I’m not a natural runner. I never was. When I was younger, I once tripped over my own coatsleeves. I’m not co-ordinated, athletic or sporty.
But I’m also an age-group GB athlete. I’ve complete Ironman, earned a black belt in martial arts and have had some podium-heavy triathlon seasons.
If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no licence to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.
Joh Bingham
When I got to university, it was all very exciting – booze and glowsticks everywhere (literally, we did once put the glowsticks in the blender after a very excitable evening…). Alas, all this excitement doesn’t come without downsides and when I returned home after a term enjoying my freedom, I realised I was starting to look a bit unfit…well, a bit chubby really. As a poor student, I needed to find away to work off the lifestyle of excess and some other outlet for my energy. Running seemed like a good option. No membership fees, no embarrassment of demonstrating my terrible co-ordination skills in front of a bunch of strangers. So I grabbed a pair of trainers and off I went at 0600 one crisp winter morning across the Newcastle moors…
The first 100m I felt like Mo Farah; “This is easy! Why doesn’t everyone do this?! I’ll be running a marathon in no time!”
By 101m, I was walking and cold. But with the halls of residence reception team waiting to welcome me back in, I thought I better stay out a little longer rather than turning back, tail between my legs, admitting that running was a terrible idea and I’d rather have a lie in. I walked for a long time. And then I ran…and gave up again after about five strides. This carried on for the entirety of the loop I’d planned, which in hindsight, was probably all of about 3km. Maybe running wasn’t for me.
But then Mum phoned. After hearing I was going to take up running, she’d entered me into the local fun run at my granny’s village. 10KM?! YOU JOKING?! Turns out she wasn’t and said I’d better get a wiggle on and get my stamina up so I could complete it. Well I didn’t want to look a fool, so off I went…
On Boxing Day 2009, I chalked up my first every 10km race and came in under the hour – actually very please and surprised with myself (as I think was everyone else…).
Fast forward to today and running is usually a once to twice weekly effort for me. It’s not my favourite discipline of triathlon and I need motivation from the dog and my running club to keep going with it, but I get out there. I’m not a natural runner, but I got here as I had a mad desire to improve myself. I didn’t want to be the spotty, chubby fresher. I knew that I had the potential to put on a lot of weight and become very unhappy and I didn’t want that to happen. So I took charge of my own life and made sure it didn’t.
The fact is, a lot of people say “Oh I hate running” or “The gym isn’t for me, I just don’t have the energy.” The reality is, they’re worried they won’t achieve their goals or they don’t know where to start. My story shows that it really is possible to take a hold of your own destiny head on and prevent the “inevitable” middle-aged spread or the impending onset of fat accumulation and declining fitness.
For me, triathlon isn’t about being a competitive athlete. That’s now a big part of who I am, but it’s not why I started. I started because I wanted to make sure I was always playing the best version of myself. I didn’t get here overnight and I certainly didn’t make it through natural talent or genetics as a lot of people would claim they have. I made it through determination and support.
How to get started in running (or improve if you’ve already made a shaky start…)
- Find a crew. When I started training for the marathon in 2014, a fellow gym member approached me noticing my triathlon top and asked if I was training for anything in particular. He introduced me to the Chard Road Runners and I would not have been able to complete the miles I needed to without them! Running clubs are teeming with advice you won’t find on the internet; anecdotes, the benefit of experience and hindsight, product recommendations, that tiny little running shop that lets you try on 100 pairs of trainers before leaving with nothing but socks. It’s all there waiting for you, all that valuable insight – you just have to be brave enough to ask for it! Whatever you running level, try and find a club because the social atmosphere will help you more than you’ll know, to increase your distance, your speed and your fitness, whatever level you’re at.
- Everything in moderation. You’re not an Olympian yet. So don’t try and train like one. The mistake so many newbies make is doing too much too soon. I’ve learnt over time that my body can cope with a maximum of three runs per week. After that, I just get injured. Maybe it’s because of all the other stuff I do, or maybe it’s just because I have terrible technique, who knows, but I’ve learnt the hard way that too much running just causes INJURIES. Less is more, especially early on. Movement every day is obviously really important, but even just taking the dog for an extra long walk instead of a run on some days, is better than doing too much running and getting an injury that hampers the early days of your running career, or worst of all plagues it for the rest of your life.
- Don’t just run. Even the best don’t JUST run. Visit your local gym or dig out the kettlebell and the wobble board you’ve got lying around at home and do some work on strengthening all the little tendons and ligaments that are holding you together. These are the most common points that cause injuries in runners. The runners that get injured the least, are the ones supplementing with yoga, weights even some swimming, other activities that don’t load the joints in the same way but help to build strength where it’s needed most.
- Vary your speed. Way too many people just chug along at the same speed. Not because it’s easy, but because doing any variation is hard. Trouble is, this doesn’t help you improve. When you very first start, it might, but this progress is short-lived. In the most basic form of training plan, I’d recommend the following each week: 1 interval session (running really fast, taking a breather to recover and then running really fast again for short bursts), 1 tempo session (a session that’s not your longest distance of the week, but tests your speed at sustained periods of time – this might be as short as 2km when you start, or as far as 10km for experienced runners), 1 long run (this is the fun one where you get to slowly chug along, for a long time, taking in the scenery and generally enjoying yourself. You will not break any records on this run, other than perhaps for most steps in a day). You can develop these each week and if you look at any decent template running plans, they will follow a similar structure.
- Don’t over-eat…but don’t under-fuel either! The classic trap most dieters, beginner athletes and recreational runners fall into is the old saying “I’ve earned it.” The truth is, there’s no accurate way to measure how many calories you burned on your run and I’m afraid that funky new smart watch you have isn’t cutting the mustard – it could be out by as much as 93% according to research!! Counting calories for weight loss and maintenance is a whole separate article, but if you are trying to use running as part of a weight loss programme, I’d recommend looking into calorie and perhaps macronutrient calculators and ignoring the numbers churned out by smart watches and apps about how many calories you burn during exercise. Equally, people tell me they feel sluggish and tired after work and so they couldn’t possibly face a run right away. Often this is because they’re dehydrated and under-fuelled. This doesn’t mean eating a full plate of pasta ten minutes before you head out (and I wouldn’t recommend that!), it means considering your lunch has a healthy proportion of carbohydrates like wholewheat pasta, bread, potatoes and plenty of nutrient dense veggies as well as some lean protein to keep you full, without making you bloated and also ensuring you’re fuelled for the evening’s activities. You may also find you run better after a small sugary snack thirty minutes or so before your run – Warburton’s fruit loaf is a personal fave!
So maybe you are a runner after all…?
I still have a strong love/hate relationship with running. I will never be a pure runner, it’s just not in my DNA. But when I look back to a decade ago when I first stepped out into the local park and could barely run to the next lamppost, it’s amazing to see how far I’ve come. It’s also amazing to see how much running has helped me; it’s made me braver, fitter, stronger, more athletic and welcomed me into a world of sport I never knew existed for me.
So while running isn’t for everyone, if it’s something you’re curious about, then grab your trainers and give it a go!
And remember, you won’t turn into Mo Farah overnight.