HOW DO I GET STARTED RUNNING? - OUR ANSWER

There is no magic - you know what to do - do it.

SHOES:
Wear good shoes. That means shoes that fit your feet, not necessarily expensive shoes. Go to a good running shoe store and ask for help - make sure the person helping you is a runner. If in doubt, ask for a neutral shoe without aggressive control features. It should feel good. If you ever get foot or lower leg problems, wonder about whether your shoes are right for you. If you are running regularly, get new shoes every 6 months or 400 miles, whichever comes first, regardless of how your shoes look. They are dead.

BEGINNING:
If you haven't run in a while or are a new runner, start with 30 minutes a day for at least 4 days a week. NOT LESS. Believe it or not, it really is easier to run more often than less often. Really. Run comfortably with good form. If this means alternating run/walk, then that's what you do until you can run the full 30 minutes. But 30-35 minutes is a critical minimum time for health benefit of running or walking. Do not let yourself get so tired that you pound or shuffle your feet or get bent over. Walk instead. If you walk a portion of the time, stop and stretch occasionally. You will eventually want to only run instead of walk because walking will be too easy and slow.

PRERUN WARM UP:
Nothing magical here. Just do something to get your heart and blood started. Don't just bolt out the door. A short walk is good (5 minutes) ending with a couple minutes of easy stretching. Stretch the lower back, back of the legs and calves. EASY. Don't make it hurt.

POST RUN COOL DOWN:
Do at least 10 minutes of easy stretching of the back, back of legs and calves. Walk around a little. If you can, stretch again 30 minutes or so later (and, if you really want to do it right, again later in the day). This will really payoff in injury prevention. You won't run faster with stretching, but you will run with fewer injuries. (I try to stretch my calves 3-4 times a day. It only takes 20 seconds).

KEEP TRACK:
Get a calendar just for your running. Schedule your running like any other important event and then record what you do. Write down at least the time or mileage for each run. Every week total your mileage or time. Also record aches and pains. This will help you deal with injuries. A calendar helps with staying consistent.

CONSISTENCY:
Being consistent is important for many reasons. First of all, it provides the greatest health/training effect. Second, the fact that you have been consistent will motivate you to keep running when you have those bleak times when you don't really feel like running. Bleak times happen - KEEP GOING - and the payoff will be even better days ahead. Sometimes, bleak times happen because your body is growing and adjusting to the running - let it happen. Believe that it means you're getting stronger.

INCREASING MILEAGE:
There is one golden rule. DON'T DO ANYTHING DRASTIC. The most important thing to know and remember when beginning running is you get used to running. As you begin to run, and each time you increase your mileage, your body will adapt and grow to meet the new stress. You will grow new blood vessels in muscles and around joints, grow new mitochondria to burn fuel; your heart will gain capacity. THIS TAKES TIME. Most running injuries are due to "too much too soon". So, when you have been easily running a certain time or distance for at least 4 weeks, you may increase mileage no more than 10%. Don't increase again until you have run that time/distance for at least 4 weeks. Some people can be more aggressive, but not many. What usually happens to the gung-ho new runner is: success leads to quickly increasing mileage. The problem is that resulting damage is often hidden. It usually shows up after 6 months when they have a major breakdown or injury. Until then they felt great. We see this time and time and time again. DON'T DO IT. Let your body adjust and you will have years of joyful (yes, joyful), injury-free running. If you do violate this law and one day start to have some strange pain growing in you somewhere, STOP RUNNING.

INJURIES:
When something begins to hurt, address it immediately by doing something different. What you do depends on how bad it is. It's almost always wise to take time off before it gets worse - walking is a good substitute. It is difficult to determine the cause of many running injuries, but the answer to most is the same - give it rest. Talk to an experienced runner about significant injuries or ones that linger. If you go to a doctor, see someone who treats runners. Sad to say, most doctors are ignorant, or worse, regarding runners and sports injuries.

WEIGHT TRAINING, ETC.:
For many people, weight training and the like is irrelevant to their running. However, many of us will benefit from some leg strength work. Particularly if you have been inactive for a while or gained weight. The greatest benefit is injury prevention. If you feel like it might help you, do light weights for the quads (front of thighs), ham strings (back of thighs) and calves. Do 3 sets of 10 using about 75% of the weight with which you can just do one set of 10 repetitions. Arm curls, back strengthening exercises are also beneficial. Stretch lightly after any workout.

INPUT:
Fluid intake has a great impact on your running and how you feel. MANY times a lousy run occurs only because you are dehydrated. You need to drink water or the equivalent every day. Add at least 4 glasses of fluids a day to whatever you are already drinking - in addition to whatever you drink right after running. Food: everyone runs best on a different diet. Experiment and see what works for you.

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