insensible
05-05-2006, 08:28 AM
Ten golden tips for beginners
1-Start slowly and build up
Lots of new runners get carried away and try to do too much too soon. This can lead to disappointment, loss of enthusiasm and possibly injury. If you want to be able to enjoy running for the rest of your life, start out slowly and build up.
New runners often try to run too far or too fast at first. This is particularly true if you join a running club and feel you should be keeping pace with more experienced runners. The key to running is to push yourself, but not so hard that you become injured or ill.
Five tips to help you start running safely
A-Walk for the first three weeks
If you are new to running - even if you are physically fit - you should walk for the first three weeks. Although this may sound boring, there is statistically a very good chance of becoming injured in your third month of running if you do not begin with a period of walking. It takes time for your joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones to get used to the impact and mechanics of running. Your overall fitness tends to increase before your body has fully adapted, and that is when you get injured. Use the first three weeks of walking to get into the habit of exercise, and adjust your daily routine, and let your body get a head start on adapting to running. If you have jogged a little, but never run far, it is still advisable to begin a programme of mainly walking before you start running. Consider visiting a physiotherapist or podiatrist.
B-Remember the talk test
When you are training, you should be able to maintain a conversation, talking in complete sentences. If you are too out of breath to do this, you are training too fast.
C-Rest
Your fitness and strength do not improve while you are running. They improve while you are resting, as your body responds to the stresses it has experienced. Rest is just as important a part of your training programme as running. When you start running, you should not run more than every other day. As you get more experienced, you should take a day off each week.
D-Do not increase your distance more than 3 miles a week
You should not increase your weekly mileage more than 3 miles in any one week. This will ensure that you build up slowly. Jumps in mileage are asking for injury.
E-Keep at it for at least 4 weeks
For many runners, the first 3-4 weeks are a real struggle. Every time you put on your running shoes, you wonder why you are doing it. But one day, after about 3 weeks, you will suddenly feel the wind at your back, and you will run easily and smoothly without effort. Running will get easier from then on, and the good days will increase while the hard days recede. Enjoy it: you have become a runner.
2-You may need to check with a doctor or a physio before you start running
You should get a medical check up if you are over 60 and unused to a lot of exercise, or if you may be in danger of having a heart condition which could be triggered by running. Use your common sense: if in doubt, see your doctor.
Guidelines for when you need to see a doctor before starting running
The US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has formulated the following guidelines. According to these guidelines, anyone who conforms to one or more of the eight criteria below should consult a doctor before beginning an exercise programme:
1-You are over age 60 and not accustomed to vigorous exercise;
2-you have a family history of premature coronary heart disease (under 55 years of age);
3-you frequently have pains or pressure in the left or mid chest area, left neck, shoulder or arm (as distinct from the "stitch") during or immediately after exercise;
4-you often feel faint or have spells of severe dizziness, or you experience extreme breathlessness after mild exertion;
5-your doctor has said that your blood pressure is too high and is not under control, or you do not know that it is normal;
6-your doctor has said that you have heart trouble, that you have a heart murmur, or that you have had a heart attack;
7-your doctor has said that you have bone or joint problems, such as arthritis;
8-you have a medical condition that might need special attention in an exercise program (for example, insulin dependent diabetes).
Use your common sense; and if you are in doubt, go to your doctor.
1-Start slowly and build up
Lots of new runners get carried away and try to do too much too soon. This can lead to disappointment, loss of enthusiasm and possibly injury. If you want to be able to enjoy running for the rest of your life, start out slowly and build up.
New runners often try to run too far or too fast at first. This is particularly true if you join a running club and feel you should be keeping pace with more experienced runners. The key to running is to push yourself, but not so hard that you become injured or ill.
Five tips to help you start running safely
A-Walk for the first three weeks
If you are new to running - even if you are physically fit - you should walk for the first three weeks. Although this may sound boring, there is statistically a very good chance of becoming injured in your third month of running if you do not begin with a period of walking. It takes time for your joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones to get used to the impact and mechanics of running. Your overall fitness tends to increase before your body has fully adapted, and that is when you get injured. Use the first three weeks of walking to get into the habit of exercise, and adjust your daily routine, and let your body get a head start on adapting to running. If you have jogged a little, but never run far, it is still advisable to begin a programme of mainly walking before you start running. Consider visiting a physiotherapist or podiatrist.
B-Remember the talk test
When you are training, you should be able to maintain a conversation, talking in complete sentences. If you are too out of breath to do this, you are training too fast.
C-Rest
Your fitness and strength do not improve while you are running. They improve while you are resting, as your body responds to the stresses it has experienced. Rest is just as important a part of your training programme as running. When you start running, you should not run more than every other day. As you get more experienced, you should take a day off each week.
D-Do not increase your distance more than 3 miles a week
You should not increase your weekly mileage more than 3 miles in any one week. This will ensure that you build up slowly. Jumps in mileage are asking for injury.
E-Keep at it for at least 4 weeks
For many runners, the first 3-4 weeks are a real struggle. Every time you put on your running shoes, you wonder why you are doing it. But one day, after about 3 weeks, you will suddenly feel the wind at your back, and you will run easily and smoothly without effort. Running will get easier from then on, and the good days will increase while the hard days recede. Enjoy it: you have become a runner.
2-You may need to check with a doctor or a physio before you start running
You should get a medical check up if you are over 60 and unused to a lot of exercise, or if you may be in danger of having a heart condition which could be triggered by running. Use your common sense: if in doubt, see your doctor.
Guidelines for when you need to see a doctor before starting running
The US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has formulated the following guidelines. According to these guidelines, anyone who conforms to one or more of the eight criteria below should consult a doctor before beginning an exercise programme:
1-You are over age 60 and not accustomed to vigorous exercise;
2-you have a family history of premature coronary heart disease (under 55 years of age);
3-you frequently have pains or pressure in the left or mid chest area, left neck, shoulder or arm (as distinct from the "stitch") during or immediately after exercise;
4-you often feel faint or have spells of severe dizziness, or you experience extreme breathlessness after mild exertion;
5-your doctor has said that your blood pressure is too high and is not under control, or you do not know that it is normal;
6-your doctor has said that you have heart trouble, that you have a heart murmur, or that you have had a heart attack;
7-your doctor has said that you have bone or joint problems, such as arthritis;
8-you have a medical condition that might need special attention in an exercise program (for example, insulin dependent diabetes).
Use your common sense; and if you are in doubt, go to your doctor.