Are you a runner new to the sport? Keep the following tips in mind to help you explore your potential and become a more successful runner.
Choose Proper Shoes
To get rid of painful blisters, as well as other unwanted problems, you should select the best trail running shoes for your feet. Your shoes must be comfortable, suitable for your budget, achieve your running targets and work well for your biomechanics. Most importantly, they must fit your feet perfectly. What helps you know whether a pair of shoes fits you or not? This depends on the longest toe of each of your feet, not necessarily your big toe.
Do Not Run frequently
Many newbie runners believe running every day assists them to get faster improvement and ultimately achieve their goals quicker. However, this fact is completely untrue. Most specialists recommend it is better to run 3-4 days per week. When you run too much, you do not allow for the necessary time for your body to recover and become stronger, this is because your muscles are being strengthened on the days you do not work out.
Fuel Carefully
It is crucial to feed your body properly. The essential thing is timing. Furthermore, it is essential to have a properly structured diet. Most experts recommend eating about 200 to 400 calories of some protein and lots of complex carbs about 1.5 hours before running.
As a result, your body will have enough time to digest all the food and be given the necessary energy to work out. If you do not eat before your run, your muscles can experience irregular pain and your motivation could be reduced remarkably. Stomach issues can also happen if you eat too early.
Digestion usually ceases or slows down significantly during your run; thus, if you have a meal just prior to running, the food you take in will sit there. These foods will not go anywhere; hence, there is not enough energy to give to your body the fuel it needs.
Refueling after a run is also vital. Eating a 1:4 portion of a little protein and complex carbs in the 30-to-40-minute period after running is considered optimal. Following this diet will help your fatigued muscles revitalize quickly. Take low-fat chocolate milk for an ideal example of the 1:4 proportioning.
Participate In A Running Team
Although running alone is sometimes prudent, there are many advantages and benefits from runners participating in running groups.
Dedication, responsibility, stimulation, and motivation significantly increases when you are a member of a running team or your partner. Everybody sometimes feels discouraged due to a solo run. Nevertheless, when having a running buddy, everything can change dramatically. It is often easier to get up in the morning full of energy to work out when you have made commitments to others.
Discover Your Sweet Spot
Write down carefully all your workouts and then color them with different colors. Red symbolizing unsatisfactory progress, orange means OK progress, and yellow means amazing progress. It is an easy method to help you know how your own body responds, as well as enable you to catch up with your buddies. For instance, if you always color red or orange during a period, it means you should do lighter exercise.
Get Technical
Prepare yourself several technical fabric running socks, tops, and shorts as well. So, what is technical fabric or material? Normally it is made of plenty of fibers such as synthetic (lyrca, nylon, and polyester) and natural (smartwool and bamboo) materials.
Get rid of 100% cotton, because it tends to keep sweat leading to blisters, irritation, and chaffing. Technical fabrics facilitate quicker sweat evaporation. It might not dry completely, however it is much better than 100% cotton.
Drink Less Coffee
As for many seasoned runners, consuming caffeine prior to a run has been proved to help workouts and encourage your body to burn more calories efficiently. Many experts think a kilogram of a body weight can take in nearly 3 milligrams of caffeine. For example, if a woman weighs 150 pounds, she can drink an amount of a 16-ounce coffee.
Breathe Slowly
Breathing is considered the most important thing most newbie and intermediate runners do inappropriately. It might sound counterintuitive. However, most athletes are breathing incorrectly. Consequently, your lungs are at risk of lacking oxygen. Instead, it is full of CO2, which is bad news.
