running 101
How to up your fitness game – from what shoes to buy, how to keep your heart rate up and a super easy beginner’s guide
When it comes to a great workout, there are few things that beat a good run. But knowing how to breathe and use your body really do make the difference between harm and help. This comprehensive guide helps you get the most from your run – whether you’re a beginner or pro – without hurting your joints or back.
A FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER
It is always wise to get the go ahead from your doctor before starting any cardiovascular exercise, especially if you have a medical history. It is generally recommended for post preggie moms to wait six weeks after giving birth.
Pace yourself when you first start. This goes a long way in preventing overuse injuries that occur from pushing yourself over the limit too quickly. We always recommend a 48 hour break between runs initially over a four week period, to allow your body to recover, especially if you have not been active for a long period of time. As your body adjusts this will become less important. You are the best expert on your own body, so remember to listen to it and follow its cues. Every person adjusts at their own pace depending on their age, past cardiovascular fitness and medical history.
If at any time you feel dizzy after or during a run, have pain in your chest or battle to catch your breath even during a walk, consult a doctor immediately as these are contraindications for running and are best checked out.
WHERE DO I START? A good starting point is to determine your maximum and target heart rate before you lace up your running shoes. Your maximum heart rate ( MHR) is measured using a simple formula: 220 minus your age equals MHR.
Target heart rates (THR) can be calculated in one of two ways: 1 ESTIMATE Maximum heart rate (MHR) multiplied by the percentage you want to work at (known as your training percentage). The formula for this is [220age] x % = THR, so if you are 35 years old and want to work at 50 percent, you would have a 92.5 THR. 2 ACCURATE By using the Karvonen method of calculating your target heart rate, you’re including your MHR, resting heart rate and your heart rate reserve – which is the difference between the max and resting heart rate (RHR). As you become fitter, your resting heart rate will decrease and as a result your target heart rate will change. MHR – RHR = heart rate reserve. Heart rate reserve x training % + RHR = Target heart rate. We recommend a 70 percent training heart rate for optimal results.
MEASURING YOUR RESTING HEART RATE If you don’t have a heart rate monitor to help you determine your resting heart rate then simply put your fingers on the inside of your wrist or neck and find a pulse. Count your pulse over a ten second period and multiply it by six. This is your resting heart rate.
put your fingers on the inside of your wrist or neck and
find a pulse
ALL ABOUT THE ARCH It is important to determine what type of arch you have, to ensure that you buy shoes that meet your biomechanical needs. The Wet Test is a simple and effective way of determining this. First, put your bare foot in water and stand on any flat surface that will leave a footprint. You could also stand on wet sand. Now compare the shape of your footprint to these three main arch types:
THE NORMAL OR NEUTRAL FOOT Characterised by a wide band connecting the forefoot and the heel, the biomechanics of a normal foot starts with a heel strike on the outside of the heel. It then moves through the heel and slightly inward to the midfoot (this allows the foot to absorb whatever shock is experienced), levelling outward slightly as it reaches the toes to spring off from the ground forming your next stride. The foot does not over or under pronate and has an arch support that is active or working. The wear pattern is centralised. The best shoe for a neutral runner is a stability shoe on a semicurved last.
THE HIGH ARCH
Characterised by a very narrow band or no band at all between the forefoot and the heel, this foot tends to supinate and is quite rigid with a limited ability to absorb shock due to the inflexibility of the joints of the foot. As a result, this type of foot sets the stage for other joints to absorb shock such as your knees, hips and spine, and often results in a high risk of injury. It is marked by wear and tear along the lateral or outer edge of the shoe. The best shoe for a supinator is a cushioned shoe that offers good flexibility on a curved last.
THE FLAT FOOT Characterised by an imprint showing the entire sole of the foot, this type of foot has a very low arch. It also tends toward overpronating as the joints of the foot are hypermobile (too flexible). The foot strikes on the outer edge of the heel, rolling inward excessively toward the arch and ends toward your big toe. An indicator of wear on the inside of the shoe edge shows a typical pronating foot type. The best shoe for an overpronator is a motion control shoe which goes a long way in reducing the degree of pronation. The best last is a straight or semi-curved one.
