5 Ways To Start Running
Improve Your Endurance This Summer!
Summer is almost here in Colorado and every day I see more people outside running and enjoying the sunshine. Running is a fantastic way to get in shape and stay in shape when added to your gym time at Boulder Athletics. Running regularly improves longevity, creates greater cardiovascular capacity, produces better body composition, makes stronger bones, produces positive neurological functions, and helps control cholesterol, glucose, and insulin levels. I hear people all the time at the gym say, “I’m going to start running this summer,” but they don’t know how to get started. Here are five helpful ways to take action and hit those beautiful Colorado trails this summer.
1. The goal is to get motivated and create a habit.
Keep it simple when you are beginning, run at the same time every day, and take the same route. Do this 3 times per week for 3 weeks straight. Once you hit the 3-week mark, add in a different variation: up the mileage, change the route, pick up the pace, change the music/podcast you are listening to, find a running buddy. The power of habit is what we are striving for, and ultimately what will make us successful.
2. Practice a 1:1 walk/run ratio.
This means you run for a predetermined time, and then walk the same amount of time you just ran. For a beginner, start with 1 minute of running at a moderate pace, and then walking for 1 minute. Do this for 10 rounds. As you start feeling stronger, run for 2 minutes/walk for 2 minutes and see how more time feels. Do this for a total of two weeks, three times per week.
3. Run non-stop for 5 minutes.
It doesn’t matter how fast you run, it matters that you KEEP running. Once you have completed two weeks of walk/run ratio, test your limits and run for five minutes non-stop. This should be done at a conversational pace. If you are breathing too hard to talk, slow down! Stick to 5 minutes for the first week, three times per week. Add two minutes every week following for the next four weeks. By this fourth week, you should be running non-stop for 11 minutes. If you are a beginner, 11 minutes of non-stop running will get you very close to running your first mile!
4. Hill sprints in the sunshine!
Incorporate hill sprints into your 1:1 walk/run ratio. Find a hill in your neighborhood, it doesn’t matter how big or small the incline is. Start at the bottom of the hill and run as fast as you can to the top. Sprinting (no matter how fast) breaks up the lactic acid that builds up in the legs that give us that lethargic feeling. Sprinting also builds lean muscles and increases bone density.
5. Get some good gear.
Before you start running, buy yourself some good running shoes and a watch! Not only will you be excited to use your new gear, but you will also save your feet/shins/calves from the undue pain that comes with old shoes. Having a watch will help you with EVERYTHING in running, specifically the 1:1 walk/run ratio weeks as well as the non-stop running weeks. Hold yourself accountable and you WILL see improvement and success!
Get out there and start running!
Coach Emily