This is part 2 to a previous article about the benefits running brings you
(1) Drink plenty of water
On a hot day or during a long run your body can loose up to 2L of water an hour, so drink plenty of water before you run. If your body is dehydrated your performance will fall drastically and it will take the fun out of running. I suggest a big glass of roomtemperature water before each run. Drinking water there is to cold might make your stomach cramp.
(2) Start off easy
Running for 20–35 minutes 2 or 3 times a week will be more than enough to improve the shape your in and also make running seem fun. Remember to be realistic, lower your ambitions. If you’re not used to running, than forget everything about participating in any longer runs or marathons for the first year. It can take years before your body gets used to running long distances, listen to what your body tells you, pain is a sign of something is wrong. The easier you start off the less likely you will be to get injured.
(3) Make it a habit
As a beginner the most important part of running is making it a habit. It’s much easier to make it a habit if you write down 2–3 days in your weekly calendar where you’re going to run, in that way you don’t risk forgetting about having to run because something else came up and it will help you to get out the door on days where you might not feel like running. On days where the motivation is lacking I like to think of all the benefits running brings me. Once you got past the first 4–6 weeks of training you’ll start to enjoy running much more and even find yourself starting to look forward to your next run. I know I am.
(4) Variation is important
Keeping your training varied is an important part of you training, variation not only keeps you motivated but it also helps you to improve. Try mixing thing up by sometime running shorter and faster runs or sometimes run longer than you use to, running your normal route in reverse or even better running gives you a change to explore you neighbourhood and see some of the thing you normally just drive by, otherwise its like having the same food for dinner everyday within a week or two I’ll get tired of it. I remember reading about a gut who kept growing more and more fond of the neighbourhood he lived in because every time he went out for a run he would go exploring and every time he would find something new he liked.
(5) Make sure to stretch your legs before and after you run
This helps to prevent injuries and helps the muscles relax. You legs will also feel a lot better the following day.
Remember!
Be careful, if you push yourself to hard its going to have a bad effect on your body, your body needs to rest and reset. If you feel anything starting to hurt in a bad way go see a doctor, the tendons and ligaments in your legs are very fragile so be careful.