There’s a lot of information about running out there and some of it is contradictory or geared toward people who aren’t true beginners. Without having the day-to-day guidance of my sister, a fellow beginner runner throughout my running journey, I would not have been successful. For the new runners joining me on the Running on Purpose team, this post is the crucial information I learned through my experience and my sister’s experiences.
Training Plans
There are many free and paid training plans out there. A common theme of many is that it may not train you to run the whole 5k. Some common plans help new runners get from no running to being able to run for 20-30 minutes straight. A beginner would not typically be able to run a 5k in 20-30 minutes. A more reasonable time is 45-60 minutes for a first 5k.
The more weeks you can allot to training, the easier it will be on your body and the more likely it will be that you can run longer without stopping. When you are new to running, do not run for speed! Your goal as a new runner is to build your running endurance from nothing to running a 5k. This is usually best achieved by following a run/walk plan that gradually increases the time you run with walking breaks in between. Eventually, most plans will switch over from time spent running to distance run. For example, you may have a run one week that is 5 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking with four repeats, then the next week your run might be .33 miles of running and 1 minute of walking repeated three times. In most plans, there is also a week where there is a significant increase in the challenge of the run. I remember going from six minutes of running one week to 0.6 miles of running (more than 10 minutes for me at the time) the next week. That was an incredible mental challenge!
Some popular beginner running plans include Couch to 5k (free and paid options), Nike Run Club (free), Runna (free trial, then paid), and Jeff Galloway (free and paid options). I personally used the paid Runna app and found the customizations and instructions in my headphones as I ran to be worth the cost.
Gear
The biggest cost involved in running that is completely necessary is running shoes. Simply asking others or checking online and buying shoes is not recommended. Everyone’s feet and needs are different. Proper shoes are essential for injury prevention.
This means visiting a store specifically for running in person for a fitting and likely paying $100 or more on a pair of shoes. These shoes should only be used for running to get the most out of this investment.
Since the Running with Purpose team will run during the summer and fall, consider the climate when planning the rest of the gear if you plan to run outside. You may need suitable clothing for summer or cool mornings, products to avoid chafing, sunscreen, or sunglasses. Hydration is also a big consideration. There are special vests and belts to carry water in various ways. I am particularly prone to headaches when I exercise in the heat, so I must carry water with me, even on short runs. I also carry an emergency running fuel gel with me at all times because I learned over time what happens to my body if I don’t have it! For most beginners, it won’t be necessary to bring fuel like this to train for a 5k unless you have a situation like mine.
Other optional gear that may be necessities may include a running belt to carry a phone, fuel, or keys; special running socks; running headphones (which keep your ear canal open so you can safely hear the road noise around you and your music); nighttime reflective gear; or a smartwatch. I personally run with generic discount running headphones, a years-old smartwatch, a clearance running belt for my phone, and a vest that holds two small water bottles.
Recovery, Soreness, and Injury Prevention
As your body adjusts to this new form of physical activity, expect some soreness, even if you have been consistently moving your body in other ways. One of the most difficult lessons to learn when I started running as when to listen to my body and rest and when to push through. Part of training is learning to run on somewhat sore legs; you won’t be able to fully recover in between runs. Much of this was through trial and error. How much was too much to exert myself in a given week? What was normal wear and tear and what are ones that mean I need to slow it down? Over-exercising can lead to injuries which means you have to skip runs. This learning process is another reason why I advocate for having as many weeks as possible to train for a race.
It's easy to neglect proper warm up and recovery, especially if you’re busy. When I run, I’m either trying to get it done on a lunch break or I am trying to get back home to my kids to continue my weekend plans. From the start, do not consider warm up and recovery as optional. Even adding five minutes at the beginning and end of each run can help you avoid injuries. I use warm up and cooldown stretch videos on YouTube and Peloton so I don’t have to plan out what stretches to do, and so it times how long to hold the stretches for me. My Runna plan always starts each run with a slower portion for a warm up. If your plan doesn’t do this, start each run with a five minute walk.
To really level up your recovery, try a massage gun designed for this purpose. After some runs, I’d have enough pain in my hips that it would be hard to walk up stairs or get off the couch. Using this tool helped me recover from this soreness faster. I didn’t introduce this until later on in my first year of running and I wish I had done it sooner.
Playing the Mental Game
This process will be hard and there will be times you want to give up or your body feels too sore. I found solace in knowing I had already done other incredibly hard things without being as mentally and physically strong as I am now.
When a run or an interval feels like too much to handle, find your strength in what you’ve already done. Don’t think about how much more is left in your run. Dig deep into the present moment and getting through each moment as it comes. For some people, a metronome in their earbuds helps with this. For others, music centers them when they run. I alternate between music and audiobooks. Sometimes music gets me too much in a space of being aware of the time elapsed and how slowly it is going, but an audiobook can transport me to another place. Every run, I use positive self-talk to get my focus off of how much more I have to do or how hard it is,
Trusting the Process
There will be some days and weeks that you feel like you’re making a lot of progress, and others that you feel like you’re going backward. This is normal!
Your training progress can be impacted by the weather, your sleep, your nutrition, your menstrual cycle, and more. I’ve never been more in tune with my body than when I started running. Don’t overanalyze why you’re feeling sluggish but take note to start learning trends. Maybe you learn that your Saturday morning runs after Friday pizza night never feel good. It may not mean you need to give up Friday pizza, but you might want to move your Saturday run to Sunday.
Make sure you choose a training plan developed by an expert. Trust in that expertise and in your body. If you think your next run is too much, try to do it anyway, but hold onto it loosely. You are the expert in your body, your medical history, and your medical conditions. If you’ve learned how to listen to your body, learning to listen to the expertise of your plan and your body will feel seamless.
Documenting your progress is a great way to remind yourself to trust the process and look back on how far you’ve come. Use a smartwatch or an app such as Strava to record your runs so you can look back weeks and months from now to see the metrics. Apps like this also give space to type in your open-ended thoughts and pictures of your run. Record the hard days and the great days.
This blog post is part of our Running on Purpose Series. Read the first post here.
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