Archive for the ‘Running for Beginners’ Category

Running today is an energetic form of exercise and a very popular sport. Many run because they enjoy it or as part of a fitness plan. It?s come a long way from being the fastest way of getting from Point A to Point B on foot. From a means of transport, to a means to good health or fame and glory!

How many kinds of running are there? Jogging is a way of running at an even and moderate pace. A jogger, unlike an athlete who races, can go on for longer as he does not strain himself to the fullest. Today there are millions of people across the world who jog to keep fit. It needs hardly any equipment – just a good pair of shoes and loose clothing. As it is an aerobic exercise it builds up the circulatory and respiratory systems, and helps when it comes to stress management.

Competitive running in races is a familiar sport. Humans race in marathons across streets, or on racing tracks. Humans even race animals – some of the most popular races are horse and dog racing.

Racing is a way to find out the fastest competitor in the event; it is a contest of speed. These competitions have been held since ancient times. The Olympics has a tradition that dates back to 776 BC, and running was one the most important events. It is still one of the most popular events and runners are stars in their own right. There are many types of events – the 100-meter sprint, long distance running, relays and more. Athletes choose their events, and practice their speed according to the event.

Long distance running is popular and cross-country races are among the most strenuous. Marathons are held in cities across the world. In city marathons you?d find people from all walks of life joining in. You?d even find children racing in these events. Very often, marathons are organized for a cause, with the proceeds going to some charity.

Runners and joggers often suffer from injuries like runner?s knee, shin splints, pulled muscles, twisted ankles, etc. Some of these could be because of insufficient warm ups.

If you are considering running as a form of exercise, start small. It is not possible to run long right from the first day. If you are over 35, have a physical examination done before you set out. If you run right, it could become an enjoyable and effective way to exercise.

If you think you would enjoy jogging or running, here’s how to get started. First, check with your doctor and get a good pair of running shoes. Start out by jogging slowly until your legs feel heavy or hurt or you feel tired. Then stop for the day, even if you have taken only a few steps. Do this every day or every other day. You should be able to work up to the point where you can jog slowly for at least 20 minutes. If you’re happy with this program, you don’t have to go any further. However, if you want to improve, follow the training methods that competitive runners use.

On one day, start out slowly and gradually pick up the pace. When you start to feel uncomfortable, slow down. When you recover, pick the pace up again. On the next day, if your legs feel stiff, don’t try to run. If your legs feel fresh, run very slowly. Try to do these gradual pickup workouts every other day. Never do them when your legs are stiff or tired.

After a few months of alternating days of pickups and slow runs, you are ready to take the next step: intervals and longer runs. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, run faster. On Tuesday, try to run 220 yards fast (half a track length), rest and then repeat the 220-yard runs until your legs start to feel stiff. On Thursday, try to run two to five miles fairly fast, and on Sunday, try to increase your distance so you can run for at least one hour. On the other days, either run slowly, or if your legs feel stiff, take the day off.

If you’ve begun to take your running seriously, you’re probably considering joining a running or athletics club to take your training to the next level. This is a great idea, but don’t rush into it.

First check out all the options. There are local athletic clubs that do several different sports, dedicated running clubs, gym based running groups and men and women only groups. There are over fifties running organisations, and hashers, who run from pub to pub, once you start looking around you’ll find that there are probably more opportunities than you thought.

Go along, without warning, to a club event. Does anybody come and talk to you? Sadly, some clubs are quite snooty and don’t make an effort to welcome new members – are they the people you want to give your subscription money to? Does the club seem to have runners like you? If you’re mega-fit and sporty, you’ll want a competitive group, if you’re a shy beginner, you’ll want to see a few other people jogging around having a chat and enjoying themselves.

What other activities does the club offer? Some to coaching weekends, trips to races, annual dinners, personalised coaching, outings to big sporting events etc. Others are focused on getting the club up the league table and will enrol you in as many runs and relays as you can handle. Still others are charity motivated and raise money and give time to a particular good cause. Check your club’s ethos matches your own or you will begin to feel either pressurised and guilty or snubbed and left out.

