#5: Running For Noobs
Running is not a key ingredient of one’s weight-loss journey, or even health plan. Remember that. The act of running should purely be done if you find the activity appealing.
If that’s the case, then what type of running plan should a beginner follow? It all starts with actually learning how to run.
1: Learn How To Run
Running is a high-impact activity. Just imagine jumping up and down ten times and landing on your heels. Rather uncomfortable, wouldn’t you say?
Many runners land on their heels when they run. That’s approximately 1,000 mini-jumps on each heel in a modest, 20-minute run. A great way to pick up an overuse injury, if not merely slow you down.
Impact on your heels is one of the most unnatural feelings, which is partly why running is an ‘unnatural’ activity. But there again, so is boxing, football and any other modern-day sport practiced today. Anything that is not short-duration, sprint-based activity solely designed to catch pray.
When you run, land on the balls of your feet. They are the body’s natural shock absorbers. Don’t let your knees cave in, and don’t let your feet turn out. Don’t reach your foot out in front of you. Anything that deviates from your body’s natural biomechanics is a recipe for injury.
2: Run Less, But Faster
Avid runners often pick up overuse injuries, so the obvious way forward here is to do less of the activity, while making the activity more meaningful on the days when you take part.
One would argue that cutting down on running will reduce your fitness, but it is not the case.
In addition, running short-duration with high-intensity, with rest periods in between can help runners increase their fitness while having a lower training volume.
Is this supported by research?
Runners who completed 4 - 7 rounds of 30 seconds at maximum intensity with four minutes of recovery, three times a week, improved their 3-km run time, and were able to run longer before exhaustion.
Runners who performed high-intensity interval training twice a week improved their running economy (how much oxygen your body requires at a particular pace) and peak speed, and showed similar improvements in VO2max and 5-km time compared to runners on their regular training program.
Runners who performed high-intensity interval training experienced greater improvements in heart function compared to those who performed steady state runs.
Combined with having a better running technique, this approach will help prospective runners improve their performance, but have better health too.
3: Run Farther
aIf your goal is to run longer distances, you’ll eventually need to progress beyond short intervals. Whether your goal is to run a 5-km or marathon, you will want to practice some long, steady-state runs.
As with every step in this progression, move slowly. Don’t jump from running 3-km one week to 20-km the next week.
A good rule of thumb is to increase your weekly mileage by no more than 10 % of the previous week. So if you run 10-km one week, you should be able to increase to 11-km the following week.
That said, as you build up the mileage, don’t neglect what got you to that point. Continue to hone your running technique. Continue to add interval workouts to your training.
As with all things, a sport should be practiced with technique at the center-focus. Only after establishing and securing a proper technique can you consider picking up the pace and/or distance. Don’t run before you learn how to walk (har, har).
Regardless, a well-rounded program that hits speed, but also endurance will give you the best bang for your buck, whilst avoiding injuries in the process.
