Everyone has to start somewhere when they first start running. If you are just starting out, or wanting to run longer; there are important steps to follow. Hear from Lindsey on this episode of the Ask Coach Parry podcast as we look at how best to get started.

Transcript

Brad Brown: Welcome back onto this edition of the Ask Coach Parry podcast, it’s been a few weeks since we last spoke. My name is Brad Brown, Lindsey Parry joining us once again. Lindsey, welcome back, Happy New Year to you, welcome.

Lindsey Parry: Happy New Year Brad, Happy New Year to all the runners, what a fantastic 2016 we have to look forward to.

BB: It’s going to be amazing and lots of questions coming through already, lots of Comrades questions. But I think one of the biggest ones we’ve been getting so far is for people wanting to start running and setting the New Year’s resolution in 2016 to keep going.

Lindsey, what advice would you give to someone who is starting out right now running, they want to get fitter and stronger in 2016, and healthier. How can they get going, what advice would you give them?

LP: I think the most important advice and the most useful advice is to say, start slowly. Obviously people want to see gains and they want to see changes and they want to feel better, and want to see that their pants are getting looser etc.

How to make running a permanent fixture in your life

But unfortunately, particularly when it comes to high impact exercise like running, the slower we start and the slower we progress, the more likely this is going to become a permanent fixture in your life. I think a lot of people, the mistake they make is, well I only started with 5km. 5km when you say it, sounds pathetic, but in reality, 5km or 5 000m is 5 000 steps.

So when you’re going from nothing to 5 000 of anything, that’s a lot. Then people don’t enjoy it because it really is hard and they feel bad and they get injured. It actually becomes an unpleasant project. Whereas if you started with 600-800m of running with some walking in between so that you could handle another 600-800m. You follow that pattern for 10-15 minutes and build on that over time. So that in 12 weeks’ time you can run 5km, enjoying it, pain-free. Then you’ve set yourself up with a New Year’s resolution that’s going to stick.

BB: I love it and if you’re planning on running Comrades in 2016, our next Comrades Marathon online seminar is coming up on Wednesday, that’s this coming Wednesday the 13th of January. You can register right now. It is coachparry.com/comrades-marathon-webinar. That’s where you can find it, the link is in the show notes.

It’s absolutely free, kick-start your 2016 Comrades training in the best possible way. Lindsey and I will both be there, we look forward to getting things going for you in 2016. Also get your questions in, all you need to do is head over to the website, coachparry.com. Until Wednesday, from the two of us, it’s cheers.