Did you start your running journey recently? Searching for advice and overwhelmed with the amount of information on the internet? I share my top 20 running tips for beginners to help you learn how to run properly and efficiently for life. You too can run a faster marathon.
We’re starting with basic staples for beginner runners & walkers, including essential gear, the need for running shoes, how to prep your mind for your run, how to choose a running route and avoid death, and so much more. (KIDDING!) You’re not going to die. PROMISE! The most important part is the section on staying motivated and disciplined and committing to making running and health a lifelong habit. As a competitive long-distance athlete and running coach who strongly believes in the power of improvement through movement, I want to share this with anyone out there who wants to work on themselves and needs some encouragement! ????
The hardest part of starting any habit is staying motivated after day 1. Motivation does not always have willpower. The goal with mantras is to reduce the amount of willpower it takes you to get what you need to get done, done. Have a regular schedule to hold yourself accountable, get a coach, run with a group, and keep it fun! Show up for yourself daily, even if that’s a rest day! It’s the little things that all add up!
20 Running Tips For Beginner Runners
- When in doubt, slow down the pace. Use your heart rate as a gauge instead of pace. Reference this blog post for tips to help you nail your cadence (steps per minute) during your runs! Have fun.
- Don’t get discouraged. Running is not easy, but it gets easier with repetitive efforts. Use walking intervals instead of running when you get tired. Walk for a minute, jog for a minute on repeat. For each week, eliminate one minute of walking (or two) within a run/walk workout until you’re running the entire workout! Good things take time. Practice breeds progress. Also, Walking daily is just as good as running, and you should continue long walks on running rest days.
- Get good shoes, running shoes that fit well. Most reputable stores will be able to fit you in a specific model.
- Start small and build on it. When you feel stronger, challenge yourself with a greater distance, and give yourself time to build a good aerobic mileage base. Fuel and hydrate your body. Listen to your body and have rest days, or take an extra one as needed! Your training is only as good as your recovery! If you don’t allow your body to recover from the stress of the training, you won’t experience the adaptations that COULD occur as a result of your running, and that’d be a shame! Don’t let that hard work go to waste!
- Recite your mantras aloud! Tell yourself: ‘I’m a winner, I’m strong, I can’. Enjoy that feeling after your run, and run to motivational music! Here’s one of my go-to Spotify playlists for a conversational-paced run.
- Enjoy the process of becoming a better version of yourself. Forget all the time, distance, or speed.
- Compete with yourself.
- It will feel hard and horrible such that you will feel like quitting. But it gets easier. It will get a little easier every day, but you have to do it every day. That’s the hard part. Stay consistent. Don’t neglect your warm-up and cooldown drills before and after every run!
- Run at your own pace.
- Don’t use a watch. Take in the scenery and enjoy your time.
- Enjoy; slow progress is progress too! I can’t tell you how often I have had to restart after my fitness falls. It’s always fun because every setback prepares us for a stronger comeback!
- Don’t judge yourself by others.
- Increase mileage gradually. It’s easy to get caught in that trap because you’re cardiovascular fitness will come relatively quickly. However, new runners often get injured because they increase their mileage base and do not allow the body to get rest. This leads to under-recovery/overtraining.
- Make sure to replace worn shoes as quickly and financially as possible. I recommend swapping between two pairs of sneakers when beginning to run. Variety is critical; that goes for many things! If you are in the NYC area, Brooklyn Running Co. & ANY Fleet Feet NYC location are both great go-to spots for your new running kicks!
- Incorporate rest days between your running days.
- Fine-tune your running technique at the same time you begin your running program! Get ahead of injuries once. And for good!
- Map out multiple routes. Strava is great for this, by the way. The easiest way to burn out is to mentally tire your brain of running “the same old route.” As a coach, I’ve found that burnout starts mentally.
- As long as you spend the first few runs focusing on your breathing – you should be able to hold a conversation at a good pace. I like the 1,2,1,2 pattern (inhaling every one count, exhaling on the count of two). Try it out!
- Organize your distractions – if your headphones or smartwatch aren’t charged, or your laces aren’t appropriately tied, your head won’t be focused on your run.
- Build the habit of laying out your outfit with your gadgets and runny accessories the night before your run.
Run Faster!
Remember, it’s your run – don’t worry about times or pace. This will come in time. Commit to a long-term goal or race, regardless of the goal for it! And last but certainly not least, don’t confuse 26.2 with 3.1 ?
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Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/13207571
✰ PRODUCT RECS ⋅ my go-to recovery fuel – Core Power: https://fairlife.com/core-power/ (the convenience of getting all the carbs and proteins I need after my hard runs and workouts are made possible by core powers high protein milkshake, with 26g of protein per body + electrolytes and more. The best post-workout recovery fuel there ever was! UCAN* Edge Energy is what I fueled for my past two marathons, the most recent being a sub-3-hour marathon! Link to purchase: https://ucan.co/share/CoachAlli/
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If you need help finding gear or running with runners who feel the same with upcoming Fall 2021 races coming our way, go with my Runwithalli™️ Running Community to help you prepare for your next race! Runwithalli™️ Coaching will help you properly train for your distance runs. I will ensure you that our team does our very best to help guide you through the process along with a community of like-minded runners in my fitness community!
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