Pratical Guide to Start to Run
Autor: What I Learned Today | Publicado: 2009-06-11T05:34:00-03:00

For many years I've been a terrible runner, and until nowadays I'm still unconsistent. That forced me to understend my reaction to running sections, when conditioned - and running 4 times a week for 1 month and achieved 22Km once - and unconditioned . To run unconditioned is to run with lack of aerobic capacity or lack of muscular structure (or both).What I noticed is that most people I know who doesn't like running don't really know how to start and never had help, some are even embarased! My aim is to give tips to be implemented in a few runs and throught that give the oportunity to this people to enjoy this activity that males me feel so good fisicaly and psycologicaly.Know Yourself: Self understanding is essential to most fisical activities, but it doesn't come right away, you got to pratice such thing as self-knoledge. The best way is to move yourself and pay attention to your body, it's weight, measures, feel your heart and the blood runnig throught your veins, later you will be able to feel the adrenaline when you start runnig uphill or pass by narrow alleys.Start Slow: to pay attention to yourself and to get used to running, most people (mainly martial arts adepts) don't like running because it's extremaly boring. They tend to speed up because that's the way they warm up, but they forget they are not running just 10 minutes this time, the exercise is diferent, even if you have muscular capacity, you wont keep up and that brings the next topic...Be Consistent: really dificult for most people, they start too fast and finish walking with the tongs toutching the floor, start slow and keep the rithym. This step may apply also to the big picture, if you be consistent in running, praticing it regularly, it's gonna be easier.Keep up the good vibe: don't feel obligated to do it, don't force to be always faster and/or run further. I noticed this is my biggest problem, I always wanted more and more, faster and further and if I couldn't, I was demoralysed and quit running for 2 weeks. Why? Because it stoped being fun!Find a runnig partner: Even if he can't run as well as you do, run partialy with him and when he goes home you keep running, if it's the other way around, ask him to run with you for just 20 minutes, or in the recovery days (later on, you'll notice that after a long and fast run, necessary to increase skills, the best way to relax the muscles is an easy shorter and slower run the next day). Sometimes I prefer to run all alone, kind of meditation for me, but too much lonely runs will get you bored. if you can't find a partner, use your iPod or mobile to set the rithym...To eat or not to eat: most people say it's not good to eat before running, it realy depends, for 6 months, lunch time was the only time I had for myself, I used to run and got used to the eat and run, now I can't do it anymore... Try eating less meat or even vegetarian and stop drinking, you will get a lot less muscular pain in the next day, if you cut sugar it will be ever beter!Change the view: it's boring to see the same paisage every time, create new routes, sites like MapmyRun.com can contain sugestions to your area, or you can create your own map and measure the distances and possibilities, quite fun.Boring: if it gets boring to run, use it to review your to do list, or to rethink the subject of your next examme, keep your mind active and if running gets too easy, a 50m sprint shal shake the spirit and make you breathless for a few seconds.Again, keep the rithym: not only in the music, use a series of steps to breath consiently. If you aerobical capacity isn't good, do like this: 2 steps inspire air, 3 steps expire the air. If it's easy, you can increase: 3 steps inspire and 4 expire//4 steps inspire, 5 expire, and so on. Just remember to expire more than inspire or else you'll get that pain in the side of the belly, and keep the total impar, so you wont start expiring always when the same feet toutches the ground, avoiding the same pain. Actualy, this tip is the most important to me, since I can adapt it to a beginner run or a professional run!Not too Strong: remember that every exercise uses your muscles diferently, weight lifters locked in the gym don't always have the right muscles to run, and they are heavier and the high quantity of muscle makes you spend more energy when running!I think thats enought to get some of you moving, any sugestion or comments, please, I whant to learn from you!(portuguese version comming soon)