Beginning Running: What Not to Do When Running

It’s pretty easy to begin running. But once you’ve started, other issues crop up. Are your running shoes right for you? Should you be tough and ignore that shooting pain in your knees or pay attention to it? And once you’ve started, why do you dread exercising and stop before reaching your goal? A few basic tips will be helpful for a beginning runner to ensure that you enjoy your run and avoid running injury.  

Buying running shoes involves more than liking the style. Wearing the wrong pair of shoes can cause injury and discomfort when running. To determine your arch, wet your foot and make a footprint somewhere where you can see the mark. A high arch leaves a large dry space between the ball of the foot and the heel, making little to no mark on the outside of the footprint, where the side of the foot usually touches the ground. A medium arch leaves about half an arch of dry space, and a flat arch makes the entire footprint wet.

As a basic guideline, most high arches need no stability and a neutral cushion, while medium arches react well with a little support and some cushioning, and flat arches need very supportive shoes. However, if the chart says that you are a high arch but the prescribed shoe hurts and causes running injuries, try out some different combinations of support and cushioning. When I began running, I was told that I should wear a certain brand, because they’re good for thin feet with high to medium arches. Because I thought my new shoes looked cool, I ignored the fact that my toes turned blue after running no more than a mile. My shins hurt and I repeatedly limped into the house after running, wincing. When I bought a shoe with more cushioning, I enjoyed running much more.

Ignoring running pain was the second mistake I made as a runner. Despite the pain and the alarming colors my toes turned, I ignored them, hoping they would go away. Pay attention to running pain. Taking a break or changing a running routine can save you from exorbitant doctor’s bills and weeks or months of convalescence. If you try running in water, you can continue training without acerbating running injuries, and if you try tethering yourself to a wall, your heart rate will stay elevated, ensuring a solid workout. Injury also provides a good time to incorporate cross training into your regimen, depending on the injury. Biking, weight lifting, or swimming can help improve your total fitness while you wait to return to running.

For a new runner, the prospect of running for two to three miles can sound achingly boring. Often, people turn to an ipod or mp3 player first for boredom relief. But even if you cannot afford pricey technology, running does not have to be boring. Exploring can enliven a boring run; estimate your general running speed so you can track your mileage and then run down a different street, or find a new trail to run. Tell yourself high adventure stories that involve adrenaline. Story-telling may sound odd, but it distracts from bored thoughts and the excitement of the story channels into energetic exercise.

To combat boredom, it’s best to stop fruitless, undirected thinking. Try focusing your entire thought process on something menial, like counting your strides or listening to your footfalls, or imagining yourself running at your goal speed and length.

With good running shoes, proper attention to running pain and a positive outlook on exercise, running can become one of the most relaxing and healthy activities in your daily life.