Take a Holistic Approach to Running
As a beginner runner, it’s super exciting to watch your running-self grow each week. We want to help keep you motivated and feeling that joy of exploring new facets of running. However, we also recognize a common error new runners make is doing too much, too soon, which can lead to injury and burnout and take away some of that joy of running.
To help you avoid this common mistake, we urge you to take a holistic view of your running. Rather than rush quantitative running improvements, such as mileage, look for other ways to improve and grow as a runner. Here are five areas to think about as you embark on your running journey.
#1: Keep It Intentional
Running is both physically and mentally demanding. To get the most out of it, try to constantly work on cultivating a healthy and positive mindset.
To start developing that positive mindset, write down your running intentions. Maybe you started running to connect with friends, try a new sport, or carve out some meditative time for yourself. Whatever your reason, take a look at your training periodically to make sure you still in tune with your intentions and that your running is staying fun and purposeful.
Along with setting intentions, mindfulness, meditation, and mantras are all great ways to improve the mental side of running. Each of these practices can help keep your mind in the moment even when a run gets tough.
#2: Vary Your Training
Running is a great full-body workout but the movement pattern is very repetitive. As a result, runners may overuse certain muscle groups, which can lead to soreness. To combat this, consider supplementing your running with other exercises.
To choose those exercises, consider what excites you and sounds like fun. Do you love to dance? Try a dance class to keep you mobile and get stronger moving laterally. Do you enjoy exploring? Take a bike ride around the neighborhood.
You might want to consider a class or exercise that focuses on the muscle groups you may be neglecting—like your core. Weight training can pinpoint specific muscle groups. You don’t need to set foot inside a gym to get a good strength workout, since bodyweight exercises are easy to do from home.
#3: Stay Healthy with Mobility and Recovery
Running challenges your body, so being extra kind to it through pre-run mobility exercises and/or post-run recovery will help you feel your best and reduce the risk of injury. If you’re pressed for time, it's better to run a bit less so you can do mobility work and prepare your body to take on the load of running and absorb the shock better. After your run, carve out a few minutes to foam roll or stretch. As you increase your running load, make this mobility and recovery work a habit so your body is always primed.
#4: Eat Well to Fuel Your Runs
Exercising creates microtears in our muscles that are then repaired to build us back stronger. Our muscles can only repair themselves when they have the necessary nutrients, so we must fuel our bodies well to help ourselves heal. Try to get in a snack right after a run so your body quickly has access to nutrients. Have a snack handy that’s rich in protein, like yogurt or an apple with peanut butter. Hydration is also important. Drink fluids throughout the day, including some electrolyte-dense beverages such as Gatorade to replenish nutrients such as salt that your body loses through sweat.
#5: Look at the Big Picture
Consider all the stresses—physical, mental, and emotional—you feel while running and at other times throughout the day, and give your body the time and energy to fully recover. Your running doesn’t live in a vacuum and there will be days you need to adjust training to handle everything you juggle. If life gets in the way of fitting in a run some days, don’t feel you have to “make it up.” Instead, prioritize taking care of yourself and spending a little extra time on the recovery work we mentioned above. If you feel you’re missing more runs than when you first started your running journey, consider adjusting when you train. Maybe getting in a run first thing in the morning will help give you the time to yourself, or maybe using your run time to meet up with friends is the best way for you to socialize.
Always remember to keep running fun by letting it fit into the big picture of your life and keep working for you. You’ll find—if you haven’t already—that there’s so much more to running than just running, especially if you take a holistic approach.