For More Running Information Visit Sports Watches- Great range of Sports Watches

About the Author

John is a keen runner working for Sports Watches

It doesn?t matter what your age or ability, anyone who wants to can start running for fitness. It does not appeal to everyone, but it does not take a lot of special equipment or know how to do. Running is a great way to improve your cardiovascular health as well as helping you to maintain a healthy weight. You can run a lot or a little. You can run inside or out. You can go running with other people or by yourself. Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Talk to a doctor or another qualified health professional before you start any type of running program. They will be able to help you assess your current fitness level and will give you guidelines for how much to exercise and nutrition advice as well.

2. Your clothing and shoes will be really your most important running equipment. But, you don?t necessarily have to go out and buy all new stuff once you start to run. Clothing should be appropriate for the weather and climate if you are going to run outside. Your shoes should be comfortable and fit well. Once you start to run for longer distances you may want to purchase some better quality shoes with advice from a specialty running shoe store.

3. Warm up before you start to run. This will get your body ready for the increased activity and will help to limit injuries. Stretch your calves and thigh muscles and walk briskly to get your heart rate up.

4. In the beginning you can alternate walking briskly and running for short distances to get accustomed to the activity. If you are new to exercise, you should probably only go for 10 to 20 minutes for the first few times out.

5. Set goals that are reasonable. If you want to do a 5K run, then set little more manageable goals that you can do to reach your big goal. If you are too ambitious in your start, you may burn out too quickly and not reach your goal.

6. Cool down at the end of your run. Stretch again and walk slowly. This will help to keep you from getting sore muscles and limit injury as well as increasing flexibility.

7. Eat right. Give your body good nutritious fuel to work with. Use a calorie calculator online to find out how much you will need for weight management or loss.

If there is one thing I didn’t want to do as a young man was loose weight. My nick name at school was Stick. Others were Skinny Ribs and Skelator. There were a couple of reasons why I was so thin. One was simply because I was full of energy and always running around, and the other must have been down to me having an ultra fast metabolism. Oh how I hated those nicknames back then, but I would have loved to have them back once I hit my mid 40’s as I became as fat as a barrel. Alas, I was to become a couch potato and my poor ole metabolism began to slow down with age. But I did eventually find a solution to the middle age spread and that was simply by running to lose weight.

The thing I like so much about running to lose weight is that it’s easy. Apart from decent footwear there are no machines, gyms, or other fitness expenses to suffer. It can be practiced at your own pace, in your own time, at a schedule that suits you. There is a downside though which is I sometimes have to miss my run if there’s a torrential downpour or worse still a snow storm. But even with the unpredictable elements, there are very few days lost to inclement weather conditions.

Running to lose weight and to get into shape gets a bad wrap from some fitness gurus as being hard on the joints. No one can argue that poor footwear slapping down on hard concrete won’t take its toll over time, but with a good quality pair of running shoes and a nice grass surface, no one is going to be turning into a cripple overnight. As I’m neither practicing for nor running a marathon here, the harm is done by this form of exercise. 20 minutes of running or gentle jogging every other day has seen a healthy steady weigh loss with this Fatty Arbuckle and as a bonus to shedding those pounds, I feel absolutely fantastic too.

On average I lost around 2 Kg a week for 3 months then the weight loss became much more gradual after that. My obvious physical appearance changed in a relatively short space of time which impressed my neighbor so much that he now accompanies me on my runs most days, and the weight is dropping off him just as it did with me.

I will just finish by saying that I have not been on any kind of diet regime. I’ve always enjoyed my meat and 2 veg and continue to eat as much, if not a little more, than I did before I began running to loose weight. Having said that, I’ve never been a fast food junkie, nor do I have a sweet tooth, but I do get stuck into big helpings at meal times. So for me, loosing weight was not so much about putting less in my mouth and getting more exercise, but more to do with just the exercise bit. Everyone is different, and only you know what you have to do, but what I can say is that running to lose weight has really worked for me and my neighbor Roger D.

Bye the way, if you don’t fancy the outdoor jogging scene, you can always use a treadmill instead. Just remember, if you’re serious about losing weight, there are only 2 times when you really need to exercise ? One is when you want to, and the other is when you don?t! Get out of that one if you can!