How to start running as a total beginner | Canada Voices

The practice of running – putting one foot in front of the other at a pace slightly faster than walking – seems so simple. So why is getting started so intimidating?

Since the jogging boom of the 1970s, messaging around the sport has become increasingly involved. Do you really need the latest shoe technology, a smartwatch or a new wardrobe? If you get serious about running, some of that might become important, but as a beginner all you need is a pair of decent shoes, the discipline to stay consistent and a healthy dose of patience.

Here’s what you should focus on to lace up, get outside and fall in “like” with running.

Gear and apparel

For now, it’s fine to wear what you’ve got, with the caveat that your shoes should be no more than a year-and-a-half old. Around that time, the foam density becomes depleted and your body will have to absorb more force with each step, said Lauren Roberts, a physiotherapist and program director at Athlete’s Care Sports Medicine Centres.

Ideally you should run for about three months before you purchase new shoes, Roberts said. As your body adapts to the skill of running and settles into small adaptations to your form, the type of shoe you need might change. Have a gait analysis done by a professional, such as a physiotherapist, if you can; otherwise, go to a specialty running store such as the Running Room where the staff can take a basic look at your gait.

When it comes to clothes, sweat-wicking items are ideal, said ultra runner and running coach Filsan Abdiaman-Shtyn. If you have breasts, you’ll also want to get a good sports bra with proper support, she added.

A watch can be useful if you want to time your run, but any watch with a second hand will do. You can use your phone as well.

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Step one: start running. Step two: stop running

Begin with a warm-up that lasts around 10 minutes and includes any kind of movement that makes you break a slight sweat, Roberts said.

Experts typically recommend that beginners start with a run/walk pattern. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with walking,” said Quinton Jacobs, a runner who mentors people of all levels. You can base your intervals on time – say, 20 seconds on and 40 seconds off – or make them random.

“Just run to a stoplight, walk to the next one and do that around your neighbourhood,” Jacobs said. Eventually, you can run past two stoplights, then three.

After a week, increase your time or distance by no more than 10 per cent. So if you run 10 minutes during week one, go for 11 minutes per run during week two. If you’re measuring distance and you ran a total of 10 kilometres one week, bump up to 11 km the next.

You can use trial and error to figure out your comfortable running speed. If you’re winded at the first stoplight, take the next one a bit slower. “Pacing is really just trying to find out where your tipping point is and then backing off just a bit,” Jacobs said.

Get consistent

If your goal is to build your endurance so you can run longer, you have to run more frequently than you might expect. Start with two sessions a week and try to build up to three or four, Roberts said. Our bodies adapt to the stresses placed on them, so the more you expose your body to the stimulus of running, the better it gets at running efficiently.

“People are often surprised when they get injured doing one or two runs because they think they’re not doing that much,” Roberts said. “But they’re actually not doing enough.”

Running with a friend or finding a group can help you stick with it.

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Picking the right club is key. Abdiaman-Shtyn, who founded the running community Project Love Run, recommended doing online research into local run clubs and then watching one from the sidelines first: Go to where the club meets (i.e. your local park) and observe how they introduce the running routes and break people into pace groups to see if there are other beginners and whether the coaches and pace leaders seem to cater to their level.

“It’s important to not just take what is written and said about the group, but to go and check it out yourself,” she said.

Try to push past that initial intimidation of joining a group. “It can often feel like you’re an outsider, like they know something you don’t,” said Courtney Babcock, a running coach and founder of the Sport Specialist who specializes in working with women in their 40s and 50s. “But we’re all beginners at some point.”

Stay injury-free

You’re likely to feel some aches and discomfort during your running career. Knowing the difference between transient soreness and lingering pain is crucial to preventing injuries.

“Typically anything that is worse first thing in the morning and doesn’t kind of dissipate within half an hour is a flag,” Roberts said. It’s also a sign you should skip your run that day.

“The second flag is anything that does not get better with running,” she added. Mild strains in your tendons and general muscle soreness should dissipate within 10 minutes of running. If it’s a more significant injury, like something in your bones, it will worsen as you run. “That’s a hard stop,” Roberts said.

Have a little patience

You may not catch the so-called “runner’s high” right away.

“It’s not going to feel great for about six weeks,” Roberts said. Your body is learning a new skill and your cardiovascular system needs time to adjust. “Between six and 12 weeks tends to be when people report it starts to feel better.”

But the more you run, the more likely you are to enjoy it and feel the rewards of your hard work.

“People always say, ‘Oh, I’m not a runner, it’s not for me,’ and I think you just have to give yourself a shot,” Babcock said. “The biggest mistake people make is quitting too soon.”

Alyssa Ages is a journalist and the author of Secrets of Giants: A Journey to Uncover the True Meaning of Strength. She is also a strongman competitor and endurance athlete, as well as a former personal trainer and group fitness instructor.