Beginner runner questions:

Beginner runner questions:

Beginner runner questions

I got a bit of a surprise this week when I launched the simple question “what are some beginner running questions?  I got a flurry of responses.  Apparently this is a topic that many people are worried about.

I think this really underscores the importance of, and difference of, podcasting and social media as a medium.  We, as a community, can leverage this conversation to add value and get people involved.

So – I may go into more detail on some of these later but for now I’m going to consider a speed round and answer them all quickly.  I think this may add some quick value and help some folks quickly.

I’m also going to create a PDF of this and put it up on my site, RunRunLive.com, so you can download it and send it to your beginner runner friends to spark a conversation.  And, I’m going to commit, right now, on pain of death to use this as the content of my first newsletter to my mailing list so that we can get maximum dispersion.

This is radical folks.  We’re leveraging the conversation to spread the word.

I separated them into two categories.  First questions about ‘how’ type questions and I’ll put those into the “Quick Tip” section.  Second were the ‘stuff’ questions and I’ll put those into the “Equipment Check” section.

Quick Tip…

Answering questions for beginning runners.  Remember I’m not a doctor, lawyer, baker or pychic card reader – so if you have any doubts find yourself a certified coach, do your own research, and don’t do anything that feels uncomfortable or that you have questions about. Be smart.

Q: How far, How long, how fast and how often?

I got a lot a lot of questions that basically asked the same thing here.  For all of these answers there are a range of answers.  Advanced runners may run 6 or 7 times a week, yes that means every day.  Professional Marathoners will run twice a day and over 100 miles a week.

If you are just starting out you I’m going to recommend that you get a plan that has you get out 3 or 4 times a week. So – Monday, Wednesday, Friday and one of the weekend days.   Shoot for 20 minutes of activity on each of these 3-4 days and try to keep this up for 3 months before increasing your days or your time or your distance. The key to beginning any new effort is to establish the habit.  The mastery will come later.

If you are just starting out do not even worry about how far or how fast.  You want to go by time duration and effort level.  Most people should follow a beginner program like “the couch to 5k” program or the NY road runner’s beginning running program.  These typically recommend a run-walk combination that slowly let’s you increase the running time without hurting you.

Make it easy on yourself.  Walk for a minute, run for a minute or whatever works.   Listen, I know you were a sports star in high school, but you’re not doing anything now, just get started and worry about the glory days later.

How fast is determined by effort level.  If you think about a 1-5 scale where sitting on the couch watching a show about whale song is a 1 and being chased by a grizzly up a mountain is a 5, you want your effort to be in the 2 range.  You should be able to hold a conversation while you run.

Q: Should i breathe through my nose or mouth? How do I breathe?

That’s actually a great question.  I like to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth especially when it’s cold out, but you may not be able to get enough air this way.  Breathe however is comfortable for you but try to take deep breaths that fill your chest and exhale completely.  Don’t gasp or pant.  If you start to get light headed or dizzy stop running, you may be hyperventilating.  If you have severe breathing problems see a doctor because you may have exercise induced asthma which is very common.

Q: Why does everything hurt?

Yeah…well depending on your age and starting condition you may be sore when you first start.  It should get better over the course of a couple weeks if you are easing into it like we recommend. You need to access any pain.  Muscle pain is usually ok.  Aches are ok.  If it gets worse while you’re running even  after you warm up – that could be a problem take a break.  If it is a sharp pain, or a bad joint pain – that’s also a bad sign.  See a good sports doctor and get it looked at. And for heaven’s sake if you have head or chest pain stop and get yourself to the emergency room stat.

The good news is that there’s not much that is going to keep you from running if you’re willing to leran and work through it.

Q: I’ve been doing it for awhile and it still hurts, when does it start to be fun?

Well – It should get better after awhile.  However, I have found that the better shape I’m in the more enjoyable it is.  You may be running at an inappropriate effort level.  If you’ve been at it for a while and it’s still a chore, it is probably a combination of physical and mental.  You need to get yourself a coach (even if it’s just a more experienced runner) and set some goals that will invigorate you.  Try rewarding yourself too – bribery always works for me.

Q: How do i run?

One foot in front of the other, brother. One foot in front of the other.  Seriously google “how to run” and watch some videos – watch some more experienced runners – play with it – don’t be afraid.

Q: How can I get faster, run longer, not get tired?

Well my friend that is a loaded question.  But the short answer is to get fast you have to train and this will involve running some challenging workouts.  Do the work and see the results.

Q: Why do my shins hurt all the time?

Shin splints are a very common new runner malady.  They happen when the muscles in the legs overpower the connective tissue and create little tears.  Even though I know it hurts, it won’t kill you and you probably don’t even have to stop running.

My experience is that shin splints are caused by a) doing too much too fast, b) worn out shoes, c) mechanical problems with your stride.  You can wrap them or put ice on them but at the end of the day you just have to wait them out.

Q: Will I hurt my knees?

No it won’t.  Yeah – I know you had to retire from hockey because your knees couldn’t take it, but if you ease into running and have good mechanics it doesn’t hurt your knees at all.

Q: Can I run with a cold?

Yes –you can run with a cold, but be smart, if you have ebola running probably is not a smart choice, yeah?

Q: Where to run?

Wherever is easiest for you.  You can run on the roads, the trails, the track, the playing fields at your local school or on the trails.  Just be safe and take it easy until you figure it out.

Q: Will my lungs freeze in the winter?

No – this is an old wives tale.  I’ve run outside down to minus 10 or 15 Fahrenheit.

Q: How many calories do I burn per mile?

Most people estimate around 100 calories per mile, but there are a lot of variables.

Q: How fast can I increase my distance?

