What you need to know before you take up running

As the weather warms up and the gyms stay closed, many people have taken to running as a way to get their body moving. But it’s not as easy as grabbing a pair of shoes and hitting the pavement, so we asked running coach, Olympian and Canadian marathon record-holder Malindi Elmore, to walk us through the basics.

FOLLOW THIS CHECK LIST

If you want to give running a try but you're not sure where to start, here's a checklist of what every beginner runner needs:

• SHOES: You need a good, supportive pair of shoes. You can connect with your local shop who will surely have experts to advise you and make sure you’re fitted with a pair that is best for the form, shape and landing of your foot.
• ACTIVEWEAR: There’s no need to go out and spend a fortune on running gear. Women need a good, supportive sports bra, and otherwise you’re wearing clothes that are light and comfortable. You also should equip yourself with sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses.
• A PLAN: It’s not a good idea to just completely wing it here, because that’s what leads to injuries. You need a plan of what you’re going to do and ideally, a plan of where you’re going to run.
• A GOOD ATTITUDE!: A large part of this should be you wanting to go out and have fun, and take the pressure off of yourself to perform a certain way.

KNOW THE PROPER FORM

One of the major concerns for beginner runners is the potential for injury, and the risk of injury for beginner runners is very high. The proper runner’s form involves nice, tall posture. Think of that marionette image, you want to be pulled up from the top of your head. Remember that the better the posture, the better your core, and the better you will absorb the shock of running. The concern of whether you land on your heel, midfoot or forefoot is much less of a concern than your foot landing under your body. That way, it absorbs the shock through your center of gravity. One of the most common injuries for people who over-stride is shin splints. You want your shoulders relaxed and your head up at a nice, neutral position. Don’t ever bend at the waist.

KEEP TRACK OF YOUR CADENCE

Cadence is the rate of your strides. You want to aim for about 180 steps per minute, regardless of your pace. Studies have shown that this is the range that a good, efficient runner will fall in. If stride length is lower, then that’s an indication that you’re over-striding (which leads to shin splints as I mentioned). This is a great way for beginners to focus on tightening up their stride. You can keep track of this by downloading a simple metronome/app on your devices. No need to spend money on any other tech.

HAVE A PLAN

Here's a plan Malindi recommends:Each workout is 30 minutes, and you run every other day. But you walk and run in increasing increments as time goes on. So let’s say you start by running for 30 seconds, and walking for 4.5 minutes (x6 to get to 30 minutes). Then a few days later you will run 1-minute and walk 4 minutes. You keep increasing the run time vs. walk time every two days, and by the end of a few weeks – you can be comfortable at a 30-minute run.Keep the focus on having fun. Keep the focus on getting out the door consistently, improving, being able to gradually build up over time. It shouldn’t necessarily be about setting a super ambitious time to achieve by a certain date.

FIND THE RIGHT PACE

First, running is a challenging sport on our cardiovascular system. So listen to your body, and it’s more than ok to take walk breaks when you need to. But it’s also good to challenge yourself and get into different comfort zones. The key here is to understand what we call your Perceived Rate of Exertion, or your PRE. In other words, how hard is the effort you’re putting out right now? This goes on a scale from 1-10.

• Zones 1,2,3: Walk, slow and easy jog
• Zones 4.5.6: This is an easy run, you can still carry on a conversation with ease
• Zones 7,8,9: This is more challenging and advanced, you can only say a few words
• Zone 10: Your max effort. Can only hold this for brief spurts of time.

You don’t want to be running at your max/highest levels of intensity. Eighty per cent of your running in a week should be at the 4/5 level where you can still carry a conversation, as this is most beneficial. Ten to 20 per cent can be at the harder levels, but not more than that. It’s all about learning to read your body, which is hugely important in the sport. Don’t underestimate your body’s ability to analyze the effort it’s putting out.

ALWAYS WARM UP

There are a few activation/mobility exercises that Malindi would suggest:

• • Leg Swings: This is a form of dynamic warm-up that works and exercises your range of motion before you start running to really help get your body primed for a run.
  • Clam Shells: Your core is crucial to proper running. Having a decent 10-15 core routine (planks, body squats, lunges, clam shells) is a great way to elevate your running practice.
  • Trunk Rotation: This is great for your upper back.

You’ll also want to start with a brisk walk for five to 10 minutes to get your heart rate up.Watch the video at the top of this article to see how to do these exercises.

COOL DOWN PROPERLY

The old-fashioned static stretch is actually not the way to go. There’s a lot of research that shows it isn’t nearly as useful as we once thought. Muscles have natural tension and they will just go right back to their natural position. In running, flexibility often comes at the cost of stability, and stability is more important (balancing on one leg and keeping good posture). What is crucial is to bring your heart rate back down. Finish with a walk after your run. If your run involved really strenuous activity – rehydrate and refueling after is important. If it was just a 30-minute low-intensity run, that isn’t as critical. But with longer intensities of 90 minutes+, you have a narrow window to get carbs in to refuel your body.[video_embed id='1487512']This is what it takes to train for a marathon[/video_embed]

START ON SOFTER SURFACES

Softer surfaces are definitely the best for runners just starting out. Packed dirt is great, because it has a softer landing. But if you’re training for an upcoming 5K for example, and that’s a road race, you do want to introduce your body to that surface so that it won’t be a complete shock. A lot of people don’t like grass because they find it too soft, but that’s a surface that should be reserved for slightly more advanced runners. As for concrete vs. asphalt: there is a big difference. Asphalt (the street) is definitely better than concrete (the sidewalk), wherever possible.

AVOID CRAMPING

A lot of it comes down to hydration and nutrition. You shouldn’t be running too full or too hungry – but this is very individual. Generally, carbs like half a bagel or a banana is the way to go over super fatty or protein-heavy foots. You also don’t want to run straight out of sitting down all day. Those activations and warm-ups that we discussed are important to get your body ready for a run. Also, some people might get that sloshing feeling in their stomach when they run and assume they drank too much before running. This is actually a sign of dehydration, so you should adjust accordingly for next time.[video_embed id='1962345']BEFORE YOU GO: This lemon squeezing hack is going viral (and it actually works)[/video_embed]