If you want to start running, there are some considerations you can benefit from before you begin. Spending some energy on this gives you a much better foundation, which is crucial for new runners. The risk of injuries is unfortunately quite high for beginners, likely due to an improper approach to training initially.
Why do you want to start running?
First, we need to know why you want to start. The incentive affects not only how you should plan your training but also allows you to understand your motivation for running. This knowledge helps maintain your motivation in running training and/or ensures you have multiple motivations for running.
There are as many incentives as there are people – some incentives I've encountered over time include:
- To live a healthier life
- To lose weight
- Because running is time efficient
- To challenge oneself on a specific distance
- To unwind
- For the running experience itself
- In connection with a community
- As a way to improve in another sport
Whatever the reason, knowing your motivation provides better understanding of when you nurture motivation and when you "draw on the motivation account." This doesn’t mean you should only run when the shoes almost lace themselves, but understanding your motivation may make it easier to handle if it's harder to get going one day.
It's also important to emphasize that it’s completely normal if you feel you need to "pull yourself together" to go on many of your runs. We are fundamentally comfort-seeking, and thus the couch often seems more appealing than a run – most would agree it's rare to regret a run once you’re out!
Ultimately, this knowledge gives you a better chance to structure training so it doesn’t overwhelm you over time – and as a runner, continuity is crucial. The body is incredibly good at adapting but does so in small steps. Hence, good running training is about providing ongoing stimuli so the body can gradually progress. – Many small streams make a big river!
As time goes by, shoes will likely be easier to lace as you develop running habits. These habits are a huge help and should be a primary focus for a beginner.
What is your starting point as a runner?
Knowing your starting point is also a big advantage. If you haven’t run in years, muscles, tendons, and bones won’t be accustomed to running stress. Alternatively, if you come from, e.g., soccer, your body is already used to running, though soccer involves varied direction and speed. Here, your lower legs are better prepared for the stress, but you'll still need to adapt to the more uniform movement of running.
Your starting point as a runner greatly affects how you should begin. – And if in doubt, start more cautiously to avoid running injuries!
Planning running training for beginners
The most crucial aspect of a beginner running program is avoiding injuries (and getting out there). As long as you run and avoid injuries, you’ll progress as a beginner. The more you run, the more important it becomes to train certain parameters, which initially you don’t need to worry about.
Know your intensity
Controlling intensity when running is vital for beginner training. Understanding intensity greatly reduces the risk of overuse and ensures you get the intended benefit from each run session.
One key to developing as a runner is variation in training. Variation means running on different surfaces, in different shoes, and at different paces. Different paces equate to different intensities, and intensity is a crucial term if you want to develop and avoid injuries.
The best way to manage intensity is by using training zones. Different intensity areas are defined using pulse, pace, and/or watt, helping you know, for instance, which pulse areas to stay within for a leisurely run or intervals.
There are various methods to find your training zones, which we cover in a full article if you'd like to read more: "Guide: How to find your training zones"
Patience
You’ll have the best start by arming yourself with patience. As mentioned, muscles, tendons, and bones need to adapt to running stress – increasing training too quickly can risk structures unable to keep up, potentially leading to injury.
Your muscles adapt relatively quickly, while bones and tendons take much longer. You might know muscle soreness after training, but bones and tendons don't provide the same feedback. In practice, beginners can benefit from training lighter than they feel capable of – allowing bones and tendons to keep pace.
Patience is a highly valuable trait for a beginner; enjoy the process, and rejoice that you have the best training experience if it feels a bit easy.
Running volume
There isn’t a right or wrong way to define running volume, but generally, it's wise to consider multiple factors regarding your running volume, seen as a synonym for the training load on the body.
Running load is affected by factors including:
- Total running time/distance
- Distribution among high, moderate, and low intensity
- Whether you train as usual or make changes in
- Pace/training type
- Elevation gain
- Surface
- Shoes
- Running style
Additionally, consider other loads from daily life – ranging from more or less sleep to work tasks and gardening. Regardless of the source, your body must manage it!
Finally, it’s emphasized that the load shouldn’t be higher than necessary! Increasing weekly mileage too quickly yields poor training benefits – at worst, it results in injury or plateauing.
Find a level where you challenge the body a bit and feel positive training responses. When you notice stagnation, increase the load slightly again.
Suggestions for a beginner running program
As explained above, the key points for a beginner program are to:
- Avoid injuries.
- Develop good running habits you enjoy.
For many beginners, it makes sense to keep both volume and intensity low initially. This reduces injury risk, and makes lacing up shoes more manageable, which is crucial for developing good exercise habits.
Start by ensuring intensity allows conversation during most training. If that means walking to maintain proper intensity, begin there and enjoy the journey. You can "spice up" training with a bit of high-intensity running – perhaps around 10% of your weekly volume!
Weekly example of a beginner running program
A beginner program with 3 sessions a week could look like this:
- Session 1: Easy run/walk for 20-30 minutes. The main thing is it’s easy!
- Session 2: Easy run/walk for 20-30 minutes with some faster running.
- For example, a few 30-60 second runs followed by 2-4 minutes of walking or easy running.
- Or a few fast runs from lamppost to lamppost, followed by 1-2 lampposts of walking or easy running
- Session 3: Easy run/walk for 20-30 minutes, like session 1.
If possible, vary your routes to run on different terrains – both soft and hard, flat and hilly. Different terrains offer varied load, strengthening the body sensibly and reducing injury risk.
Want to follow a running program?
When ready for a more structured program, you can find various programs targeting different distances here. Again, it's emphasized that you'll have the best experience following a program that's not too tough, so start easier rather than harder!
Find all programs here: ALL RUNNING PROGRAMMES
