If you’re looking for an exercise you can do from anywhere, you’ve probably already considered running.
Recreational running has only grown in popularity in recent years — 50 million Americans engage in some sort of running or jogging, according to a 2020 report by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.
But if you’re interested in running, you may be wondering how to start and what you’ll need to jump in to this new hobby.
CNBC Make It reached out to Kai Ng, a running coach and Ashleigh Kast, a personal trainer with years of running experience for advice for new runners.
Kast has been running since middle school and continues to run about three times a week, andNg has always been passionate about athletics and turned his love of running into his full-time job.
Here’s what they recommend for those of you who are just getting started.
3 tips for new runners from a running coach and a personal trainer
1. Set a plan for yourself
Once you’ve decided that you’re going to start running recreationally, it’s a great idea to think about the speed and distance at which you want to run, says Kast.
“When I’m starting people on a running program, I’m not saying ‘Here just go out on this hour-long run,'” she says.
“Even if I’m trying to get a longer, slower effort out of them, I might start them around the track,” running and walking on and off for 300 meters each, for 15 minutes, Kast adds.
Deciding which speed and distance you’ll lean more towards really depends on what you like. After establishing what your focus will be, Ng says you should learn how to run properly by training with a coach.
Then, it would be a great time to come up with a training program that makes sense for you alongside your coach, he notes. And if you don’t love running after these steps, Ng doesn’t recommend forcing yourself to stick with it.
2. Get the right shoes
The shoes you wear when running are extremely important, especially because wearing the wrong kind can lead to an injury, says Ng.
“I definitely made the big mistake of picking a shoe that I liked, that didn’t have enough support and cushion,” he says.
“And I ran my first marathon, and I remember by the time I got to like mile 16, my legs just felt like lead.”
Here’s a method that Kast recommends for choosing the right running shoe for you:
- Put your foot on a sheet of paper and trace it
- Cut the drawing out
- Place the cut-out on the bottom of the shoe you’re planning to buy
“If that paper is thicker than the shoe, that shoe’s not right for you,” says Kast. If you’re still not sure, she suggests going to a shoe store and receiving help from someone who works there.
3. Train your body
A major component of training your body is practicing the right posture and continuing to run with it until it becomes natural, Ng says.
“Typically, good running form would look like running tall with good center of gravity. Pretend that there’s a helium balloon tied to the top of your head, gently pulling you up, without a big lean forward or a big lean back,” he says.
And no matter what your running goal is, you should do short and fast runs, long and slow runs, as well as long-short intervals, because all are necessary for building your energy systems, Kast says.
Also, find time for strength-training to build muscle because “we’re going to inevitably lose muscle during the year as the running ramps up. You just really can’t avoid it, you’re expending so much energy.”
Above all else, Ng wants you to remember: “If we create too many rules, people end up being too hard on themselves, especially beginners.”
“Just feel it out. If you feel like going today, great. If you want to bike today and run tomorrow, that’s also cool. The way you want to approach it is asking yourself: ‘Am I moving forward?'”
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