Buzz
The fundamentals of running are simple: all you need is a good pair of shoes, a sports bra if needed, and a commitment to consistency. But sometimes, we complicate things. Here are some of the most frequent errors made by new runners.
Treating Training Runs Like Races
If you're trying to complete today's three-mile training run faster than last week's, you're missing the point. Sure, over time, you'll run faster, but that doesn't mean you should constantly push to beat your previous time.
Racing is when you're trying to beat a time, and we reserve that for actual race days—whether it's a local 5K you've signed up for or a personal challenge you set for yourself every month or so.
Think of a race as an exam, and your training as preparation. Spend several weeks running at a slower pace (or better yet, follow a structured training plan), then use a race to test your speed.
Believing that walking is the opposite of running
When following a run-walk program, such as Couch to 5K, you may come to view your workout as intervals of running separated by “walk breaks,” which aren't exactly running.
However, when it comes to fitness, walking and running are essentially the same activity, just at different speeds. Picture yourself on a treadmill: 2 miles per hour is a slow walk, 3 mph is a normal walk. At about 4 mph, you might naturally start jogging instead. 5 mph is a slow run, and 6 mph is faster, and so on.
A fast runner might run their races at 10 mph (a six-minute mile), and their training runs at 8 mph (an 8:30 mile). But a beginner who races at 5 mph might need to slow to a brisk walk, around 4 mph, for their easy pace training “runs.” It can still be a good idea to mix walking and running, so that you get some experience actually running, so let’s say you walk at 3.7 mph and kick it up to 4.3 for the runs. That’s still a completely appropriate way to train! The walking isn’t a break at all, it’s part of your training.
And a few bonus mistakes
Ultimately, the biggest mistakes you’re likely to make as a new runner boil down to beating yourself up. You’re annoyed that you’re slow, so you push yourself to go faster than you’re ready for. Or you figure that anything that feels easy, like walking, must not count.
But the way you get faster is by training at a pace that is appropriate to your current fitness. Most training runs should be run slow enough to feel comfortable. While you work on that, I’ll throw in a few bonus mistakes that beginner runners often make:
Running hard intervals with easy walk breaks, and for that to be all of your training. This won’t teach you how to run continuously. If you must mix running and walking on your easy days, make it a brisk walk and a slow run.
Never strength training, or lumping strength training in with stretching, foam rolling, meditating, and other things you keep putting off. It’s important to do strength training, even if you need to start small. The other stuff can be helpful but is optional.
Wearing shoes that aren’t comfortable because somebody told you you need a specific type of shoe. The best shoe is the one that feels good when you run.
