But if you’re trying to overhaul your current regimen and face a new kind of challenge, then keep reading and lace up (preferably in one of these top running shoes ). Whether you’ve been a strict lifter for years or you’re just a guy who’s never exercised before and wants to start pounding the pavement, consider this your blueprint for becoming a runner.
Begin with the basics: Start slow
If you’ve never run more than a mile (and that was to pass gym class in high school), you need to start gradually, even if you’ve got excellent endurance from CrossFit or MMA training. Your legs will need to acclimate to the repetitive pounding motion of road or trail running. You can experience shin splints (inflamed, irritated muscles, tendons, and/or bone tissue around your tibia) if you increase the intensity or distance of your runs too quickly. Shin splints can also occur if you’re flat-footed and running without orthotic support, have improper running form, or swap your terrain from a somewhat cushy treadmill to unforgiving asphalt or concrete.
2. Create a plan
We’ll say it: You will enjoy running a lot more if you have a plan, and a resource to help get you through it.
You can find a run coach who can put you through your paces once or twice a week and come up with a personalized training plan to follow. (Road Runners Club of America is a great resource for locating experts in your area). If there are running clubs near you, consider joining up for a few sessions, because experienced folks can help encourage you through your beginner stages.
On a budget? You can download the Nike+ Run Club App and use its four-week Get Started program. It’ll take the guess work out of creating a training regimen by suggesting different types of runs*, as well as incorporating Nike+ Training Club workouts to supplement your training in order to build the necessary strength, mobility, and agility. Some other notable running apps include RunKeeper , which offers training plans crafted by running experts, and Couch-to-5K, which helps new runners prevent injury by easing into training with a few 30-minute workouts per week (a virtual coach also gives you cues about your training mid-workout).
3. Don’t stop strength training
“If you want to be a runner, you need to be an athlete, too,” says Chris Bennett , a Nike+ Run Club Global Head Coach . “And if you can become a stronger athlete, you’ll become a stronger runner, meaning it’ll be tougher for you to get injured.” Running is a full-body activity, so the stronger your core, stability, and mobility are, the better. Consistency is key to staying healthy—so don’t skip the warmup, dynamic drills, mobility work, or workouts targeted at lesser-used muscles. Try our strength-training leg workout for running to ward off imbalances and weaknesses, or try this bodyweight routine you can do anywhere.
If you’re becoming a runner to complete a lofty goal, like a marathon, use this 16-week strength-training guide for marathoners to cover your basics. Shooting to do a half? Use this nine-week half-marathon strength and conditioning program .
Make sure you vary your runs, too. “A common mistake with new runners is they think they have only one gear or pace, and they have to do the same run every day,” says Bennett. Do you complete the same strength training workout in the gym every day? Of course not. (At least we hope not.)
Same goes for running: You should do a mix of runs and strength workouts, which brings us to the next crucial step: Get to know every kind of run.
4. Familiarize yourself with the three main types of runs*
“We all have an ‘easy’ pace, a ‘strong’ pace, and a ‘blazing-fast’ pace,” Bennett says. Pretty much anywhere you live, you’ll find roads, trails, flats, and hills to train on. You don’t even need a track. As long as you can measure out, estimate, or time your sprints, you can do speed (or “track”) workouts on any level ground.
“Any good plan should take advantage of all the different types of running,” Bennett says. Here’s your guide:
Recovery run: This is just another name for your typical easy run. You’re not pushing the pace or the intensity, just using it to get your legs accustomed to running and/or to help your muscles recover from an arduous hill or sprint workout. These will be the majority of your runs.
Speed run: “These should be fun ,” Bennett stresses. Release your inner dog, cheetah, unicorn—whatever metaphor that’ll help you let loose and enjoy ripping out sprints. “If you’re nervous about running fast, that’s just misplaced excitement,” he says. “Just channel that nervousness the right way and you will be ready to rock.” Just be sure you get your form right, first.**
Long run: There’s no minimum distance. “It just means this is your longest run of the week,” Bennett explains.
5. Master good practices and proper form**
To be clear: You will get tired, and that is okay.
“The best thing you can do for your form is to get in better shape,” Bennett says. “Everyone has a tendency to exaggerate bad form when they get tired, so you’ll notice, as you get later into a run, your arm swing and knee lift disappear, and you’re not running upright with a slight lean forward,” Bennett explains. It’s your body’s way of saying ‘Sorry, bud. I’m done.’
That means you’ll have to stay mentally sharp, too. “Do a little system check during those last stages of a run to identify many of the things you’re doing (or not doing),” Bennett says. While you don’t necessarily have to radically change your natural running form to mirror perfect running form (for example, if you’re somewhere between a heel and forefoot striker, don’t kill yourself to make it the perfect forefoot strike), keep these main points in mind:
“If you tend to lean back or slump forward, remind yourself to let your chin lead your chest a bit, and that should help with your upper body positioning and foot strike, too,” Bennett says.
Shake your arms out and keep them low (about waist-level), so you’re not tensing your shoulders and wasting energy.
Keep your breathing even. “If you can control your breathing, you can control your form,” Bennett says. Some people like to count their breaths (in for two breaths, slowly out for three; or in for three, slowly out for four) in order for it to become meditative and, after a while, reflexive. This will help if you tend to become a gasping mouth-breather five minutes into a run.
6. Track your runs
This is probably obvious, but you don’t need a ton of technology to start running, and that applies to tracking as well. A humble notebook is all you need to track the time of your run, your mileage, and how you feel during the workout. If you want, write down how your sleeping and eating is going—you’ll be surprised how closely your training mirrors your overall health.
If you want to go one step up, a great tracker or wearable can clue you in on important metrics like sleep, resting heart rate, and running dynamics. Some trackers, like Garmin’s Forerunner 935 , offer a holistic look at your training by tracking how restorative your sleep was, how taxing a workout was (along with an estimated recovery time to let you know when your body will be primed and ready to tackle another intense session), whether you’re overtraining (if your resting heart rate is unusually high compared to other days’ metrics), and what your running dynamics are like (if you tend to overstride, which puts you at risk for joint injuries, like runner’s knee).