In honor of National Running Day, which in my opinion should be an international event, I decided to put together a list of tips for running. I could barely run a mile back in February and now I’m tackling my first Half Marathon on Sunday.
Running is more than just physical, it’s mental, but I honestly believe that every single person is a runner. Running is natural. It’s what we were meant to do.
1. START SMALL
Just like how a baby must learn to crawl before it can walk, you must jog a quarter of a mile before you can run a marathon. I think most people give up early on because they aim too high. This is NOT to say that you shouldn’t set difficult goals, such as running a marathon, but you must take it one step at a time. Most people go out there and want to run a mile.
Why?
A mile is pretty long. 5280 feet to be exact. Start with jogging for a quarter mile, or even a tenth of a mile. Once you can do a quarter mile, aim for a little more. Build up to that mile. Lay a solid foundation for yourself. Allow your muscles to adapt. Give your body time to adjust. Consistent small improvements will lead to large, overall improvements in the long run (no pun intended).
2. ENDURANCE FIRST, THEN SPEED
Everyone wants to run a mile in a certain time, a 5K in a certain time. But it’s impossible to work effectively on endurance and speed at the same time.
Endurance should come first. Stop worrying about your mile time, and start trying to increase the distance you’re able to run. You’ll find that the better your endurance, the faster you’ll be able to run. The longer you’re able to run for, the quicker you’ll be able to run shorter distances. Working on endurance will improve your physical stamina and mental discipline. The speed will come naturally.
3. PRACTICE A MIDFOOT/FOREFOOT STRIKE
I am a barefoot, minimalist runner, so when I run, I naturally land on the ball of my foot. Wearing shoes will, unfortunately, create a tendency to heel strike (landing on your heels). If you ever do this barefoot, it hurts. And, more than likely, you just won’t because your body wasn’t designed to run this way. Do this quick experiment. Run around your house barefoot and pay close attention to how you land on your feet. Then run around with your shoes. Feel the difference?
Take a look here at the comparisons between forefoot, midfoot, and heel striking. There’s been studies that show that elite runners, like the Kenyans and Ethiopians, exhibit a forefoot or midfoot strike. That’s because it’s the most efficient way for our bodies to absorb impact. They are able to replicate barefoot form in running shoes because they started off running barefoot and are utilizing muscle memory.
For some reason, people are willing to give up high fructose corn syrup but not their running shoes even though there hasn’t been proof that running shoes prevent more injuries or make you faster. But if you love your running shoes and are comfortable in them, that’s fine. Just practice running with a more natural form. Land on your forefoot or midfoot. It will be more difficult to replicate barefoot form in running shoes due to the design of the shoes, but with practice and training, your muscles will adapt.
The first time you practice running landing on your mid or forefoot, go back to step 1 and START SMALL. Because of running shoes, we don’t use our calf muscles as much as we should, which leads to muscular imbalances (oh hello, shin splints), so you’ll have to re-train those muscles.
4. CONNECT WITH THE EARTH
Running should NOT be about pounding pavement. Or losing weight. Or completing marathons. The last two are just perks/goals that come with it. Running should be about connecting with your environment, feeling the ground, embracing the Earth.
You’re a part of this world, so act like it.
People are all about going green and recycling, but they pound the hell out of the ground they run on. Tread gently. Pretend you’re a predator, stalking your prey through a dense, jungle forest. Be quiet. Be gentle.
Let your feet kiss the ground.
Running should be a soul-cleansing activity, a way to connect with nature. Embrace your inner hippie when you run. Really let your feet absorb the ground you run on. Run on pavement, dirt, grass, sand, hills. Soak in your environment. You’ll find that running becomes enjoyable when you start really breathing in the world you live in.
Relax. Feel. Connect.
5. FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED
Nobody besides you will care how fast you finish your mile, how quickly you can run a 5K or a Half Marathon. The important thing is to finish. If you go out there wanting to run for 10 minutes, run for 10 minutes. Take it slow. Take it fast. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you finishing what you set out to do. Nobody cares how quickly you can run but they will notice and remember that you finished. It’s not the speed that matters. It’s finishing what you started that counts.
