How to Start Running?

Running is one of the most accessible sports. You just lace up your shoes and go, right? That’s how I started. I just went running without thinking about it. But is that really the best approach?

It depends. If you just want to go for a casual jog, sure, it’s simple enough. But if you want to run regularly and stay injury-free, you’ll need a bit more planning than just putting on your shoes and heading out.

Let me use Martin’s story to show what not to do. Then we’ll talk about how to do it better.

The story of Martin, a beginner runner

The following story is fictional and does not refer to any real person.

Martin went to take out the trash on a Sunday afternoon. He lives on the 4th floor with no elevator, so this task is always an endless battle of inner persuasion. Four flights down, four flights up. After spending the whole day on the couch, it’s not exactly an appealing prospect.

Martin completed his Sunday workout. But after climbing back to the 4th floor, he caught himself breathing like Zátopek in the final lap of his race.

And that was the trigger. I need to do something about this, I can’t go on like this! Martin told himself, trying to mask the disappointment with classic motivational self-talk.

How Martin decided to start running

After his poor performance (as one might say), Martin sits back down on the couch. Passive recovery, presumably. But now with a clear goal: I’ll order running shoes and start running tomorrow!

Before long, Martin is deep into running forum discussions. He’s watched 4 YouTube videos about specific shoes and how they practically run for you, which shoes are better for knee protection. After dinner and another 20 videos and 30 forum threads, Martin has it all figured out. He knows exactly which carbon-plated shoes he’ll buy for his marathon. (Once he progresses from climbing 4 flights of stairs to actually running one.)

While choosing shoes, he discovered that things like running sunglasses, compression calf sleeves, and thermal shirts exist. Things that obviously give runners extra speed. Energy gels and electrolyte drinks too. Martin needs all of this, of course, before heading out on his first run.

He already has a watch to track his steps to the tram stop and taking out the trash.

The first run without preparation

Equipped with gear and determination, Martin goes for it! He’s no slouch. Plus, he’s got the best shoes, sunglasses, thermal shirt, and electrolyte drink.

With all this gear, Martin figures 5k is a good starting point. It’s not that much, after all. He played volleyball with colleagues 2 months ago and went for a walk in the woods last weekend. So 5k should be fine for a start.

Off Martin goes. He runs and runs, 1 km done. Sweating like he’s been in a sauna for 15 minutes, his watch showing heart rate numbers he’s never seen before. But that doesn’t matter. Push through and give it everything. That’s how you break barriers.

And Martin finished! He made it, he’s a legend. His legs feel like lead, his knees are shaking, but those are details. What matters is that feeling of victory.

Injury on the second run

The next day. Martin is a bit sore, but that’s nothing. Riding on his first success, it’s time for the next workout.

He managed 5k, so now it’s time for 10k.

Martin heads out. The first kilometer goes pretty well. The second is harder, but that’s normal, right? Third kilometer, and suddenly he feels a sharp pain in his ankle. So bad that he has to stop. He sits down for a bit, rests, tries to stand up. But his ankle hurts so much he can barely walk.

What happened? He’s only run 3k. Yesterday he did 5k and everything was fine.

Martin limps home somehow. He ices his ankle, googles “ankle pain after running” and decides that running probably just isn’t for him. His body just can’t handle it. Probably genetics, or something.

After a few days, Martin puts the running shoes and gear deep in the closet so they don’t remind him of the failure. Maybe he’ll tell himself he’ll pull them out once his ankle heals. But we all know how that ends.

Martin goes back to his original workout: taking out the trash and climbing to the 4th floor.

The most common beginner running mistakes

What mistakes did Martin make? And why are they so common among beginner runners?

Starting too fast with too many kilometers

5k is a lot for someone who practically doesn’t run or exercise. Here’s the thing: your muscles, tendons, and ligaments need the most time to adapt. Your cardiovascular system will adjust faster, but your musculoskeletal system needs time. Start slow.

Increasing the load too quickly

When your body isn’t used to the load and you ramp up too fast, injuries happen. Martin ran 5k on his very first outing and wanted to double it to 10k the next day. That’s a recipe for disaster.

Gear = readiness

Carbon-plated shoes, sunglasses, electrolytes. All nice, but none of it prepares your body for the effort ahead. Martin bought the best gear but forgot to prepare his body.

How to start running the right way

So how do you avoid ending up like Martin?

Start slow

Alternate between walking and running. Something like 2 minutes running, 3 minutes walking. There’s no shame in walking. It’s a smart way to let your body adapt to the load gradually.

Build up gradually

Start with a short distance and add a little each week. The golden rule is 10% of your total weekly distance. No doubling the distance from one day to the next. That said, it doesn’t always have to be 10%. It mainly depends on how you feel.

Give your body time to recover

Take a day or two off between runs. Your body doesn’t improve just during the run, but mainly during recovery. Martin ran two days in a row and his body didn’t have time to recover.

Gear can wait

No need for the most expensive stuff right away. Any sports shoes and shorts will do. It’s better to run regularly in affordable running shoes than once in a while in expensive carbon-plated ones.

Running isn’t for everyone

Maybe after a few weeks you’ll find that running just isn’t your thing. And that’s fine too. You don’t have to be a runner. There are plenty of other sports and activities out there.

If you want help with running, get in touch and I’ll be happy to help.