How to start running again (after a hiatus)
Sharing my tips for getting back into a running routine after an injury or break.
Hi friends! Happy Monday! I hope you had an amazing weekend. We met up with our friends Betsy and Jeremy to celebrate Betsy’s birthday and had a lovely Valentine’s Day with our little valentines. Exciting news: Organifi is free shipping sitewide today!!! They also have some new exclusive products which aren’t listed on the main site: the chocolate bars (!), the 14ct Go packs of the green juice, and the 14ct Go packs of gold powder. (I use the green juice every day in my water bottle and loooove the gold powder with warm almond milk at night to wind down.) Use the code FITNESSISTA for 15% off in addition to free shipping.
For today’s post, I wanted to share some tips on how to get back into running after a hiatus or injury. These are also great tips for beginners if you’re considering adding running into your routine! I’ve been a fair-weather runner for many years now, and tend to go in phases where it’s a huge part of my life and a small piece of my fitness pie. I haven’t sprinted in about a year – my last Orangetheory class was about one year ago exactly – and I realized how much I missed the challenge and free feeling of running. It’s always been a form of moving meditation for me and thought I’d bring it back once a week into my routine. I’ve gone on a few walk-runs and they’ve felt surprisingly cathartic and energizing.
Here are some ideas if you’re looking to get back into the running game.
How to start running again (after a hiatus)
1. Get new shoes. (I always love a reason to get new shoes)
If you haven’t ran in a while like yours truly, chances are that you need new sneakers specifically for running. It’s a good idea to have a pair of sneaks that are solely for running purposes, because other activities will wear out the soles differently. Also, if you haven’t ran in a while, there’s a chance that your sneakers are old and need to be refreshed.
Many running stores will offer complimentary fittings to ensure that you have the proper support and fit.
I’ve used a handful of different running sneakers over time but my last pair was the Brooks Levitate 2. I’m trying out the Brooks Adrenaline and will definitely report back!
2.) Make sure you can walk for a solid duration (30-45 minutes at a steady pace) before you start to add runs.
Walking is a great precursor to running because it includes similar movements and muscle groups. It’s a solid way to build up your endurance and strengthen the muscles in your quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves before you add the additional impact of running. Walking is an excellent starting point for so many individual fitness routines if you’re a beginner and want to build up your cardio endurance (and positivity impact your heart health and mood!).
3.) Start with run-walk intervals and in time, days, and intensity from here.
DON’T go straight into full runs when you aren’t conditioned. This is something I see allllllll the dang time: when people get excited about fitness and literally hit the ground running after being sedentary for months. I love the enthusiasm, but unfortunately, this is a recipe for injury and burnout. Walk-run intervals are a smart way to get the hang of running and prepare the body in smaller doses. I recommend starting out with a double walk to run ratio and decrease the amount of walking time from there. For example, walk for 1 minute and run for 30 seconds, repeat for 20 minutes total. From here, increase your run time to 1 minute and walk for 2 minutes. Once this feels good, take the walk time down to 1:30, then 1 minute, and then 30 seconds. Or gradually ADD onto your run time while keeping the walk time the same. Eventually, you’ll feel the need to take walk breaks less and less, and then you can run for a solid block of time.
I’m personally only starting with one day per week because I like to do ALL THE THINGS, but if you want to run more consistently, I wouldn’t do more than 2 or 3 days max (with breaks in between) if you’re just getting back into it or just getting started.
4.) Make strength training a regular part of your routine.
This is so important for any type of cardio endurance activity, like running, cycling, walking, hiking, dancing, kickboxing, etc. A balanced strength training program will not only strengthen your muscles, support joints, and help prevent injury, but it will also make you stronger for your main activity. Strength training can help to increase lean muscle, strength, endurance, power, speed, and lead to measurable performance gains. If you’re looking for ideas on how to combine strength with running, check out this post!
5.) Don’t compare your previous times and records to your current status.
This is SUCH a tricky one. When you get back into the swing of running, it’s so tempting to compare your current times to your previous PRs. Set new PRs! Like this is my “postpartum PR,” “my post knee-surgery PR,” or “my first Rona PR!” <— me
Be proud of yourself for setting NEW goals for yourself and cheer for any progress along the way!
6.) Seek out extra resources and communities for help.
There is a whole internet world of resources and fitness communities out there! Thank you for stopping by this one today and I’m always here for you. <3 For some of my favorite run-specific blogs, check out Amanda’s site, Teri’s, and Janae’s.
7.) Consider signing up for a race for extra accountability and motivation.
I’m not quite sure what the race climate is like with everything going on right now (I know there are virtual races out there?) but something to put in your pocket for later! I’m nowhere near taking out my race face right now, but maybe I’ll consider trying something in the fall. If anything, I just can’t wait to make it back to Orangetheory and crush a 30-minute treadmill block again. 😉
So tell me friends: do you run as part of your weekly fitness routine? If not, what’s your #1 favorite fitness activity?
With alllllll the things I enjoy, barre, spin, strength, and yoga are tied in the #1 spot.
Runner friends: tell me about any awesome new gear you’ve found lately! I was looking for a new flip belt and found this one. It has a water bottle that fits flesh to your back and you don’t hear a whoosh whoosh as it bounces around – it stays put! Pretty handy.
Happy Monday, friends!
xo
Gina
More:
How to train for a half marathon while strength training
Running tips for Amanda from Run to the Finish
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