Rock Your Run! Six Helpful Tips For Beginners

Looking to get fit with a running regime but don’t know where to start? MÁIRE NIC AMHLAOIBH, RUNFIT Coach and Senior Physiotherapist at UFIT, shares six helpful tips for newbies. Happy running!

#1 Set SMART goals

“Ask yourself what you want to achieve from running,” says Máire. “Do you want to cover a certain distance, or set a certain time for that distance? Or, do you want to achieve a personal goal like ‘me time’ or relaxation?”

While setting goals will keep you on track and motivated, they need to be clearly defined. For this, Máire recommends the SMART system: “Your goals need to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed,” she says. “For example, someone who wants to run 10km in less than an hour would need to look at setting a SMART goal like this: ‘I would like to run a sub-60-minute 10km in the Standard Chartered event on 3 December 2017.’ This is very clear, and meets all the criteria for the SMART goals system. It makes planning a training programme to achieve this goal very easy, and keeps the runner motivated to stick to that plan.”

#2 Don’t run everyday

Many new runners are under the impression that they have to run every day, but, in fact, it’s quite the opposite, according to Máire. She recommends  starting out by running three times a week on alternating days. “This training plan allows enough time for tissues to recover and adapt to training loads, and prevents injuries. From there, a new runner can build gradually by adding in a fourth training day every second week.”

#3 Gradually increase your mileage