Now go out there and run, whether it is for a minute, a mile, or fifteen miles. It doesn’t matter. Just run.
Are you running on National Running Day? What are your tips for running?
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Female. 25 years old. Chinese. Cook. Foodie. UCLA grad. Traveler. Musician. Scuba diver. GWU Law. Runner.
Yay for National Running Day! I agree — it SHOULD be an international event. I did run today, and hopefully many others across the nation are too.
I really enjoyed reading your tips for running — you definitely put a different spin on them than other things I’ve read. I especially agree that you should start small, work on your endurance, and finish what you started. This can do wonders for your motivation. Setting small, achievable goals helps keep you excited about running, and gives you a way to track your progress over time.
I’m still not completely sure how I feel about barefoot running, however. I am super impressed by people (like yourself) that can run long-distances in their VFFs, and I understand the reasoning behind it…I just don’t know if it’s for me. Yes, I know that sounds like a cop out, but I have pretty bad issues that I know my running shoes help fix and support.
.-= Lauren @ Health on the Run´s last blog Shape Up Summer Challenge: Officially Unofficial Rules =-.
National Running day is today??
I got my big run in yesterday and haven’t been moving today =) haha
O well, it counts, right?
I love National Running Day!
This is an amazing entry and gave me pause. I am new to running and the next time I go out, I’m going to pay attention to my stride. I have a sneaking suspicion I’m already running midfoot because my run almost feels like a hop.
Very Interesting.
Nice tips! Although I’m not a fan of just a day set aside for running. We need a national or international fitness month, with running being a big part of it. That being said, a day is a start.
Good tips Jess!
Looks like you did your research. I always go to a running store to buy my running shoes. I get my running gait analyzed and try to get the best shoe out there for me possible. I always use my running shoes so I view it as very important and therefore am willing to spend a little extra cash for them. If I had to include a 6th tip it would be arm swing. I see so many runners with bad upper body form. Not many people realize it but arm swing is vital to good running posture and can make a huge difference. I usually cup my hands and keep my arms bent at the elbow around 90 degrees with straight forward and backward movements. Any movements side to side will take away from your momentum… simple physics. Good article Jess! Keep up the good work, and keep up the running
Great read as always, Jess!
I did run today! I set out to run the distance of a 5K today and I DID IT!
Ya, I feel awesome! Hehe
Thanks for the tips Jess!
Great list of tips Jess! I did manage to squeeze in a run yesterday, though I didn’t think it was going to happen. I didn’t have a whole lot of time, so I went on a shorter loop around the neighborhood, and thought I’d work on speed. I managed to do 2.3 miles in 19:40, which I was pretty stoked about.
.-= Brandon´s last blog Junk food as far as the eye can see =-.
Good tips Jess! If NRD is today then yes I ran…10k in 58:58!
Great Tips Jess!
.-= Joe´s last blog Running Gear Product Review: Endurox R4 =-.
What a great list! This is definitely one that will probably be stolen like your Matrix guide, huh?
Oh, yeah, and I totally think you intened the pun in #1–you can’t get one by me!
.-= beej´s last blog Done with Bikram =-.
I may argue a bit with point 2. Speed doesn’t always happen with endurance. If you love your half this wknd, as I believe you will, and eventually start training for a marathon, you may be appalled at what happens to your speed for a while. For some people, this endurance w/o speed phase can last for years. The problem is that when you’re an endurance runner, your body braces itself for endurance. When you start running, your body acts like it’s going to go for 20 miles, even if it’s just a 5k that you’re racing. It’s almost like a defense mechanism. I definitely know people who can set a 5k time that predicts their marathon goal time during marathon training, but I also know plenty of people who attempt to race a 5k during marathon training and are so disappointed to see that not only was it not a PR, but it also predicts a much slower marathon time than they want (and usually much slower than they actually get, as most people I know can set and train for fairly reasonable goals).