Another way of successfully determining what type of foot arch you might have is to look at your existing pair of running shoes for wear and tear patterns. SHAPE MATTERS Each shoe is designed around a last. This refers to the shape of the shoe and is essentially the mould that the shoe is constructed around. There are three shapes of lasts for different foot types (see the illustration above):
CURVED This is designed for supinators with high, rigid arches. SEMI-CURVED For neutral foot types. STRAIGHT Designed for flat, overpronating foot arches. A medial post (or torsion) is normally found on the side of the shoe, controlling any movement that is excessive in nature, be it inward (pronation) or outward (supination). Look out for these shoe categories when shopping to get the most out of your run with the least impact:
CUSHIONED SHOES This is a shoe that has little medial or inner arch support but provides elevated cushioning for the midsole. Cushioned shoes are usually built on a curved or semi-curved last. This helps improve the foot motion of a foot that is too rigid.
STABILITY SHOES These shoes offer a blend of support, cushioning and durability. They include a post in the midsole which helps with stability, decreasing the extent of pronation, and are generally built on a semi-curved last.
MOTION CONTROL SHOES These shoes are designed to slow the rate at which the runner overpronates by providing stiffer heels and medial posts. It is heavier, and more rigid, but does tend to last longer than the cushioned and stability shoes. They are normally built on a straight last as it offers better support and stability.
STRETCH 1 This stretch is designed to improve the range of motion of the hamstrings and neural structures of the sciatic nerve.
WHAT TO DO
Sit up as straight as you can on the floor, using your arms as support and your legs straight in front of you.
Place your one foot on top of your other, making sure that your toes are flexed and pointing up to the ceiling.
If that still does not feel like a stretch, gently bend forward with your body.
Keep your back straight and your chin tucked in.
LOOK OUT FOR
Be careful not to hunch your shoulders forward or poke your head forward.
Make sure that your knees are straight and that your feet are pointing upwards.
STRETCH 2 This improves the range of motion of your hip flexors and quadriceps.
WHAT TO DO
Kneel into a lunge position, with one foot in front of the other far enough so that if you were to lean forward, your knee would still be behind your toes.
Pull your navel in toward your spine and tuck your pelvis in so as to prevent your back from arching.
Keep your shoulders back and lean forward until you feel the stretch.
LOOK OUT FOR
Do not lean forward with your arms onto your leg.
Concentrate on making sure that your hip bones always point forward and never rotate, as this changes the group of muscles you are stretching.
Do not arch your lower back.
STRETCH 3 This stretch is designed to improve the range of motion of your Achilles tendon and calf muscles. It is important to stretch both as the calf muscles insert onto the heel bone via the Achilles tendon and are effectively one unit that really works hard during running. When this area is tight, you tend to pronate your foot (roll your foot in) more, causing many injuries, some of which include shin splints and the infamous ITB tendon inflammation known mostly by runners.
WHAT TO DO
Find the edge of a street curb or step and place your toes on the edge, pushing your heel down.
Place your weight on the leg of the toes that are against the curb, keeping your knee straight. Hold for 15 seconds.
Pull your navel in toward your spine and tuck your pelvis in so as to prevent your back from arching.
Keep your shoulders back and lean forward until you feel the stretch.
Then bend the knee of the leg you are stretching and the stretch will move downward to your Achilles tendon area.
Do not lean sticking your bottom out, keep your body as straight up as possible.
The higher you place your toes up on the step or curb, the more stretch you will experience throughout your leg.
This stretch is easy to overdo so be wise and only push to the point where you start feeling it.
STRETCH 4 This stretch is designed to improve the range of motion of your outer thigh and buttock muscles. It may also help with the prevention of sciatic nerve pain and lower back pain.
Lie down on the floor on your back with your knees bent.
