GET ORGANIZED TO START RUNNING IN 2019!

GET READY TO START RUNNING IN 2019!

2019 is here!

Have you made the same old promise to start running with the new year, but still haven't taken the decisive step?

Then take advantage of our boost! If you follow our tips, you'll learn what you need to do to start running.

Running has a number of advantages that make it one of the easiest activities to start. The equipment required is minimal, and you can run almost anytime, anywhere.

But what should you actually do to start running?

First of all, find Strategies so that lack of time and motivation are no longer excuses and so that your training becomes a routine perfectly integrated into your daily life, without becoming an additional source of stress.

1. Find and challenge a group of friends at your level. You'll see that even on days when you feel less motivated to run, company and socializing will help you with your training;
2. Set an achievable goal. A sense of "mission" will motivate you to train regularly and to think about a specific date and challenge;
3. Try to run on routes with little car traffic, away from noise sources, and where you can enjoy green spaces;
4. If you drive every day, always carry a bag with your running gear. You'll see that sometimes opportunities arise that allow you to make the most of your time and run in different places;
5. If your workplace is near a good place to run and has facilities for you to change and shower, get used to keeping a set of gear there;
6. Lunchtime is generally an excellent time to fit in a training session, without minimally impacting your family at the end of the day or on weekends;
7. Get used to bringing your "mobile" lunch and look for opportunities to socialize with colleagues during lunchtime itself, while training...
8. Lunching doesn't necessarily mean spending 1 hour at the table every day in a shopping center or restaurant...
9. Record your training and get used to assessing your progress;
10. Seek specialized guidance so that you always know what to do, when and how, making your training suitable for you and avoiding the mistakes that are typical of beginners who know little about running training;

Regarding the Equipment for running, things are basic, and fortunately, there is already a very large range of running equipment available in Portugal. Talk to colleagues and friends who already run regularly; you'll save a lot of time selecting equipment and save some money.

1. Go to a specialized store to get advice on the ideal sneaker style for your foot;
2. Buy 2 pairs of sneakers and alternate between them during training so you don't always run in the same pair. Keep in mind that you will probably need to buy sneakers one size larger than the ones you wear daily when not training;
3. Running socks are an essential item. Your feet are the parts of your body that will experience repeated impacts with the ground. Choose socks specifically designed for running and in the right size;
4. Your training will start this summer, so you need to be equipped for the heat and sun. A technical running cap, sports sunglasses, and clothing with good moisture-wicking properties are important;
5. With the arrival of Autumn and Winter, running gloves, a windbreaker, and Lycra pants are essential items to make your training pleasant even on days with more adverse weather conditions.

Alongside starting a training plan, most runners look for information on Nutrition. The mistakes are almost always the same, knowing that when you precisely start demanding more from your body, you sometimes also reduce your calorie intake. These 2 intersecting factors end up quickly leading to burnout, and your foray into the world of running becomes short-lived. Below we leave some tips that can help you eat properly and cope with the new demands your body has come to be subjected to. Food, far beyond a necessity, is a pleasure!

1. Have a good breakfast before leaving home, even if it's at 6:00 am, based on fresh fruit, black tea, cereal, whole wheat bread and/or multigrain bread, honey, and preserves. Going for a "bica and pastel de nata" breakfast around 9:30 am is incompatible with anyone seeking healthy lifestyle habits;
2. Between meals, avoid biscuits, cakes, sandwiches, ice cream, etc...
3. Eat 1 or 2 pieces of fruit every 3 hours;
4. Make lunch based on fresh salads that also contain some meat or fish and carbohydrates (rice, pasta, or potato in the salad). If you train at lunchtime, this salad will fall wonderfully after training, and you will only need 10 minutes to eat lunch, taking everything ready-made from home;
5. Have dinner based on fresh vegetable soups, avoiding large quantities of meat and fish at night. Introduce protein through yogurt, fresh cheese, or cottage cheese, as well as through beans, lentils, broad beans, or others, in the soup itself. Also eat fresh fruit. If you need to lose a few extra pounds, avoid foods rich in carbohydrates at night, such as rice, potatoes, pasta, and bread;
6. If your work schedule allows it, have dinner very early and go to bed at least 2 hours after dinner;
7. After each training session, drink a recovery drink in the 20 minutes following the session. You will recover much faster for the next session;
8. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and avoid drinking sodas or alcoholic beverages;
9. Extremes lead nowhere! A glass of red wine at dinner or a dessert after lunch on the weekend are welcome and ensure the necessary balance.

What's missing then is the essential: Training. Most approaches are designed for people who already run with some regularity and want to improve their performance, times, or venture into longer distances. The suggestion I leave below has nothing to do with that. The plan I propose is really for those who have never run but want to start! There are more and more cases of people reaching their 30s or 40s and venturing into running without ever having had any prior experience. The process should be gradual, and the precautions to take so that you stay passionate about running forever are simple:

1. Before you start, see a doctor specializing in sports medicine and try to do the medical exams and fitness tests for sports practice that are requested of you;
2. During the first 3 months, never run on consecutive days. Always leave at least one day off before the next training session;
3. Avoid running with companions who are much more trained and who force you to run at paces far above what you can handle;
4. Try to run in places with flat routes and dirt surfaces, which are much less aggressive on your joints, ligaments, and muscles;
5. When you feel very tired, even if you planned to go running that day, it is preferable to postpone your session for 24 hours;
6. Introduce alternative sports to vary your sessions and slightly relieve the impacts caused by running. Swimming and cycling are excellent alternatives;
7. Don't always run the same route. If you do, you will inevitably tend to compare the time of the previous session and want to go faster;
8. Before each session, warm up your hip, knee, and ankle joints with slow, circular movements in both directions. Five minutes before each session is enough
9. Start each session at a slow pace and gradually increase it until you find your comfortable pace;
10. Breathe naturally while running. At slow paces, breathing in and out through your nose is sufficient. At higher paces, involving your mouth is important, initially only on the exhale and, as fatigue accumulates, also on the inhale.

The training plan I propose below aims to prepare you for a 5km run in 12 weeks, without you ever having run before. By starting in August, you will be ready to participate in a Race at the end of October. At the end of this training cycle, you can then think about other types of goals and preparing for a 10km race, for example.

After each running period, there is a walking period.

Example: 5’ run + 2’ walk + 5’ run + 2’ walk + 5’ run + 2’ walk etc…

For many who still do not run today, the difficult part seems to be starting. For those who already run regularly, the difficult and painful part is not being able to go running…