Restart Your Running with These 5 Simple Techniques
Winter conditions—snow, ice, and cold—affect the majority of the nation and make it difficult to exercise outside, particularly on jogging routes. Although we often take a vacation from jogging during certain seasons, we still vow we'll get on the treadmill. Alternatively, perhaps life gets in the way and you have to stop exercising regularly. Use these five suggestions to prevent injury and rediscover your love of running, no matter what your circumstances may be.
1. Begin slowly
Whether you took a few years off from running or just one season, your return must be gradual. If you were jogging a mile in seven minutes in October and try to maintain that pace in April, you may get hurt or experience a severe case of despair. Your body (and your mind) are just not prepared to handle your former pace, which may be a difficult pill to take. Instead, shorten your stride and gradually climb back up. When you don't feel exhausted after just one mile of running and wonder why you even bothered to put on your running shoes, you'll stay healthy and motivated to keep going.
2. Decrease of distance
After a winter hiatus, you need to adjust both your pace and your mileage. Running five miles on your first day back is a recipe for pain and injury. Instead, begin at a distance that feels appropriate for your level of fitness right now and stick to the 10% guideline until your mileage returns to normal. According to this classic running maxim, you should only increase your mileage by 10% per week. If you begin by running 10 miles every week, you would then run 11 miles the following week, and so on.
3. Observe your body.
Side pains. respiration difficulty. Your body may experience a variety of emotions after running. Use your body as a guide to know when to slow down so you can exercise, not strain. Your muscles for running have been dormant all winter; slowing down to a walk or taking a day off is not a sign of failure; it is a display of wisdom. When jogging makes you feel lethargic or sore, paying attention to your body also involves adjusting your routine to include more stretching, drink, and sleep. Your body functions similarly to a personal health coach, but far more affordably and intimately.
4. Continue your cross-training.
Don't let the melting snow cause you to abandon your cross-training routines if you experimented with various forms of exercise to stay active over the winter. For runners, strength training—whether done with TRX, resistance bands, lifting, or group fitness classes—actually enhances power, speed, and endurance. Running strains knees and joints, so low-impact fitness like swimming, biking, and elliptical machines offer a much-needed break. Moreover, low-impact cardio and weight training also help lower the chance of injury. Include two to three days of cross training in your weekly running schedule to get the benefits.
5. Get motivated again
Finding the urge to resume jogging can be challenging if the winter became a convenient justification to avoid all sorts of perspiration. Joining forces with a running partner or group is a great approach to recover drive and focus. You will be less likely to cancel when you are aware that others are depending on you to show up. If you're concerned that you might be "out of your league," be assured that running clubs come in a variety of sizes and forms. Let Google be your buddy whether you're a beginner, expert, or somewhere in between. Train for a race as another way to regain your motivation. You'll continue to run because you know you have a significant battle ahead of you. Start with a 5K if your break from running was more of a two-year layoff than a winter break. Try a 10K or half-marathon if you've previously participated in a race. Establish a training schedule that allows enough time for preparedness in each scenario.