Beginner Runner

Becoming a runner is on your shoulders. The buck stops with you. You're the one who must make the commitment and do the work. You know that, but you need tools and techniques to make success more achievable, and this is one of the big ones:

If you can get your family and friends on board, take them along on your running journey, if you can get them to stand by you, stand with you, support and encourage you, the trip will be an easier one. Start hanging out with experienced runners, and it will be easier yet. Before long, you won't be a 'beginner runner.'

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Mojo for Running.

Walk to run workouts, also known as walk run workouts. are, hands down, the most effective, safest, and surest way to become a runner. I recommend this method for every beginner runner, and in this episode I explain why and how. Listen in and you'll soon understand how to execute a workout that, after a thorough warmup, alternates segments of walking and running.

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Mojo for Running.

Runners tend to be incredibly friendly, and most experienced runners are extremely supportive of beginner runners, happily offering advice. That is wonderful, right? Because, after all, some of these runners have logged, literally, thousands of miles, competed in a hundred races over many years. If you have a question, you can bet they will have an answer. For the most part this is good, this free running advice for beginners from very experienced runners, but there is one very dangerous element, and that is the topic of this episode.

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Mojo for Running.

If you've been running even as much as three months, chances are that you've already experienced some discomfort in the front of your leg, some degree of shin splints. If you haven't, that's great.

So, the purpose of this episode is to help you prevent shin splints. There are many concrete actions you can take to stave off this dreaded running injury.

I hope the advice in this episode of the Beginner Runner Village Podcast will make episodes of shin splints few and far between, and you just might avoid them, altogether. If they do occur, it's likely to be a brief episode, and you'll be back out there, soon, pain free. Listen now, and find out how to recognize and prevent shin splints.

Mojo for Running.

Shin splints are the bane of many runners. I hate to say it, but I think every runner is going to experience this very common running injury at some point in their running career. I'd like to say they can be completely avoided, and that is possible but probably unlikely because you can accidently do something to trigger them, just like plantar fasciitis. If you train wisely and respond at the first twinge of discomfort, it won't be too much of a problem, and that's the topic of this episode of the Beginner Runner Village podcast.

Mojo for Running.

If you haven't been warming up before running, I'm willing to bet that will change after you listen to this episode because the benefits of a good warm-up are that impressive, and the possible problems of warming up incorrectly – or not warming up at all – are that dangerous.

The hitch with beginner runners is that beginner runners will often say, "I don't need to warm up because I'm so slow that I'm always running at warmup pace."

I would entirely disagree; everything is relative. Everyone has an easier pace, even if it's walking, and it's just as important for a beginner runner to warm up as it is for a veteran runner. Never forego the warm up.

Traditionally, years ago, some people thought of a warm up as doing several static stretches and maybe a few exercises. Some exercises, if they could be described as dynamic stretches, would be a good idea, but some would be intense movements that would be best left until later in the workout or until the end.

And static stretches should always wait until after the workout.

Whether you're just going for a 2- mile run or about to do a 5k race, a good warm-up will set you up for a much better, more comfortable.

The post Why It's Essential to Warmup – BRV 023 appeared first on Mojo for Running.

It seems that all new runners and 'newer' runners stress about speed, but it that is you, please remember that speed – up to a point – comes naturally as you build endurance. First concentrate on endurance. After your weeky mileage is up to 25 miles, then – and only then – should you insert speed work.

Everything in due time!

I always harp on how important it is not to worry about running speed, and I am adamant about that; however, I know newer runners always worry about being slow. Well, running endurance is far more valuable than speed; it is what it's all about, really. Without endurance, without being able to run at least a few miles, non-stop, you will never get faster. If you want to get from jogging a few steps to running a few miles, that's endurance. In this podcast, I'll explain how to build running endurance, how to strategically increase running and decrease walking.

Everybody worries about race strategy, and no one more than the first-time 5K runner. I suspect for most runners that first 5k is more nerve-wracking than a first marathon. This makes sense, too, because anyone who has trained enough for a marathon knows that things that once seemed impossible, eventually, with proper training, become doable, even dare a I say old hat? That comes with time, though. Marathoners build up a history of races that, taken together, give the runner a sense of security that a new runner cannot possibly possess.

In this podcast episode, I look at how to prepare in the days leading up to the race and the day before the race. Then I discuss the logical strategies for the first-time racer, and in particular, I break it down into two situations: the person who is a true beginner, who is still unable to run a whole 5k, but who still wants to get out there and experience a race, and the person who's a good bit farther along and already able to run the whole thing. The race strategies for these two are different, but many of the strategies I mention are appropriate for all runners, even veterans because some things never change.

Having a race strategy, I hope, will add to your comfort level and reduce stress on race day, and in that way help to ensure a great experience.

Mojo for Running.

More people start running to lose weight than start for any other reason. Join a group of runners paused at a water kiosk, and poll them for the reason why each of them runs, and even if they are fast, fit runners, at least half of them will tell you they run to eat. You'd be surprised. Running can certainly help you lose weight, and it will help you keep it off, but it's not a given; it's not automatic, as some might expect. In this episode I discusses what you need to know to make sure running and weight loss mesh to make sure you achieve weight loss your goal.

Please check out these resources:

Robert H. Lustig, M.D., pediatric endocrinologist, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of California "Sugar, the Bitter Truth" on YouTube, http://youtu.be/dBnniua6-oM "Fat Chance" on YouTube, http://youtu.be/P3WkXJokBAU Gary Taubes, Why We Get Fat and Good Calories Bad Calories, http://garytaubes.com/ "Why We Get Fat" on YouTube http://youtu.be/lDneyrETR2o David Perlmutter, M.D., neurologist, Grain Brain, http://www.drperlmutter.com/ William Davis, M.D., cardiologist, Wheat Belly, http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/ Melissa and Dallas Hartwig, It Starts with Food, http://whole9life.com/itstartswithfood/ Paul Jaminet and Shou-Ching Jaminet, Perfect Health Diet, http://perfecthealthdiet.com/ Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D, The Willpower Instinct, http://kellymcgonigal.com/

Please share this podcast! #BeginnerRunner #RunningPodcast #StartRunning #BeginnerRunnerVillage #WalktoRun #RunningforWeightLoss #WeightLoss

Mojo for Running.

Why should newer runners have to discover some really helpful tips by trial and error? In this podcast, I list tips of all kinds about all manner of big and small things that can be hugely helpful to your runnig career. Whether you find them helpful, enlightening, or entertaining, I guarantee you'll hear some things you haven't heard before. I explain about all manner of running secrets from nip guards to chafing issues to emergency rain gear. I've got you covered with all the tips and tricks I've learned in 48 years of running.

Please share this podcast!

Mojo for Running.