Many of my clients express to me that they want to become better at running but that they find it such hard work and to be such a chore. Perhaps it will be some comfort to know that even the best runners have off days. Below are some tips that should help make running a little more easy for you.
- Start slowly. Ease into your runs and pick up the pace once you feel warmed up.
- Pick scenic and pretty courses. Maybe it’s a sense of running the same course day after day that makes running seem difficult and boring. Find some local beauty spots. Head to the park. Run on the beach. A change of scenery can do wonders for your mental outlook. You’ll be so focused on the new surroundings, you won’t even notice the minutes flying by.
- Run at different paces. Slow down then speed up. Moving faster sometimes forces you to concentrate on form and actually makes the run feel easier, even while your pulse rate is climbing.
- Run with someone or in a group. When discussing work or the kids or partners, you’ll forget about all those km’s you’re covering.
- Strengthen those quads & butt. New runners sometimes complain of sore joints mainly knees. The stronger your quads and glutes are the easier it will be to lift your legs off the ground. If these two muscles are strong it will protect your knees against the pounding. Don’t overlook the quads & butt when you do your strength training. A lot of single leg squats and lunges please.
- Wear the right shoes. Plain and simple running will not feel easy if you’re in the wrong shoes. You should change your shoes every 6 months.
- Vary your workout times. Do 3 x 1 km efforts, run for 25 -30 mins, try 1 hour.
- Get your breathing under control. There’s no wrong or right way to breath when you run. You just have to make sure you get enough oxygen into your lungs so that you’re comfortable. Deeper, longer breaths are good, but when you run hills you will find you have to take shorter, quicker more shallow breaths to get the oxygen in.
- Run from Point to Point or from light post to light post. Set yourself a course in advance and run from point A to point B. Plus there’s a sense of accomplishment for completing it.
- Be at ease when you run. It’s your time to be free and clear your mind. Listen to your IPod or think about your favourite music when you run. Sing the songs in your head or out load!