Running is a great thing, isn’t it? It can make you healthier and fitter, become a hobby and even keep you focused in other aspects of your life. But like any other activity, the benefits can only be obtained by avoiding the pitfalls. For new runners, there are some crucial mistakes that have the potential to do real harm to your body or prevent you from reaping all the advantages. Whether you are picking up running as a new hobby or to start competing in marathons, it is vital to understand the most common mistakes made by new runners and to make sure you don’t become a victim of them.
Not Having a Consistent Plan
Even if you are just getting into running for fun, creating and sticking to an appropriate plan will allow you to get the most out of it. One of the most common mistakes new runners make is either not bothering to create a plan or switching between different plans; both are harmful to your running experience.
For those of you who want to begin running competitively or have long-term goals, the individual workouts are unimportant. It’s the progression of workouts over a period of time that will make you better, so sticking to a plan that gradually improves your abilities is the way to go.
For any type of runner, switching up plans can sometimes be appealing. Your favorite magazine may recommend a new plan or a commercial might show you another way strategize your running. The best thing to do is pick one and stay with it. Changing up the entire plan can make your body start over and lose the gains you worked hard for.
Skipping Strength Exercises
For any runner, and especially new ones, the idea of participating in strength exercises may not seem appealing or necessary. However, not undergoing strength exercises will leave your body open to injury and fatigue. While strength exercises can also make your body more efficient, injury-prevention is the main benefit as it better prepares you for wear and tear. Think about it. Would you buy a brand new mustang and not buy a car cover for it? That is the rough equivalent to taking up running without also taking up strength exercises.
Not Resting
For newbies, running can easily become addicting. And when you love to run, taking some time off is like taking away a baby’s favorite toy. However, planned recovery periods are vital to making healthy progress as a runner. Many people think taking a break from running will hurt their progress and make them worse off, but it actually is quite therapeutic and beneficial. For those of you looking to participate in long-distance races, such as a marathon, taking up to two weeks off is the healthiest way to go after a race.
Too Many Competitions
Along the same lines as not taking enough time off is trying to participate in too many races. When people fall in love with running it can be easy to think you can run five marathons a year. However, that is extremely unhealthy for the average person and can really set you back due to fatigue or injury. Instead of jumping right in to a marathon and then a 5K then another marathon and etc., work your way up to the longer races. Spend several months training when your first start running before heading to the start line.
Starting Too Fast
This mistake is made in both single races and over the course of a season. As we discussed before, you cannot run your first marathon after just a single month of training without facing a broken down body for a period afterward. For individual races, starting too fast can be harmful as well. Sprinting from the start of a race or getting to the top-desired speed too fast can leave you with an exhausted body before the finish line. That will result in shortened workouts, increased vulnerability to injury and improperly trained muscle fibers, robbing your body of some benefits of running. Pacing yourself isn’t lazy or just for “slow people”—it is the correct way to run.
Photos: David on Flickr | Hans-Jorg Aleff
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