When it comes to running, people either seem to absolutely love it or loathe every single moment. Our opinion is often determined early in life – many of us have one horrible memory of finishing last, with an aching stitch, in a school race – while others wrote off jogging as repetitive or boring years ago.

But running, for so many reasons, can be a hugely enjoyable and rewarding journey – and it doesn’t matter whether you can complete a marathon or a lap of your local park. As sports go, it’s probably the most accessible as it’s free, all you need is a pair of trainers, and you can go anywhere you please at any time that suits you.

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Why take up running?

And research has revealed just how good running can be for you – and thankfully, it doesn’t suggest you do an hour-long sprinting session five times a week.

Instead, the research, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, has found that running – no matter how fast, far or often – is related to a lower risk of early death.

Researchers from Australia, Thailand and Finland have linked running to a 30% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 23% lower risk of death from cancer, noting: “Any amount of running, even just once a week, is better than no running, but higher doses of running may not necessarily be associated with greater mortality benefits.”

Top running tips for beginners

If you’re a complete novice, now could be the time to get into running. Here’s how…

Take your time

For Melissa Weldon, head of training at treadmill-based fitness boutique Sweat It, the most important piece of advice for new runners is to “take your time and listen to your body”.

Immediately trying to do a marathon will likely lead to injury, and put you off running for life. “There’s nothing wrong with starting with a walk/run programme to get your body used to it,” encourages Weldon. “Break it down into intervals, gradually increasing as you increase your stamina. Once you become more confident with running, start to increase your running sections and reduce your walking intervals.”

Andy Baddeley, two-time Olympian and co-founder of The Running Channel, agrees: “New runners will naturally fatigue earlier than they might expect, and there’s no shame in walking. The key to enjoying running is finding a sustainable pace, but that comes with practice.”

Slow down

running tips for beginners Active mature man running in park during morning workout at summer time.

The same principle goes for speed. “Do not start out running too fast, your body needs time to adapt to the strains of running, your joints and ligaments especially,” says Weldon. “Starting out too fast can lead to injury and/or you may feel overexertion within just a few minutes.

“Instead, aim to run at a pace which feels comfortable and try to maintain this pace for the entire distance, so you give your body the time to gradually ease into it.”

PT and ultra-marathon runner Amy Curtis agrees, “Most new runners go off too fast, feel horribly uncomfortable the whole time and burn out their energy after just ten minutes or so. It’s not exactly going to make you want to do it again.”

“If you run with others, chat while you’re going along to achieve a conversational pace”, she suggests. Running on your own? “Think of a few lyrics of a song and speak (or sing) them every so often – if you’re too breathless to do that, you’re going too fast.”

Learn how to breathe

Running tips for beginners

“Improper breathing is the number one mistake made by beginner and intermediate runners and can result in a stitch,” says David Wiener, trainer at fitness app Freeletics. “While running, you should use deep belly breathing because it’s better for efficient and maximal oxygen uptake than shallow chest breathing.

“You should also breathe through both your mouth and nose to maximise oxygenation. Rhythmic breathing also works well for runners, and normally during a medium-intensity run a person will use the 2:2 rhythm – two foot strikes while breathing in and two foot strikes when breathing out.”

Work out what’s natural for you

You might be inundated with lots of complicated advice about the best running techniques, but Baddeley says beginners should just go for a jog and then “try to work out what’s natural for them”.

If you do want to visualise it a bit better, Baddeley adds: “Ideally you would try to midfoot strike (ie. neither on the ball of the foot, nor landing heel first), but perhaps the easiest way to work towards this is to think about pulling your leg underneath the body to make contact with the floor directly under your hips (rather than reaching out in front of you, which leads to overstriding, heel striking and more force going through your body).”

Make it your ‘me time’

Jogging alone means it’s just you, the sound of your feet pounding on the path and the fresh air – embrace the alone time and use it to clear your mind or think through anything important.

“For me, as a mother of four, exercise is escapism and my me time,” says Stacey Jackson of StaeFit women’s workout wear. “I put on some pumping music and I get lost in the vibe – the way I feel afterwards justifies all the effort.”

Multitask

Running tips for beginners Cropped shot of a mature woman out for her morning run

If you find running with only your own thoughts for company difficult, lose yourself in an audiobook or podcast.

“One of the most enjoyable ways of passing the time on a run is to learn. I listen to endless podcasts – on self-improvement, running, business, creativity and lots of other topics,” says marathoner and Saucony ambassador James Williams. “By learning, you make the most efficient use of your time.”

Join a group

Sometimes the hardest thing about going for a jog is finding the motivation, which is where joining a local running club could make a difference. A quick internet search will likely reveal plenty of clubs for casual joggers near you.

Baddeley is a big fan of Parkrun, which operates all over the world and he says is “very welcoming. It’s free and takes place at 9am every Saturday in a park near you. Don’t be intimidated, you can run, walk or even volunteer to get a feel for it.”

Celebrate your progress

Running tips for beginners Portrait of happy female winner of breast cancer marathon race at park

“Many people who first start running and tell me they have lost interest do so because they haven’t been measuring their progress,” says Josh Hackford, PT from FourFit. “The addictive nature of running comes from getting that bit better with each run. Whether that is completing 3km for the first time or reducing your split time on a 5km, there are many different ways to challenge yourself.”

Eventually, you might sign up to a 5k or 10k race – and there are many inclusive, supportive and fun events, held in and around London most weekends, to try when you’re ready.

If you have any concerns about starting running, speak to your GP.

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