The beginning, the very beginning of your running career is the perfect time to learn correct form, and cadence is a huge part of that! With cadence mastered, all the rest of your running, for years to come, will be easier and more efficient. And most important of all, you'll be much, much less likely to suffer the typical running injuries that tend to plague and discourage beginner runners.

You know how the 'best time' to learn a language is when you are a child? Well, similarly, the best time to learn proper cadence is when you are just running 15 or 20 steps at a time. Learn how and why in this podcast.

Mojo for Running.

We've all heard of people-watching. Let me introduce you to runner-watching. It's less entertaining but much more useful. Even the most untrained eye will, with a little coaching from me, be able to spot good running form. In this episode I'll give you some tips on analyzing the form of established runners, helping you better understand good form, making it easier for you to practice it, yourself, facilitating your own running success.

Mojo for Running.

An integral but often overlooked element of running form is foot strike. Whether beginner or advanced, any runner should take care to be sure to utilize an efficient and stable foot plant and it makes perfect sense for new runners to work on this from the very beginning, from day one, rather than try to break bad habits later on.

Mojo for Running.

Learn the correct running form and succeed that much faster. In this episode, I discuss how to lean, ever so slightly, forward, to take advantage of gravity.

Plus, I discuss how to make sure you're landing with your foot under your center of gravity. Correct running form will lessen the likelihood of injury, make your running more comfortable, and conserve energy.

Mojo for Running.

Improving your running form will mean avoiding injury and running more comfortably, two worthwhile pursuits for any runner, and there is no better time to master it than at the very beginning of your running career when you're only running a few steps at a time. In this podcast, I explain correct running form in the first of four episodes on this topic.

Mojo for Running.

One of the most common concerns among beginner runners is that they struggle to breathe, often saying, "I can never seem to catch my breath" or "I feel like I'm breathing through a straw." For many runners, it's just a matter of learning how to breathe. Many, many people are still following the advice of an ill informed physical education coach from high school years. We've come a long way since then. Breathing while running is a huge issue for some runners. This episode will help.

Mojo for Running.

I've learned that new runners – even the newest runners – will progress more comfortably and with fewer injuries when they apply proven running training principles that veteran runners use to guide their training. The difference is that they must be modified to be appropriate for beginner runners. In this podcast I explain one of the hard easy principle, and how to apply it. This one simple concept could be the difference between succeeding in becoming a runner and joining the "I tried to run" crowd.

Mojo for Running.

I explain exactly what is included in the Mojo for Running Coaching Program, what the weekly schedules include, and how they break down into a gradual progression from mostly walking to running, then from being able to run to being able to run 3.1 miles, a 5k. The program gradually moves complete non-runners from walking to running while putting great focus on conditioning. From there, the next few weeks take the beginner runner to a 5k. Then there are schedules for the runner to polish that 5k a bit before moving on to their first 10k. Then, there are schedules that move the runner on to a 10k and eventually on to a half marathon.

So, you can progress seamlessly from one set of schedules to the next until you're ready for a half marathon.

It's all explained in this podcast in much greater detail.

Mojo for Running.

While you won't need much in the way of equipment, good running shoes are, of course, a must. After listening to this episode, you'll be prepared for the all-important shopping trip. Discover what to look for, which questions to ask, and how to know if the salesperson is knowledgeable.

You'll need to understand the running shoe terminology, and you'll need to know what to do. You'll need an overview of the types of shoes available to you. Running shoes for beginners are just as important as running shoes for experienced runners. This is not the place to cut corners, but you certainly don't need the most expensive shoes. If you go to a reputable running store, you should be in good hands, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do your homework before you go.

Buying running shoes, the right running shoes, will impact your success because the wrong shoes could actually cause injury. I've seen it happen.

The post Buying Running Shoes – BRV 005 appeared first on Mojo for Running.

Veteran runners can choose from a variety of different forms of cross training, but new runners will need to be quite careful about cross training because if they are not already physically fit, the cross training may sap their energy and tire the muscles they should be saving for their running days. Enter hiking. Hiking is the perfect form of cross training for someone just embarking on a running career, and this episode explains why it is ideal. Hopefully, it will motivate you to get out there and start hiking to help you attain better running fitness.

The post Hiking as Cross Training for Beginner Runners – BRV 20 appeared first on Mojo for Running.