All you really need are your own two feet, a good pair of running shoes, shorts and a top, and you’re on your way—just about anywhere, anytime.
Yet, for such a simple sport, running can be hard (especially when you have to drag your body out of bed on a dark and chilly morning). Still, that doesn’t mean running has to be a grind.
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All runners—from hardcore marathoners to occasional 10km guys to those who jog a few times a week—can make their running easier, and more interesting, with a little common sense and attention to detail. No matter how much, how often or how fast you run, here are 10 things you can do to improve all of your runs.
Start slowly You wouldn’t expect your car to run its best if you rev it up and speed out of the driveway every day. Same thing goes for your internal engine. Starting slowly bridges the gap between resting and running your desired pace.
This increases your core and muscle temperatures, shifts blood distribution, and causes metabolic changes. With your metabolism working at a higher level, your cardiovascular system is ready to transport oxygen to your muscles, and your muscles are ready to produce energy aerobically.
In layman’s terms: You won’t spend the whole run trying to get into a groove. For the first five minutes of every run, go slower than you think you need to. You’ll feel much better the rest of the way.
Set specific goals At work, you can probably state what’s expected of you over the next three, six and 12 months. Applying this same approach to your running helps to give more meaning to your training.
To use goals to motivate you to run, set short-term goals that you can achieve within three months. These goals should be specific and challenging, yet within your grasp.
For example, you might set a goal of progressing from running three times a week to five times a week, or increasing your longest run from five kilometres to 10.
These are objectives toward which you can track your progress, in contrast to vague statements like, “I’d like to run more.” Races offer the perfect goal for most runners, because they provide a quantifiable target that helps you decide how to structure your training.
And here’s another reason to think about signing up for that local 5K: In most races these days, women outnumber men in the 20-to-29 age group.
Go fast once a week As with going long, adding a bit of fast running once a week will help you on all runs, even if you never plan to toe a starting line. By doing speed workouts and concentrating on maintaining good running form, you’ll tend to improve your running form and posture at all speeds.
And just as going longer than usual makes your normal distance seem easier, going fast once a week makes your normal pace seem easier. Hardcore runners often do their speed workouts on tracks, alternating fast runs of one to four laps with a slow lap to recover, but you can run fast anywhere.
Simply warm up for a kilometer or two, then run for 30 seconds to three minutes at a pace you think you could sustain for a kilometer or two. Run very slowly to recover, then repeat. If you’re running short, fast bursts of a minute or less, do as many as 10; if you’re running longer bursts, do fewer.
Concentrate on running fast without straining, and soon you’ll see that your form and pace on your normal runs have improved.
Use the buddy system Like the G-spot, the loneliness of the long-distance runner is more myth than fact. The single best thing you can do to make your running easier and more enjoyable isn’t getting the latest, greatest pair of shoes or eating a special food or putting on those cool sunglasses.
It’s to run regularly with a friend. Spending your runs chatting up the stock market, your love life and the sports scores makes the distance pass a lot more quickly than when you go it alone.
Also, you’re a lot less likely to cancel a run if you’ve arranged to meet a friend. Once you show up, you’ll start your run, and the workout will take care of itself.
Go long once a week Marathoners build their entire training around weekly long runs, in which they cover 20 or more miles. You’ll still benefit from making one run each week about one and a half times as long as your standard distance.
Why bother? Because when you run long, the endurance gains you make carry over to every run—when you’ve trained your body to go eight kilometres on the trot, your normal five-K isn’t that big a deal. You improve your ability to run long by testing the limits of that ability.
By gradually increasing the distance of your longest runs, you provide the greatest stimulus to improve this capacity.
Note the word gradually: Build your longest run by adding half a kilometre to a full kilometre each week while running at your regular training pace.
Run on soft surfaces Roads are convenient, but far from the ideal running surface. Humans, after all, didn’t evolve while pounding the pavement but while skirting over dirt and grass.
Today, most world-class runners do as much of their running as possible on soft, forgiving surfaces, and your body will thank you if you do the same. Running on trails, grass and dirt not only feels better on a given run, but also reduces the cumulative stress on your legs.
The more you run on soft surfaces, the less you’ll have those nagging aches and pains that can develop into major injuries.
There’s something soothing about cruising through the woods. You’re likely to enjoy yourself more if you’re not wondering whether a car is going to come tearing around the next corner.
Get off the beaten path You’ve heard (and maybe put to use) the old “variety is the spice of life” adage as it relates to your sex life, so why not apply it to your running? Too many runners get in this rut where they run the same one or two courses day after day after day.
Then they wonder why they find running so boring. Sometimes it’s nice to put yourself on autopilot and just run that three-K loop through your neighbourhood that you’ve done a million times.
But when the wanderlust hits, heed it. If you know you usually run five kilometres in 40 minutes, start your watch and head toward somewhere you’ve never run before.
If you run your normal amount of time, then you’ll have run roughly the same amount as always. When you have extra time, such as weekends, don’t feel bad about driving somewhere nice, like a park, for an especially scenic run.
People drive to parks to eat hot dogs, so what’s wrong with driving there for a nice run?
Don't drink like a fish Sorry, this doesn’t mean making yourself a fixture at the local pub. Rather, it means to drink less water than you think you need to.
New studies have shown that running 10 km at a fast pace or heavy runners really pushing their limits may generate more body heat and lead to hypertermia, but not to dehydration. Runners at the back of the pack drinking lots of water have a high risk to overhydrate and to develop water intoxication.
Don't run fast in hot, humid weather, and drink less water than you think you need.
Be flexible Don’t worry—you don’t need to be able to contort yourself like a yoga master, but your running will feel better if you’re more limber than. You move most economically when your whole body works in synch.
A tight neck and shoulders will affect your running as surely as tight hamstrings. To flow well, you must be flexible. That means having the agility to move through a normal range of motion without straining your muscles and connective tissues.
Otherwise, you’ll feel tight and awkward running, and you’re setting yourself up for injury. Spend 10 minutes after every run doing long, gentle stretches that work your calves, hamstrings, lower back and shoulders.
After the age of 30, it’s especially important to include upper-body stretches to counteract all those hours spent sitting in front of a computer.
Strengthen your midsection Former 10K world-record holder Ron Clarke used to say, “A runner can’t be too strong in the middle.” Now, those licorice strings who win races might not be the guys you call when it’s time to move the piano, but they’re stronger than they look, especially through the middle.
“Watch the leading finishers in any race, and you’ll see that, even when they’re very tired, they’re running erectly. The people finishing behind them are usually much more slumped over.”
That’s because those fast guys have strong abs, backs and trunks, and stay sturdy regardless of their fatigue. Keep your midsection strong, and you’ll also be able to maintain better form on all your runs.
All you really need are your own two feet, a good pair of running shoes, shorts and a top, and you’re on your way—just about anywhere, anytime.
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