Let's start with your running training

To my mind people mostly break up their running training efforts because they expect too much progress in too little time. So here is my no-nonsense-and-keep-it-real approach to start with your running training. It might not be the only way to do it. But it sure is an appropriate way to do it as so many people seem to have difficulties or even anxieties to start with running which are completely unnecessary.

At first you need lots of patience. You might be surprised and I'm sorry that I am the guy who is always telling you these kind of things but since you came to this website I want to tell you how it really is. If you started triathlon with the idea in mind to impress your mate or your child our your next door neighbor during the next weekend than simply forget it. It ain't gonna happen.

You either devote some time to develop your skills in this kind of sport or you might as well want to go and check if there isn't another new sitcom on the TV that you haven't seen yet. I hate to be so blunt but I see so many triathletes struggle and then give up right before they could see their first results.

You might also have saved your time and use it better for something else. It's not going to happen on one weekend.

Second I would start out with a combination of running and walking and switch every minute or whenever you start to feel uncomfortable and are not able to talk properly anymore. Even if you feel like it doesn't bother you anymore to run 5 minutes nonstop - make your break after those 5 minutes.

That's correct. You do exactly the opposite of what most of the self-acclaimed 'gurus' and books try to teach you. You don't go for the trophy on your first day nor do you want to impress someone (except for yourself). Just ask yourself: What did you achieve by running the whole 10k on your first day if you're never going to do it again? Doesn't make any sense, right? Don't follow the herd. Start laying your running training foundation today with some simple steps.

A couple of days ago I read on a running training beginner tips website that you should "Train fast. Train fast to run fast." And I think to myself: For whom do these people actually write for? Because obviously it is not for beginners. How can you start doing speed work before you even know how to run?

There is so much misleading and wrong information out there on proper running training that it can become really frustrating for an avid beginner to figure out what works and what doesn't. Would you listen to someone who studied medicine for 7 years but never run her-/himself? Would you listen to someone who just started out with running but doesn't know it better than you either?

I don't know yet which one is the most common of those types. Triathletes, who never really did it themselves but have quite a big bag of amazing tips to share with you.

Third: Running regularly. This goes back to what I already talked about before. If you start to do it then just do it. When you watch a movie you also usually don't stop watching after the first commercials. :-) You become involved and intrigued and after a while you cannot stop anymore. I want you to come to this experience with running.

Don't count your miles or kilometers in the beginning. Rather count the time that you spend on running during the first weeks. That avoids pressure. We don't want any pressure at all because this is your leisure time and not a part-time job. And particularly we want to avoid any kind of pressure in the beginning of your running career. So walk only that fast that you still feel comfortable. I'll tell you in a second how to find the right tempo for you and tell if you are on track.

Consciously run slowly. If you feel fresh and invigorated after running and taking your shower then you were doing great. If you feel tired, beat-up or sapped than you were simply running too fast. That is also true for advanced runners who are doing their interval runs, because basic training principles don't change with advance in your running training.

I'll rephrase the last part: If you are doing basic endurance workouts and you are not able to talk while running and/or feel tired after running you know that you were doing too much - no matter how good you think you are.

One great idea is to create a weekly plan for your running. Think about the best days and time for your running so that you minimize the chances of disturbances that will keep you from doing your running. You can combine this weekly plan with a diary where you leave notes about when you ran, about how long you ran, the weather conditions and if you ran alone or with training colleagues.

You can do your running with nearly every kind of weather. Just choose the right clothes and get out. After a while it will start to feel really good because you didn't procrastinate like most people do, but you actually went out there and did it.

Start out with at least two or better three training sessions per week and increase the time spent on running in relation to walking. But play with it. One week you might want to increase your volume more drastically but reduce it the next week and so on. Listen to your body. After around 8-12 weeks the basic accommodation has taken place and you can build your endurance from there.

In all of your training efforts you first want to increase volume and second intensity of your training. That means that you could start out with 3 miles of running/walking and slightly increase up to 5 miles by extending your training distance about 10% each week. Once you reached your 5 miles distance you can switch between running training sessions of 5 miles with rather calm tempo and 3 miles of running with higher intensity.

Return from Running Training to Running

Return from Running Training to Triathlon Adventures