Running For Beginners – Our Guide
Running helps reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and can help keep your weight down. It can also improve your mood, and mental health. However, there are risks of injury if you don’t prepare or train yourself properly & safely. Only 20 minutes of running will give you all the fitness benefits. Beyond this benefit and risk of injury do start to cancel each other out a little, but it depends on what you want to get out of your running as to how far you go with it.
Humans evolved to mix running and walking together, not to run big distances in one go like a marathon. So a gradual build up is the secret. A little arch support from insoles can be helpful at least until your feet strengthen and can resist fatigue better. The X-line standard if perfect for this.
There are a number of things to consider that will reduce the risk of injury, especially if you are over 30 years old. Here are some helpful hints:
- If you haven’t been active in a while, take up brisk walking first. Brisk walk three or four times a week for the first month building up to 30 minutes regularly.
- Build up your running into your brisk walking. After a month of brisk walking without aches or pains start the following programme:
- 10 minutes brisk walk; 5 minute jogging; 15 minutes brisk walk. Do twice. If no issues move to stage 2. If
aches or pains stick to stage 1. - 5 minutes brisk walk; 5 minute jogging; 5 minutes brisk walk; 5 minute jogging; 10 minute brisk walk. If no
aches or pains move to stage 3. - 5 minutes brisk walk; 10 minutes jogging; 5 minutes brisk walk; 5 minute jogging, 5 minutes brisk walk. If no
issues move to stage 4. - 5 minutes brisk walk; 15 minutes jogging; 10 minutes brisk walking. If no issues move to stage 5.
- 5 minutes brisk walking; 20 minutes jogging; 5 minutes brisk walking. I no issues move to stage 6
- 2 minutes brisk walk; 25 minutes jogging; 3 minutes brisk walk. No issues?
You should be now safe to run 30 minutes, but its still good to do some loosening up brisk walking before, and a little cooling down walking after. 20-30 minutes of running is all you need do if you just want to keep fit.
- Build up no more than 5 minutes a week (over 2 or 3 runs) if you want to build up more running distance.
- Try not to build up distance and pace at the same time.
- Try not to change your running terrain at the same time as you are increasing pace and distance. It is safer to reduce your distance a bit until you are used to the new surface. Generally roads and pavements are much harder on the body.
- Get a good pair of running shoes. There are secrets to this and the weight of the shoe in relation to your weight is very important. The lighter you are, the lighter your shoe should be. Heavy shoes can reduce your running efficiency.
- Try and get a shoe with a little stiffness in the sole near the toes, but still with a slight amount of give.
- Try and get a shoe that doesn’t twist easily, and isn’t very wide compared to your feet.
- Don’t suddenly use minimalist or barefoot shoes. They are for people with strong feet. If you want to use them build up as with them from the start, or train with them as if you’ve not run before. Running in these shoes is quite different to normal shoes and they can cause injuries.
- If you notice an ache or pain, walk home. Don’t run through it. Reduce you distance by half on the next run. If the pains gone slowly increase back up. If it hasn’t reduce 50% again. If it persists get advice. DON”T TRY AND RUN THROUGH AN INJURY.
- Finally a few simple exercises to strengthen your feet and ankles can prove helpful. Perform these three exercises two or three times a day:
Exercise Therapy Ball
Toe Motion Exercise
Heel Raise / Calf and foot Strengthening
Try this exercise when you get back from running to help avoid problems with your Achilles tendon;
Stair calf exercise
By Andy Horwood. Podiatrist & Researcher.
Associated Products:
The AT insole is an orthotic device designed for Achilles Tendinitis / tendinopathy, (pain at the back of the heel). This is the first insole ever designed specifically to resolve over-strain
and pain of the Achilles tendon.
This is the complete solution to relieve and improve your heel pain caused by plantar fasciitis (also known as policeman’s heel, postman’s heel or heel spurs). The HeelFixKit enables you to take control of your own rehabilitation and speeds recovery so you can get back to being you.
Foot Pumps socks are medical-grade compression socks, with an extra twist to improve comfort and effectiveness of the compression on the veins; featuring pressure-free toe pockets that allow the muscles in the feet that run to the toes to help pump the blood out.
The TPD50 insole is a softer version of the TPD orthotic device and is very helpful for many symptoms related to a lot of foot flattening on standing and walking.