Run S.M.A.R.T.
Menu
Login
  • Custom Training Plans
  • Private Coaching
  • Dr. Jack Daniels
  • Running Calculator
  • Coaching Staff
  • News & Updates
  • Contact Us

Mike Smith’s Three Most Important Tips for Beginner Runners

September 22, 2010 By Run S.M.A.R.T. In Run SMART coach, Training tips /  

My Three Most Important Tips for Beginner Runners

By Mike Smith

One of the greatest joys I get as a coach is assisting someone to get off the ground for the first time. While the action of running is a simple activity, starting a running program isn’t as easy as it looks. One of the very reasons I started coaching was to help people go about this activity in a way that sets them up for success. Here are my three biggest tips for beginner runners:

1. Target one thing at a time: Exercise is measured in three ways: intensity (how hard we go), duration (how far we go), and frequency (how often we go). Many times beginning runners try to make gains in each of these areas at once, introducing this new stress to the body and at the same time trying to run farther and faster each time they run.  This is too much to adapt to at one time and the fastest way to lead to frustration, wasted effort, and disappointment. Instead, target just one piece at a time, and in this order: First, frequency: without worrying about how fast or how far you’re going, slowly build up the number of days you are able to be active. Before anything, give your body time to accept this new stress and make the necessary adaptations to accommodate it efficiently. Once you’re consistent in the number of days you are able to be active, then pick one or two days a week to explore duration, see what happens when you add another 5-10 minutes to a run. What do you notice? If you’ve started with a run/walk program, you might focus on increasing the ratio of running to walking, extending running segments and/or shortening walking portions. Lastly, once frequency and duration are off the ground, focus on intensity. By this point the musculoskeletal system has adapted to the impact of your new activity, and can now safely handle the exploration of different paces. No, this doesn’t mean to take off in a full sprint. Again pick one or two days during the week to time yourself over a route or part of a route, or throw some light pickups into the mix of your run.  I cannot stress enough that all three of these criteria, how often we run, how far, and how fast, should be increased gradually. Patience must balance enthusiasm when starting, and patience will pay off big.

2. Make a positive association with running:  One of the biggest reasons people who want to start running don’t do it is based on a negative thought or feeling about the activity. This usually comes from memories of discomfort during the times they have attempted running in the past. I often hear, “I tried running for a week but it hurt so much I hated it. I’ve decided I’m just not a runner.” Upon further inquiry I find that these people had no proper guidance in how they started, which mostly leads to mistakes in the first 30 seconds: going too fast (“but it felt easy at first!”), being very uncomfortable by 5 minutes, walking at 10 minutes, and repeating for a few days until they give up discouraged.  After a week of this, when they look at their running shoes by the door, all they can think of is aching knees, burning lungs, and the thought of “I’ll never get better”. Who wouldn’t want to quit then? Instead, trick the brain to want to go again by making these first efforts positive experiences. Start easier than you think you should, finish feeling good, and celebrate the very fact that you’re out there! Once the activity becomes something positive that you look forward to and not something you dread, you’re more likely to keep getting out there.

3. Focus on yourself:  Lastly, when running with others, be sure to only measure progress against yourself. Everyone’s background and starting point is different, everyone’s body unique, thus the way we improve will vary greatly as well. While the company of others is helpful, don’t compare yourself to them (even other beginners), instead concentrate on your own individual progress. Look at the changes you notice in your body, the differences in how you feel when finishing a run, or your ability to go a little bit farther than before. One of the greatest aspects of this sport is that progress, success, and victories can all be measured by yourself, no matter how fast you cover ground.  Don’t ever say the words, “I’m slow”! Slow compared to who? Fast and slow are relative terms and will always be.  No matter how slow you tell me you are, you’re faster than the person on the couch who wouldn’t dream of doing what you’re doing. Accept your own starting point, wherever that is, seek improvement in the right ways, and watch the magic happen.

Tags:
Beginner runnersMike Smith
Altitude Training By Dr. Jack Daniels, Part II
Run SMART Welcome Packet Folders Have Arrived

Archives

  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • November 2007

Meta

  • Log in
All rights reserved.