Exercise trends come and go, but one fitness favorite that has legs is running. Several reasons drive that. One, it’s free — just lace up some sneakers and go. Two, it’s accessible — you don’t need any equipment or a gym membership. And three, it’s really, really good for improving cardiovascular, muscular, and mental health.
If you’re considering taking your walks or jogs to the next level, local fitness experts offer five tips to help you take the next step.
1. Do a Health Check
Get a check-up with a doctor before you start to mitigate any risks, says John Koss, president of Reston Runners, a 45-year-old club that has about 270 members. “I think the main thing is probably [to evaluate] cardiovascular health and maybe joint health as well,” Koss says.
Ask whether running could exacerbate any existing conditions such as asthma or arthritis and run through (pun intended) ways to make exercising safe.
Then, visit a store to get evaluated for the proper shoes. Workers at local places such as Pacers Running, PR Run & Walk, Road Runner Sports, The Running Store, and Fleet Feet can assess your stride to determine whether you need sneakers to minimize, say, overpronation (rolling your foot inward and you walk or run).
“You want these shoes to feel good, and you want them to work with your gait,” Koss says. “We all like things with colors that we prefer, but that shouldn’t be the only consideration.”
2. Start Slowly
Don’t try to be as fast as Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt the first time you head out for a run. In fact, overdoing it could lead to injury. Instead, plan to build up your stamina.
“A really great strategy is walk a minute, run a minute, and you do that until you feel like you can do two minutes of running … then three, four,” says Arlington’s Mike Wardian, a professional runner who has completed 179 marathons and 134 ultramarathons. “You just keep going until all of a sudden you’re like, ‘I’m running!’”
Another approach, says Pacers owner Chris Farley, is to go outside and “run to the next light pole, and then walk to the next light pole, and then run to the next light pole, and then walk to the next for five minutes. … Then do it again tomorrow.”
3. Set a Running Goal
All three experts touted programs such as Couch to 5K, which trains people with little to no running experience to run 3 miles within eight to 10 weeks. Many of the local running clubs offer training programs, too. For instance, Reston Runners has one for women and a summertime one for children up to age 14.
“Signing up for something is worthwhile because that can be the thing that gets you up and gets you motivated,” Wardian says. But, he says, “it needs to be something that excites you. And it has to be something that you care about — and not because your partner said it or your friends or you saw it on social media, but it needs to be something that means something to you.”
You don’t have to sign up for an official run if that feels daunting, however. “Pick some distance on a favorite course, a trail that you’ve been walking or something, and set that as a goal,” says Koss.
Be Accountable
Plan to run three times a week and schedule times that work with your professional and personal commitments, Koss says.
This is where a running group can be help, he adds. “For most of us, it will make [running] more fun, but I think the main reason is accountability,” he says. “You’ll have friends, and if you’re not there one day…they’ll want to know, ‘Hey, what’s up? Are you OK? Are you still doing this?’ So then the person thinks, ‘I guess I better be pretty sure to go every week.’”
Northern Virginia has no shortage of running clubs with different focuses. For instance, the Herndon Happy Hour Runners Club goes for a run and then meets at a bar to socialize, the Northern Virginia Running Club offers coached track practices in Arlington every Tuesday, and the Old Town Run Club in Alexandria has four weekly runs to accommodate folks’ busy schedules.
“It’s thought of a lot of times as this individual activity, individual pursuit, but when done right, running is a way to connect with others and really find community,” Farley says.
Just Do It
“Getting started is what I think is the hardest part of it,” Farley says. “There’s not going to be a perfect time. This is the perfect time. You’re ready for it right now. Don’t wait until the weather is perfect, or ‘I have the perfect outfit’ or…‘I’ve got to lose weight before I start running.’ No, get out there. Try to just complete 10 minutes of just moving forward. And that’s how you get started.”
And then keep doing it, Wardian says. “The more consistent you are, the better you’re going to get. It’s a very simple formula.”
Feature image, stock. adobe.com
