In this new feature especially for beginners, a self confessed "plodder" shares his own experiences of starting out. But should we really be taking advice from the bloke down the pub?
Part 1 - Would You Take Running Advice From Your Mate Down The Pub?
Self confessed "plodder" Derek.
It’s a good question isn’t it? Because while the first answer that popped into your head was undoubtedly a resounding “no”, you’re actually quite wrong.
If you’re reasonably new to running, then common sense advice in language you can understand is exactly what you need; even if it comes from a somewhat unlikely source.
That’s because while many of the facts you really need to know as a new or relatively inexperienced runner are reasonably straightforward, I honestly don’t know where you’re meant to go and find them.
Not to your local bookshop, certainly, where worthy tomes discussing the intricacies of Fartlek are ten a penny, but where straightforward advice about becoming a runner is not so easy to find. And don’t even get me started on all of the ‘4 months to a 4 hour marathon’ type of books!
The upshot of all this is that while millions of people take up running at some stage in their lives, a lack of basic knowledge will lead many of them to either give up before we’ve given the sport a proper chance, or worse, to get into a spiral of niggling injuries that mean spending more money on physiotherapy than on running shoes.
So, gorgeously athletic though I am, I’d like you to think of me as your fat mate down the pub. The one who can be a bit boring when it comes to talking about marathon PBs, but who can also help you to develop a training routine your body can live with – and just as importantly, who can help you to avoid all the injuries and setbacks that he used to endure.
And how do I know all this? What makes me such an expert?
Well, if I’m honest, it’s because in the last 7 years, I’ve made just about every mistake that it’s possible to make as a runner. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that while I’ve missed a couple or three marathons through injury, in doing so I’ve learnt enough about running, and looking after my body, to make injuries pretty much a thing of the past.
In fact, I’m now a 44 year old, 14 stone bloke who routinely covers 20-30 miles a week and does so entirely pain-free. Which is in stark contrast to the agonies I went through when I started running again.
It goes without saying that I possessed none of these things 7 years ago. Which is why I had to acquire everything I know about running the hard way.
Now, obviously, I could keep all of the fabulous wisdom I’ve acquired to myself. But that would just be wrong. So instead, I’m going to sharing my hard-won sagacity with Bug's ever-expanding readership.
In the weeks and months to come, these ‘mate down the pub’ features will build up into a handsome partwork fit to grace any home and help you to get the very most out of your running. But only if you print them out and steal a ring binder from WH Smith to keep them in.
And as is usually the case with these partwork thingies, Part One comes with a handsome Free Gift.
(Or Part Two, as it’s sometimes known)
Part 2 - How Far Should You Go On a First Date?
Don’t worry, you haven’t strayed into an old copy of Cosmopolitan. I am, of course, talking about what sort of distances you should be aiming for when you start running.
Now then, when I set my heart on running the FLM seven years ago, it had been several years since I had last strapped a pair on and went out for a run. Worse, it had been several decades since a smattering of teenage cross-country victories had convinced me for all time that I was Born To Run.
Cue mistake number one then: squeezing into an ancient and entirely cushionless pair of Mizunos and setting off at 6 minute mile pace for a 6-miler that included a mile of sand dunes and two miles of fairly soft beach.
Predictably, I was feeling pretty bad from about half a mile out, seriously winded from the mile marker, and desperately in need of someone to talk me away from the tunnel with the pretty white light at the end of it by mile three.
I ended up slowing down to a geriatric shuffle, simply to get myself home without stopping, and arrived looking like an old nag that had been ridden hard and put away wet.
Typically (for me anyway), I had tried to do too much, too fast, too soon and had paid the penalty as a result. The outcome was that I could barely walk the next day, was virtually paralysed the day after that, and had no urge to run again for nearly a month.
When I finally plucked up the resolve to try again, I had a plan to be a little more systematic in my approach and a little less ambitious in my scope. So, I drove around the block in the car, having reset the trip milometer to zero, and realized that the distance was pretty well exactly one mile.
While that felt a little wimpy, it turned out to be exactly the right distance. I had a little warm up, did a few stretches, and set off at a gentle jog that got me back to the house in seven and a half minutes. Crucially, I was able to run all the way without stopping, felt pretty good when I finished and also felt pretty good the next day. Two days later I did it again and felt just as good.
Now then. You could be reading that and thinking: “A mile? A whole mile? It’s madness, madness I tell you!” Or you could be thinking: “A mile? Hell, I’ve got a marathon in mind. I can’t start off by just running a mile!”
Thing is, those are both valid points of view. If you’re the wrong side of 50, or perhaps carrying a few stone too many, it’s perfectly OK starting off at running 400 metres. And if you’re young and fit from other sports, by all means start off at 3 miles. Only you can assess your baseline fitness.
But whichever point you start from, I think it’s essential to follow these simple rules for your initial training:
1) Start with a distance, and a pace, that lets you run all the way without stopping or taking walk breaks. And include a short walk before and after your run, to help avoid both stiffness and injuries.
2) Have an idea of how far you’ve run and time yourself, keeping a note of these details in a diary.
3) Make sure you’ve got the time and energy to run that distance at least 3 times a week.
4) After a week or two, or when your starting distance starts to feel easier, raise the distance a little. Run 20% further on just one of your 3 runs. Then add 20% to all of your runs when that starts feeling easier. Keep adding distance when you feel you’re too much in the ‘comfort zone.’
5) Learn to listen to your body. Back off if it isn’t happy. Do more when it feels too comfortable.
Obviously, there’s a lot more to starting out and building up your distances and fitness than that. But by following the simple rules above, I’m now at a point where going out to do 6-8 miles doesn’t trouble me at all and where anything up to and including a half marathon has ceased to be intimidating. And I might add that I’m about as far from being an uber-athlete as it’s possible to be.
In future parts I’ll be discussing all of the other things that make running easier and more pleasurable, including the role of the right kit, the right route, speed work, nutrition, hydration, stretching, warm-ups and warm-downs, sports massage, and much, much more.
But just as a starter for 10, I doubt that you’ll go very far wrong following the 5 simple rules above.
The next part of "my mate from the pub" will be in a couple of weeks time, but in the meantime catch up with more from Derek on his brilliant blog Taking Jelly Babies From Strangers.
Taking Jelly Babies From Strangers
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