If you are thinking about changing your habits and finally starting to play sports, Maybe you are hesitating between the gym, the pool or running. You may even consider combining them, since they are not exclusive by any means, as we will see later. The point, in any case, is to take advantage of the fact that your head has ‘clicked’ and catch the physical activity train, because it doesn’t happen many times and it doesn’t wait too long at the station. And there is nothing like the will to start with any sport. That, mental strength, decision, is the basis for starting any sporting discipline. From there, the particular factors of each of these disciplines come into play. In this specific case, we focus on running. If you want to start running, you have clicked on the appropriate piece of information because we have prepared the definitive quick guide to get hooked on running in a responsible and effective way.
We have done it with the help of an expert in the field like Víctor García, a graduate in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences and a former professional athlete. Víctor won the bronze medal in the 3,000 meter hurdles at the European Championships held in Helsinki in 2012, the same year he participated in the London Olympic Games. Since his retirement, more than a decade ago, García has led the VG Running athletics club with his wife, Rocío, a project with which Hundreds of popular athletes have gotten hooked on runningwhether training in person in Madrid’s El Retiro park or through remote preparation that Víctor and Rocío personalize.
This is the definitive guide to get hooked on running and practice this sport in a healthy way. Víctor García answers one by one to all the keys you need to know if you are a beginner in this discipline.
Why is it advisable to choose athletics, running, as a popular sport?
Running is a health activity that will benefit you the most because of the ease we have to do it anywhere. Just bringing some sneakers is enough for us.
In addition, it is an activity that has brutal cardiovascular performance: with little cardiovascular work the improvement is enormous. And it is a simple activity, which helps you compare yourself. You don’t depend on much more than some shoes, the “quality-price” relationship is unbeatable. On top of that, practically everyone can do it.
What essential factors or things that cannot be missed before starting to run?
Three basic things: material, planning and a stress test.
First of all, good running shoes, essential to avoid injuries. Not everyone is worth it; They have to be good running shoes.
On the other hand, some advice, preferably from a coach who is a specialist in the subject. It’s not enough to just go running and that’s it. If you have never done it, it is advisable to make an adaptation and in the first sessions, for example, you combine walking and running (CaCo technique), and you should increase the load with sense and not do things in a crazy way. ; that’s not worth it to us. It is important for us to run in a planned and programmed way to do it well and so that not doing it well or wanting to do more does not cause negative stress for the body.
And, thirdly, a stress test, which is recommended for all people who do any type of sport. It guarantees us knowing that we are suitable for sports practice.
running training
Why is planning an essential issue when starting to run?
Running like crazy, lack of knowledge, makes us fall into injuries quickly and can cause frustration, but not because we don’t like it, but because we do it wrong. And it can also make it not an attractive activity, that we do not evolve in the process, etc.
The importance of programming and planning, of being guided by someone expert, is key. Each person is a world and we must treat each one as such. The individual is unique in its species, so each one has to have their own planning and process. It is not the same, for example, if a person is overweight, who may need to make adaptations and start slower, than someone who is not. The key, furthermore, is that these adaptations are correct, in accordance with their physique.
What to do if you can’t afford a trainer to start running
The advice for people who cannot work in a planned way and guided by a professional is to be very cautious and to always go from less to more, without wanting to do more than necessary.
Tips for buying your first running shoes
Víctor García is very clear about what advice is the most important for buying good running shoes, “especially the first time,” says the personal trainer.
For the founder of VG Running, this advice is “go to a specialized store where they can advise us and look at our footprint and tell us what will work best for us.” García emphasizes that “buying them online, going blindly, is very complicated.”
Failing that, if it is not possible to go to a specialized store, Víctor García says that, at the very least, we should consult “someone who knows how to advise us very well.”
Can you enjoy running and how do you manage the first month of running?
Logically, the first month is the most unpleasant, but you can enjoy running from the beginning, of course. There is a physical and mental barrier to getting used to activity and effort, we are not going to fool anyone, but it is true that if we do things well, without more volume and intensity than appropriate, we will enjoy the activity.
In this sense, the CaCo technique comes into play, which consists of combining minutes of running and walking to improve aerobic resistance, to increase physical background, as they say. This way we will become more and more resistant. With a good adaptation to doing everything continuously running without stopping, which will come, you can enjoy it.
Other key factors to get hooked on running in addition to planning
If we go out alone for a run, planning and professional advice help you become more mentally free. You will enjoy it more.
On the other hand, the natural environment is more pleasant. It can be a park (if you run in the city).
The times of day at which we run also influence. It is ideal to opt for times of day when the weather is not very harsh, it also helps. And if you go alone, listening to music or a podcast, something that you like and entertains, can also help. In a group, the experience is shared, in general it will help us more.
The key, in any case, is to try and find that way of training in which you feel comfortable, that is where you will enjoy little by little more and more.
What is the best time of year to start running?
If we want to make excuses we will always have one. The right moment is when you say “I want to start doing it” and then you have to take action, without thinking much further.
Running is always done, even in the cold or snow, or in very hot weather. You can always adapt your planning. Therefore, the ideal moment is when everyone’s head clicks and they want to start. Any time is good.
Is it advisable to combine running and running with other sports?
It is highly recommended to work on strength. Core and abdomen. Very important. We insist a lot on it. Running is predominantly cardiovascular, aerobic endurance work. Therefore, strength work is very necessary to complement our work and our health, and also to run better.
The health handicap and impacts, to what extent is it important?
Impact plays an important role in running because it forces us to control the training loads we do. But it is not the devil either, it does not prevent us from doing the activity. We just have to take it into account.
It (the running work) can also be completed with swimming work, with elliptical… in case we don’t want to do so much impact work, but by selecting the loads well the impact can even be positive, not just negative.
Is it advisable to use the treadmill to train?
The treadmill has to be our ally because there are people who cannot run on the street for whatever reason. It could be because of running at times when there is no light, because of the weather, etc.
Running on a treadmill
There are people who say no, but the truth is that the effect of running on the treadmill is the same as running on the street. Any type of treadmill training feeds us in the same way. Therefore, she is an ally. There are people who even like it more, no problem. It is positive, not negative. In confinement, for example, the tape helped many people.
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