Establishing a regular running or jogging routine may seem a daunting task, so we have written you a guide to help you get started.

A Program for Running:

It is important to start off slowly when beginning a running routine to avoid the chance of injury. Start with a brisk walk for 5 to 10 minutes to warm up. Then start jogging for 5 to 10 minutes or until you feel out of breath. Take a walking break for a couple of minutes and then start jogging again and repeat the series of walking and jogging intervals for about 30minutes. By including walking breaks you will find that you can keep on going for longer and over time you can decrease the walking time until you are jogging for the entire 30minutes.

Building a Base

Once you have achieved a base of running regular 4 to 5 times a week and totalling a mileage of 20-25miles, you can consider targeting a specific distance such as 5 or10 km, half marathon or even a full marathon if you are feeling brave! If you wish to establish more of a professional training program it is a good idea to mix up the type of running you do as described below.

• Fartlek (for speed and pace, e.g. running fast for a minute then slower for 20seconds and repeating continuously for length of session).
• Hills (for strength)
• Tempo Runs (for speed and pace)
• Intervals (for speed)
• The Long Run (for endurance)
• Easy run (for recovery)

You could use this day to do a Pilates or a yoga class to maintain core stability and flexibility. Alternatively you could choose a non-impact exercise such as swimming.

Running Technique:

A good running posture will help reduce injuries and make you a more energy efficient runner. First of all remember to keep shoulders relaxed and loose with arms close to body swinging forward and back, elbows at a 90 degree angle and relaxed. You should ‘run tall’ keeping torso upright and with hips in alignment rather than tipped forward. Sprinters have a very high knee lift but when running longer distances it is important to keep knees low to avoid wasting energy. When it comes to breathing, lift the chest up and out to breathe deeply and exhale fully.

Stretching

Stretching is important for runners to reduce the likelihood of injuries and to avoid developing tightness in the muscles. However if done incorrectly stretching can actually cause injury rather than prevent it so it is important to follow the rules below:

1. Stretch the muscles gradually so that the muscles do not tense up into contraction, and hold each stretch for 30 – 40 seconds.
2. Do not bounce as you risk pulling or tearing the muscle fibres.
3. Do not push through tight resistant muscles and never stretch to the point of pain.
4. Stretching after running is most important but if you stretch pre run as well, only do so after a 5-10minute warm up so the muscles stretch more easily.

Five basic stretches are described below; repeat each stretch two or three times.

Calf Stretch: Stand three feet from a wall, feet at shoulder width and flat on the ground. Put hands on the wall and arms straight for support. Bend one knee forward and slowly bend arms and lower body towards wall till you feel stretch down back of calf.

Quadriceps: Stand on one foot, with one hand on a wall for balance. Hold the other foot with the opposite hand and raise the heel of the lifted foot to the buttocks (or as close as comfortably possible), stretching your quadriceps. Keep your body upright throughout. Change legs and repeat.

Hip and Lower Back Stretch: Sit on the ground with your legs crossed. Lift your right leg and cross it over the left, which should remain bent. Hug the right leg to your chest and twist the trunk of your body to look over your right shoulder. Change legs and repeat (i.e. looking over your left shoulder).

IIlitibial Band Stretch: Lie on your side with both legs bent in running position. Bring the bottom leg toward your chest and then bring the top one back toward your buttocks, so that the running position of your legs is exaggerated as possible. Hold for 30 seconds then flip sides and repeat.

Hamstrings: Standing with your feet shoulder width apart bend forward from waist and touch your toes.