Running was not something I ever thought that I would enjoy. After I had Christian, I decided to take up running to lose the baby weight. It was hard at first. I couldn't even run a full mile before I had to stop. I found that doing interval training and cross training was the best way for me to build up the endurance to do longer distances. Here are a few tips for the new runner:

  • Make sure you drink plenty of water. When your muscles are not hydrated properly, they will give out much faster than they would if they just had more water.
  • Start off slow. Don't push yourself to do 5 miles immediately if you can't.  Start off with whatever distance you can do, and add .25-.50 mile to that distance every week. Do this until you have a stable running base of 4-5 miles. Once your running base has been obtained, you can begin with a running training schedule.
  • Try doing interval training. Your intervals can be whatever you are comfortable with. I know some people who have done equal parts running to walking (i.e. 2 mins run,  2 mins walk). More walking than running (i.e. 6 mins walking, 4 mins running). Or you can do more running than walking (i.e. 10 mins running, 2 mins walking). You can do interval training with whatever amount of minutes you prefer, and alter them each week until you are more comfortable with running longer periods of time.
  • Get a running buddy or join a running group. Sometimes those long runs can be difficult, and you just need someone there to help give you encouragement. It is also nice to just have someone else to run with. You might be surprised how many people are runners and would be willing to team up and do runs together. There are also running groups everywhere. For anyone in St. Louis, Fleet Feet has running clinics that are free to attend and participate in. You can go to their website or into anyone of their stores and pick up a calendar with a list of all the running groups they offer. They also have running experts in their stores and can give you a lot of great information about racing events and shoes. Their website is www.fleetfeetstl.com
  • Have fun!!  Running can absolutely be a love-hate relationship if you let it be. But there can be so much enjoyment taken from it, so enjoy!
Check out these training schedules for 5ks, Half Marathons and Full Marathons: