You're ready. Now give it your all. No bad excuses. Just dedication, motivation, and the will to succeed. That's how it goes the first week, maybe also the next, but then it's like the motivation drops and enthusiasm wanes. Runs become less frequent. And eventually, you stop. Sound familiar?
In this article, we've gathered a series of tips on how to start running, avoid injuries, and most importantly, how to maintain your new good habit.
Tip 1: Patience, patience, patience
Your motivation is high, and you're ready to give it your all. But be careful. Starting well with running is primarily about taking it slow and having plenty of patience. Running isn't something you become good at overnight. It takes time. So better to start with few and short runs rather than many and long ones.
Many start running but quickly give up again due to injuries or lack of motivation. One reason is that people want to achieve everything in half the time. But I can't stress enough how important it is to take it slow initially.
Tip 2: Your fitness improves faster than your muscles and tendons
If you're a beginner, be aware that your fitness improves much faster than your muscles and tendons. And what does that mean? If you run according to your fitness, you'll likely get injured. It's very important to give your body time to adapt and strengthen itself. A good tip is to run with ease in the first year - at least. Run feeling you could go faster and longer. It takes time (many months) for tendons to adapt to increased stress, so give it time. Avoid pushing your body, but focus on building good routines where you run regularly and with ease.
Tip 3: Have a goal and remember your motivation
A pitfall can be forgetting your motivation. You've started well, but suddenly forgotten the purpose. So it's a good idea to have a goal to train towards. Maybe you want to run a specific distance, or complete an official race. Whatever it is, a goal helps push you out the door on tough days. When you reach your goal or feel overwhelmed, remember why you started. Was it for health? Weight loss? Personal goals? Something else? Remember your motivation. It got you started, and it should help you continue.
Tip 4: You improve during rest
When you've started running, it's surprisingly enjoyable. Many want to run as much as possible. But be cautious.
Injuries often stop people from running. Running is a marathon, not a sprint. So remember to rest. Rest so your body can recover. You improve during rest. It's where muscles and tendons recover and strengthen.
Tip 5: Run in proper running shoes
It might sound basic, but many underestimate the importance of running shoes. Maybe you have some old running shoes from 10 years ago, or some regular sneakers you think you can run in. Be careful with that.
Instead, buy proper running shoes that protect your tendons and joints, and help you start well as a runner. Need advice and inspiration for finding your next running shoes? Help is here:
This year's best running shoes
Running shoes for beginners
See our full range of running shoes here.
Tip 6: Remember tip number 1 and don't rush
The best advice for starting to run is to be patient. Without getting too philosophical, running is something to enjoy repeatedly. Running is mostly about repetition and enjoying the process. Running is truly an endless process. So there's no need to risk injuries by wanting too much too soon. Take it easy. Enjoy it. Be patient.
If you need a good training plan to safely and effectively progress towards 5 km, 10 km, a half marathon, or marathon, find it here: Running training programs
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