Running hasn’t always been such a big pleasure for me as it is nowadays. I used to struggle with leg and back pain, endurance difficulties, headache or stitching. Today i want to share with you 5 tips that helped me to love and enjoy running.
1. Hydrate
Especially now that it gets warmer, its so important to hydrate before and after your run. I drink 300-400 ml of water or water with magnesium, approx. 30 minutes before I go for my run. That way I prevent headache and I feel much more energized whilst running. Magnesium also helps your muscles with regeneration and preventing cramps.
2. Training you’re whole body
Especially when I went for longer runs (10k and more), I sometimes suffered from back pain. Thats because when you run on asphalt or firm ground, every time you land with your feet, your spine has to absorb part of the bounce shock. For shorter runs that might not be that big of a problem, but in the long term, you might get back pain. The best way to prevent this, is to also specifically train your upper and lower back, neck and arm musculature and not underestimate a strong core. The best exercises I can recommend are:
– bentover rows (with a barbell or some kind of weight, you could also use a resistance band)
– swimmers
– deadlifts
– shruggs
– bizeps curls
– push ups
– planks (you can easily increase the difficulty by alternately pulling in your knees to your chest whilst keeping you’re body in a straight line)
Also, do not underestimate the impact of your neck musculature on you’re posture. It really helps you to stand up straight and to not round you’re upper back.
3. Changing up your habits and boosting your endurance
Running straight forward for kilometers and kilometers can not only get boring, but also decreases your training progress. If you go for the same route and same velocity every time, you’re body gets used to it and you do not get the progress you want to see in your workouts. Instead, surprise you’re body! Make it have to work harder by putting it on challenges. For example, I love love love (absolutely love haha) to combine HIIT bodyweight training with running. So, a mixed workout might look like this: I would warm up first by walking 10 mins and stretching and shaking of my whole body. I might also include the runners ABC into my warm up. Then I would start running at my comfort pace for approx. 2-3 k. Following that, I would set my timer for 4 minutes, 20 sec on 10 sec off for 8 rounds, and do an interval training consisting of most commonly two bodyweight exercises.
For example:
burpees and jumping jacks or
squat jumps and planks or
push ups and air squats
or or or – there are plenty of combinations and you can do whatever you feel up for or sounds fun. Also, don’t be afraid to use any equipment you can find. For instance, if you’re in the forrest and there are fallen boles around, don’t hesitate to do some „box jumps“ on them or use them as an elevation to put your feet on to make your planks or push ups even harder.
I would repeat this run-interval training-circle for as long as I desire. Also, one of my biggest loves are stair sprints. So, whenever I come across stairways, you can be sure to see me sprinting up, taking two or three stairs at a time. I love how the legs are on fire after that and it also boosts my heart rate up to 180, which next to no other exercise ever manages.
4. Run on!
In some posts about running or tips on how to start, it’s often suggested to start running for 10 mins and then walk again and keep alternating until you’re finished. This should help you to get to the point where you can run in one go without having to walk. When I first started off running, I tried sticking to this tip. But what I quickly realized was, that starting to run again after the walking breaks was much harder for me then to just run on. Even if it was at a really slow pace, almost a walking pace, sticking to that jogging motion all through out your run really helps to increase your endurance. I would rather suggest to run on and increase your velocity from run to run, then splitting your training into a run-walk-run manner.
5. The right shoes
Last but not least: the right shoes! Unfortunately, I am struggling with a malposition of my mechanical axis since I was a kid. I am working on fixing that with physio therapy and orthopedic insoles, but thats not enough. Most importantly whilst running, especially on solid ground, is a good support for my feet. For me, everything stands and falls with a good footgear.
Since years, my shoe of choice is the Asics GT 3000 . Also, I love the running gear from Brooks running .
I really hope you found this post to be helpful for you.
If you have any questions or own experiences, be sure to leave them in the comments below!
xxx
Helena
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