel your heart rate return to normal and your body feeling a bit more recovered. Once you feel that you are strong enough and don’t have the urge of collapsing into a heap by the roadside, I would suggest that you get back to a jog and slowly pick up the pace until you have reached that comfortable pace again.

Continue this process for the stipulated period of time that you have chosen for yourself.

Over a period of time, you will notice that your recovery breaks have become shorter and you are running for longer periods until you reach a point where you will be cruising the entire 30 minutes. When you reach that point is when you need to start thinking about the mileage clocked, how to increase your pace ( we will deal with these as well) etc.

A few things to keep in mind when you head out for your initial training runs:

• Do not overdo running. Slowly increase intensity and mileage so that you can sustain it for an extended period. Start with maybe 3-4 runs a week.
• Run through all the mental blocks (biggest hurdle to cross)
• Do not stress about technique – we will work on this later. Initially, let’s just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.
• Do not care about what others think and say
• Enjoy your sport. Feel the breeze through your hair, or the beautiful sunrise, say hello to the other joggers/ runners/ walkers you meet along the way. Spread the smile.