Don’t worry about distance until you get the habit down.  Most people will say increase no more than 10% per week – but that is an arbitrary number.  Just listen to your body and pay attention for symptoms of overtraining.  You have the rest of your life, don’t rush it.

Q: What to do when you start having side stitches?

When you get a cramp it’s because your body isn’t getting enough oxygen somewhere. Try this.  Walk and hold your arms up over your head to get the blood out of your arms and back into your body.  Take very deep breaths. On trick from cross country I learned is to take a deep breath, and then grab the place where the cramp is while exhaling forcefully.  This will send blood to that spot.  You may also consider what you had to eat before you went out to run and reconsider that choice next time.  Fried clams and hot sausages are typically bad pre-run menu choices.

Q: How to pace yourself?

One typical problem new runner have is that they ‘go out too fast’ and then have to slow down.  You’d much rather have it work the other way so try to focus on running slower in the start and pick it up if you feel ok later.  Another way to do this is to figure out what pace you want to run and measure off the ¼’s or 1/10’s of miles for the first mile of your route, you can then know if you are going out too fast and make adjustments by looking at your watch.

Q: Why do runners use pace instead of speed?

Don’t know, I guess it’s because we are usually running increments of miles or kilometers, not hours.

Q: Is it important to stretch before & after your run?

Let’s get this straight, stretching can be a pain in the butt, but it can also keep you on the road.  Here’s what I recommend. Do an Achilles stretch for one minute on each leg.  Do a hamstring stretch for one minute on each leg.  Do a quadriceps stretch for one minute on each leg.  Do this before you go out and when you get back.  Don’t force it.  It’s always better to do stretching on warm muscles.  When I’m at the track I’ll stretch AFTER my warm up mile and before my work out. I find this very effective.  If you can only do one stretch, do a hamstring stretch. It will prevent all sorts of injury.

Q: How far is this marathon?  Is it ok to walk in a marathon?

A marathon is 26.2 miles long or 42 kilometers.  And hell yes it’s ok to walk in a marathon.

But my favorite response when I asked “what are some beginner runners questions was: “How much longer” and “When can we stop?”

Equipment Check:

Q: What shoes should I buy?

Ahh yes, the perennial question.  This is the number one question new runner have.  That’s why shoe companies are billion dollar companies.

This is a question is hard for people because there are so many variables involved in getting the right shoe for the right person.  High arches or low arches? How many miles? How heavy are you.  How are your feet shaped? What is your stride?  What are your stride mechanics?

Some of the running stores do have a machine now that they can measure your feet, your stride, etc and point you to a specific shoe.  I tested it at the expo and it worked for me.  Any good running store should be able to get you close, but it’s not a perfect process. Don’t be afraid to return them or try several different pairs.  I usually have 3-5 pairs of shoes going at a time.

As a beginner the best advice I can give you is to not stress out about the shoes.  Go get a $40 pair of neutral cushion shoes at any shoe until you figure it out.  Treat it as an adventure and don’t lose heart.  Finding the right shoe is part of the fun of running.

Q: What is the best place to buy running shoes – big box sporting goods or running store?

This is another one of those religious questions.  If you know what kind of shoes you need go ahead and buy them online. I think there is room for both channels.  If you need to touch and feel the shoes and wear them and try different sizes – then go to the store.

But, please, it’s bad form to go shop in the store, not buy anything and then go home and by them online.

Q: What to wear?  Why should I dress in layers? Why is cotton not good?

Most beginners over dress because you may be cold when you start but warm up once you get going.  If you dress in layers you can take a layer off when you get hot.  I tend to wear clothes with options.  For instance gloves, hats, sweaters with hoods and sweaters with zippers.  This way I can open up or cover up big parts of my body to retain or vent heat when necessary.

The reason people don’t like cotton is that it holds the sweat.  They get wet and stay wet.  Wet clothes will give you chills and also cause rashes and skin burns as they rub.  Technical fabrics, like coolMax or DryFit will not hold water.  They will wick the water away from your body.  They won’t stay absolutely dry, but they won’t hold the sweat like cotton does.  No matter what I always wear a technical shirt as my under layer, next to my skin.

Again, don’t stress out about it.  If you’re a beginner you should be able to get by with anything. Wear what you’re comfortable with.

Q: What should I eat, should I pound Gatorade?

I know I sound like a broken record, sorry, records were these vinyl discs we used to store music on to get psyched up for mammoth hunts, but I digress…You don’t need to eat anything special.   If you’re a beginner don’t worry about nutrition.  Just get out.

Most beginners, regardless of how awful their diet is will see a 10-20 pound weight loss in the first few months of running regularly.  What about Gatorade and PowerBars and all that stuff?   Well, one thing to remember is that most of these sports drinks have a ton of calories in them.  They can give you an energy boost when you need it.

That being said you have enough calories in your body to run on any given day.  On the one hand I would caution against over-medicating yourself with lots of sports food of any type.  You really don’t need it.   But on the other, if it makes you feel better about getting out and running then God love the placebo effect.

My buddy Frank is a sun 3:00 marathoner and he weighs 120 pounds soaking wet, and even he has enough body fat to run a marathon without collapsing.

Once you get the habit of running and get your legs under you then worry about your diet.  Dieting and running are very complimentary but don’t take on too much right out of the gates.

Q: Do I need special equipment?

No you don’t.  The best runners in the world come from countries where they don’t have any shoes or decent clothes and have simple lives and simple diets. That should tell you something.

Q: Do I need a special watch?

No – If you are a beginner any watch will do.  I ran for many years with a $10 watch from Walmart with a broken strap.

Q: Can I wear my iPod in the race?

Check with the race director.  The RRCA lets RD’s decide whether iPods are allowed.  If you’re not going to win anything then you are probably ok in bringing along your tunes.  Just be sensitive to the others in the race and be aware of your surroundings.  It’s not worth dying for.