Running for Beginners

Hello, I’m Jordan. This is my first blog post for The Run Bible so, before we get on with the post I’ll tell you a little more about myself – don’t worry I’ll keep it brief. I’m a Track & Field Athlete from West Yorkshire and compete almost all weekends throughout the track season, I’m currently 18 years old however, I started running almost 5 years ago, I’m also proudly sponsored by Karrimor. So, enough about myself for now however, if you do wish to read more about me you can check out my About page on my blog or contact me!

Right, on to the blog post, running is a sport in which almost anyone can join in with and enjoy themselves but for them newbies who want to take it serious, get active or even get competitive, how do you start off running and what’s the best way to get the correct technique?

The first thing a new runner has to do is, be confident in running. Many people find themselves full of nerves when going out on the paths running and for some people this is something that they will overcome in time however, how can you boost your confidence when starting running?

One method a lot of new runners use is, running with a friend! Taking a friend who either already runs or is starting running themselves will boost your confidence a lot faster when running with a partner as you have someone next to you all the way on your run, someone to chat to and just feel confident on your run – the one thing you don’t want as a newbie is to not feel confident whilst your out running as this may put you off.

Once you are comfortable with running with a friend, or a group the next stage for any runner is to ask yourself what you want to get out of running, whether you would like to be a competitive athlete and if so what type? For example, a sprinter, a distance runner or a multi-event athlete. If you’re not wanting to be a competitive athlete are you going to run in events such as your 5K, 10K’s and Marathons etc or are you going to be a casual, for leisure runner? All of these different types of runners have a different training technique to them.

Personally as a sprinting athlete I don’t do a lot of long-distance running, I focus mainly on my speed, strength and body conditioning as well as my sprinting technique. My weekly schedule is very busy so you will need to make sure you can always fit your training in. I currently train 3 times a week as well as coach 2 times a week and work 5 days a week, a lot to fit in right?

It’s not all about keeping your technique right as well as this you need to keep your body in shape, this can be done in several ways such as Gym’s and Workouts. If you are looking for any beginner workouts, why not head over to my printable workout page were you can get yourself some easy 4-step beginner workouts for free.

Deciding what distance to start off with can always be a tricky decision, starting off at just a 1 mile steady run is the best option and a way forward to upping your mileage is +1 mile per week so for example, the first week you run 3 times, each run consisting of 1 mile. The second week you up that to 2 miles and do another 3 runs that week, totalling 6 miles and keep upping your miles each week until you are at a comfortable distance that you’re happy with – another method which is different is up your mileage by 1 mile after each run so your first run will be 1 mile, second run 2 miles and so on however, as a beginner the first option will more than likely be the best option for you.

Now, you know how much mileage you should be doing and how to up the mileage and be confident with your running but – how do you track your running/distance and pace? There are many apps which you can download that tracks your distance and your pace – the No.1 app is known has Strava. Strava is a worldwide app that not only tracks your distance and pace but it allows you to ‘compete’ or challenge people that have previously ran the same route or part of the route before you and gives you medals/PB’s if you beat them or get placed first, second or third.

I’m going to bring this post to an end, if you have any questions or comments you would like to make please do either head over to my Blog, or get in touch! (I’ll always email back).

You can also follow me on my social media listed below:

Instagram – @runwithjordanw

Twitter – @runwithjordanw