Little and Often

So the biggest problem with beginning training is the same as the biggest problem with dieting... Crash diet, crash training.

I think people somewhere get it into their heads that it needs to start off full on, intense, hardcore, 'no pain no gain' type attitude, whereas actually this can have the opposite effect and make you think... "I can't do that", or you are actually in so much pain that you end up training once a week and taking 6 days to recover.

In dieting people crash diet and then their body stores fat and their metabolism changes and they become yo yo dieters... It is the same sort of effect.

The good news, like a decent diet, the best type of training is little and often.

So this again asks us somewhat to distinguish what we mean by little, and little is determined completely by you. If you have NEVER run before, little may even mean in the beginning just a five minute jog, however to someone who runs marathons every other week,  little has a whole different meaning. So again, how far should you be running?

You know you better than anyone else and therefore no one else can determine the answer for you. However I can tell you what it shouldn't feel like. You shouldn't be getting chest pains, feel dizzy or sick afterwards (or during for that matter). You shouldn't ache loads or feel in pain and you should 'feel good' afterwards, almost energized.

Little however, is also determined by pace. If you are new to running I would suggest you jog at the same pace as you would walk. If you start off at a slower pace you will be able to continue jogging as opposed to having to walk.

Personally after having my second child and getting back into running, my first run was only a mile in length and was extremely slow, however I felt good when I got back and energized enough to want to go again.

You should be training roughly 5 times a week, however the length and duration of these runs will vary. I suggest that you attempt a slightly longer run on a 'day off' from work, which is most peoples weekend, and have smaller runs in between.

If you push yourself so hard that you need to rest for a week, then the adaptations your body has made will start to reverse, and so it is best to take it easy and progress slowly.

Whilst we are on that PLEASE ensure that you warm up, whether this be jogging very gently to begin with and adding some stretches into your running, or whether it be jogging on the spot before the run and then adding in some stretches. Please keep your stretches active, so move whilst stretching so you are telling your joints you are about to do activity. If you stand still to stretch you are telling your joints, their job is done and they begin to relax and therefore you are more prone to injury.

AFTER the run cool down, change your jog to a slower jog or a fast walk towards to the end or walk around when you return. Then you can do some static stretches to really stretch out the muscles you have worked. Hold them for at least 10 seconds. If you need advice on what type of stretches etc feel free to contact me and I will try and give you more advice on this.

So key points from todays blog;

1. Do a little running and often, gradually building up.
2. You should stop if you feel uncomfortable or in pain, running should be built up gradually so you enjoy it.
3. 5 times per week.
4. Pace yourself so you are going at a slow pace, you can gradually increase this over the months of training, but it is better to keep going at a steady pace than having to stop and start.
5. WARM up and COOL down.

:-) Happy training xxx