10 Tips to improve your running
10 Tips to improve your running
Running is a great way to stay fit and if done well you’ll suffer less from muscle stiffness, cramps, side stitches and sometimes even running injuries. Do you want to run faster,longer, better and have more fun while running? It’s every runner’s dream to become faster and runner longer distances, here are a few tips that will help you achieve greater speed and distances in your daily runs.
1. Warm up
To avoid muscle injury and hurting yourself do a 5-10 minute warm up. It’s absolutely important to get your muscles loose, active, warm, and ready for action, you will keep yourself strong and injury free.Warming up also activates your nervous central system which will help you you perform well in each exercise. Another reason is that when your body is properly warmed up, your muscles and joints are ready for maximum flexibility, which means you can perform each exercise with proper form.
Here are a few warm exercises:
5 minute brisk walking.
5 minute jumping rope
20-30 Jumping Jacks.
Remember these are only short spurts of exercises just to get you warmed up. You might stick to one exercise or divide your time and do several in the 5 or 10 minute warm up. Watch the small video below for inspiration:
2. Go at your pace
Becoming a faster and endurance runner doesn’t happen overnight. You need to take it at your own pace, when you feel ready start running faster and increase your distance. You don’t want to set impossible goals. Start with small, easier-to-achieve targets and once you get used to it, aim for higher ones.
3.Interval Running
Walk and run combination is a great way to get into running especially if you are a beginner. Walk after a high intensity run is the way to go but remember to brisk walk not to lose momentum and after 1 or 3 minutes start running again . As you progress from a beginner to a moderate runner and want to increase speed, do interval running. Here you run at your pace for 5 minutes and sprint as fast as you can for 60 seconds. It’s important to vary your running intensity for better results. A right combination of high-intensity runs and slow runs every week will improve your running performance.
4. Do strength training
Your body needs to be strong enough to endure the vigorous of running. Appropriate strength training will make your body fitter for running. If you haven’t done strength training before might be a good idea to enlist a professional.
5. Dress light
Little things like your choice of running clothes and shoes can have an impact on your running. Try to dress light as you will get hotter as you start running and ensure your shoes are both light and provide protection to your feet.
6. Stay hydrated
Proper hydration is a key to improved running performance. Stay away from a high-fiber, high-fat meal before a run. If you are planning for a longer run, make sure your carbohydrate intake is adequate. Keep yourself hydrated with water or energy juices during the run to compensate for the loss of body fluids through sweat.
7. Keep motivated
A clever strategy to keep motivated is to change the route you go running. It challenges you mentally and physically. New terrains will challenge your running form,might be an idea to change your routine from time to time.
8. Change running shoes regularly
Changing your running shoes regularly is imperative as blisters and feet aches will interfere with your running performance. Question is: When Should I Replace My Running Shoes?
A good rule of thumb is to replace your running shoes every 482-643 kilometers, depending on your running style, body weight, and the surface on which you run. High wear and tear of shoes will slow down your pace as well as will pose an injury risk.
9. Rest – a good night sleep
If you are short of sleep, you may feel tired and not run the distance that you would have otherwise.
10. Cool Down Exercises
A few simple Cool Down Exercises and Stretches can help you recover from your workout and will reduce the potential for after exercise muscle soreness and stiffness. Follow this simple cool down routine to help your prevent running injuries and increase flexibility. Watch the video below:
