HOW TO GET STARTED RUNNING?

A lot of clients claim that they can’t run. I see a lot of trainers that do not run either. It’s an interesting argument, however unless you have an actual biomechanics issue or medical reasons identified by a Doctor, you can run. The truth is you probably don’t enjoy it. Thats fairly expected given that it is something that you have not practiced. It’s something new and I hope to be able to give you some tips and motivation to get started.

Running is such an easy workout to go do. It is fantastic to combine running with a solid strength program. Sadly, that bootcamp or group class that you attend, is most likely just cardio glittered up to the max with lights and smoke. You enjoy it, which is fantastic, however what do you do when you go on holiday or a business trip. You stop. Now that’s the great bit about running, you can literally do it anywhere. “But how do I start, I hate running?”

I used to be 100 kgs and I literally was the anti-runner. I once was at the gym in Anglet, France, lifting heavy weights feeling like I was fit and my friend asked me to run back home as we did not have the car there. It was about 1.2km and on the way home my HR was at 188 and I felt like I was going to be sick.

It’s fair to say, that although I was strong, I was actually very unfit. So I did my research and started to learn about how to integrate running into my program. Here are the tips I figured out alongside all my research that allowed me to integrate running into my weekly routine, without hating it:

1. Get the gear - go buy a good pair of running shoes, good equipment for the rain, cold, heat, get some good headphones, download Spotify / NRC (nike running app) / Download STRAVA. Ask around the office and find some other runners. Pick their brains. All this, already will motivate you to go, as you will want to use your new equipment and you will start to feel that now you are a runner.  

1. Monitoring HR - Get yourself an HR monitor. Now if that HR monitor goes above 170 BPM, the truth is you will be tired the next day from performing a mix of HIIT / LISS training. You will fatigue, you will struggle, you will not integrate running into your weekly routine.

1. Fartlekking - It is perfectly ok to walk to start. There is something called Fartlekking. This is a combination of running and walking. Try running 1 minute and walking 2 minutes to start.

1. Work with Time - you know how long it takes to do a 15 minute run, so don’t opt for distance to start.  Simply to start work with time. You can increase this bi-weekly by 5 minutes. Track your distances and don’t worry about how far you went. This will come as you progress.

1. Life - Try not to worry if life gets in the way. It does not matter if that workout didn’t get done that day. Just make sure it gets done that week. If we want to achieve a goal we have to stay on track, we have to keep progressing.

1. Bad run - it does not matter if you had a bad run. So many elements need to be taken into consideration, hydration, sleep, nutrition and stress levels. If you had a bad run, dismiss it and move onto the next run. Don’t look back, look forward.

1. Set a goal - find a challenge, maybe it’s a local 5km. or 10km. Sign up to it with a good training program leading up to it. Set a long term goal of maybe a longer distance. This will keep the pressure on you and make you even want to go running when usually everyone else would not go.

As a personal trainer and owner of BYTX Studio I cannot emphasise the importance of running for health benefits. Not only is it fantastic for your heart and lungs, it is great for the brain. It is the ultimate way to de-stress, release serotonin and also get outside and enjoy a some fresh air. Running during the day allows you to soak up some Vitamin D. You never hear someone say „I just went for a long hard run, now I feel depressed.“

I encourage you strongly to integrate my tips and I hope you try to introduce running into your weekly workout routine.

‍

‍