ALL ABOUT GETTING BETTER AT RUNNING

Running was definitely my worst skill FROM all OF MY SKILLS. At least that is what I thought before actually starting to run on a regular basis. When I was in school I remember that one time, our entire class did a run and I ended up being last. I felt extremely embarrassed and I thought that I will never want to run again. Now I can easily complete a 10km run in an hour. How DID I DO IT? I will share below all the things that have helped me improve on running.

My 7 steps to a better run

👉I started VERY slowly. When I started I was running at 5.5km/h. That's basically fast walking. In the beginning, I only did 20 minutes and that seemed hard. Sounds familiar? But I did not feel ashamed of my level. And you should not feel ashamed either. To conclude, step one is to start small and not be ashamed of your performance.

👉After running felt a bit more comfortable, I progressively increased the speed and the time. I was sometimes running a bit faster, then moving back to a sustainable speed. I was increasing the timing very slowly, sometimes only with 10 minutes from one week to another.

👉I was really consistent. I was running 5 days a week with no exception. Your body has this magical ability to adapt to movement and what felt super hard yesterday will feel easy tomorrow.

👉I learned how to breathe correctly. In the beginning, we all run out of breath with no exception. Your lungs are just not used to it. However, if you learn how to breathe this will be really useful to help you improve your overall performance.

👉I invested in some good quality running shoes. This might seem unimportant, but trust me, your knees with thank you later. It’s actually essential to have them as they will prevent knee, foot, and ankle damage.

👉I have watched other people running while running on the treadmill so that I can learn the correct movement of the body. And I was always aware of the position of my back. Bonus: I was also getting the motivation to continue when I was getting tired.

👉When I was in a more advanced phase after I got really comfortable running with a speed of 8km/h so that I can improve further, I started doing some interval training or HIIT workouts on the treadmill. Meaning, I was running 1 min with the speed of 10 km/h, then 1 min with 5 km/h. After some time, I moved to 12km / 6km intervals and so on. These intervals will get your body used to running at higher speeds. 

Three benefits of running:

✅ If you run on a regular basis you will have a reduced risk of death from a heart attack or stroke, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease,  lower risk of developing cancer Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s diseases.

✅ Another amazing benefit is that you will get fewer colds throughout the year as running will enhance your immune system.

✅ Running will also improve the quality of your sleep but also your happiness levels throughout the day, as it gives your mood a boost.