Beginner's guide to running, part one

The first steps to building running fitness

Running is an excellent way of getting your body into shape and boosting your health levels. Regular runs can reduce the risk of disease, hypertension, diabetes and excess body fat, as well as boosting your self-confidence. Here's our guide to getting started on the road to running success.

Congratulations! You have just made one of the best decisions of your life – to become a runner. You will reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and excess body fat, and you will preserve your bone density, reduce PMT and period pain; you will improve brain function, elevate mood, combat stress and boost self esteem. You’ll also burn more calories per minute than you will through almost any other activity, and the increased energy expenditure doesn’t stop when you do.

A study from Arizona State University last year found that runners had a far higher resting metabolic rate (the number of calories you use at rest) than others who did little on the activity front. You will also tone and strengthen your legs and bottom and send your aerobic fitness through the roof. Oh, and did I mention that running helps you live longer, too?

The other wonderful thing about running is that you can start right now! You don’t need to learn how to do it, enrol on a course, join a gym or buy lots of expensive equipment – all you need do is open the front door and go. But not quite yet! Finish reading all five articles of the plan first… and you’ll be armed with all the know-how, motivation and practical advice you could ever need to make your first steps as enjoyable and successful as possible.

First steps into a running routine
If you haven’t broken into a trot for years, the way to start is slowly, in order to give your body (and mind) a chance to adapt to this new challenge. That’s why the seven week programme mixes walking and running bouts, gradually reducing the length of walking breaks, so that the running bouts get progressively longer. Far from being a cop-out, walking is an important component of a start-up running programme and indeed, has a place in more experienced runners’ schedules, too.

Brief walks also give you a chance to regroup, address your technique and grab a drink – and you’ll place less overall stress on your musculoskeletal system. Even if you are already fairly active, but not a runner, it is still advisable to start your running programme with a walk-run regime – as your joints and muscles need to adapt to the high impact and repetitive patterns of movement involved.

The plan is easy to follow and designed to turn you into a runner in just seven weeks. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started...