Cross one leg over the other like a man would cross his legs.
Twist in the direction that the crossed leg is pointing to until that foot touches the ground.
Stretch the arm of the same side out perpendicular to your body with your palm facing up.
Keep both of your shoulders flat down on the ground.
If this is not enough stretch for you, gently grab your knee with the opposite hand and pull it down toward the ground.
LOOK OUT FOR
WHAT TO DO
LOOK OUT FOR
Do not lift your shoulder off the ground. Make sure you keep your legs crossed at your ankle and not at your knee as you twist your body.
STRETCH 5 This improves the range of motion of your ITB. The ITB is a tendon band that stretches from the outside of your hip and down your leg, and inserts onto the shin
part of your knee. It is one of the most common injuries that occur in runners and becomes quite tight once someone starts running regularly. Keeping this area flexible goes a long way to preventing that injury from occurring, so this is an important stretch to get right.
WHAT TO DO
Stand sideways alongside a wall. If your left side is nearest the wall, cross your right ankle over your left. Stand on both feet.
Push your hip away from the wall in a C curve formation, bringing your right arm over your head to touch the wall. Lift the big toe of your right foot off the ground.
Hold for 15 seconds. This program is a guideline only – you are most welcome to stay on a certain level for more than the suggested time if you are struggling. Besides your usual stiffness that will occur initially when you first start any form of exercise, there should be no pain in any joints and you should not feel fatigued for more than 24 hours. Remember to give yourself 48 hours of recovery time in between weeks (to begin with) if you have been inactive for more than a year – it really isn’t worth it to rush into things!
FIRST WEEK DAY 1 Start with a five minute walk around the block as a warm up. Then take the same route and run for 30 seconds, walk until your heart recovers to ten beats higher than what your resting heart rate is. Run again for 30 seconds and walk until you have recovered. Repeat another three times. DAY 2 Start with a five minute walk around the block as a warm up then take the same route and run for 40 seconds, and then walk until your heart recovers to ten beats higher than what your resting heart rate is. Repeat in total six times. DAY 3 Start with a five minute walk around the block as a warm up. Then take the same route and run for 60 seconds, walk until your heart recovers to ten beats higher than what your resting heart rate is. Repeat in total six times.
SECOND WEEK DAY 1 Using the distances between lampposts as a guide becomes helpful as they are equidistant from each other. If you’re using a treadmill work on 100m increments. Start with a five minute walk around the block as a warm up. Then take the same route and run for one length between lampposts, walk for three lampposts. Run again for one lamppost length and walk for three. Repeat until you have done a total of 15 minutes excluding your warm up. Cool down by ending on a run, walk for three minutes and stretch. DAY 2 Start with a five minute walk around the block as a warm up. Then take the same route and run for two lengths between lampposts, walk for two lampposts. Run again for two lamppost lengths and walk for two. Repeat until you have done a total of 17 minutes excluding your warm up. Cool down by ending on a run, walk for three minutes and stretch. DAY 3 Start with a five minute walk around the block as a warm up. Then take the same route and run for three lengths between lampposts, walk for two lampposts. Run again for three lamppost lengths and walk for two. Repeat until you have done a total of 20 minutes excluding your warm up. Cool down by ending on a run, walk for three minutes and stretch.
THIRD WEEK DAY 1 Again, using your lampposts, start with a five minute walk around the block as a warm up. Then take the same route and run for three lengths between lampposts, walk for one lamppost. Run again for three lamppost lengths and walk for one. Repeat for a total of 20 minute excluding your warm up. Cool down by ending on a run, walk for three minutes and stretch. DAY 2 Start with a five minute walk around the block as a warm up. Then take the same route and run for four lengths between lampposts, walk for 1 lamppost. Run again for four lamppost lengths and walk for one. Do a total of 20 minutes excluding your warm up. Cool down: ending on a run, walk for three minutes and stretch. DAY 3 Start with a five minute walk around the block as a warm up. Then take the same route and run for five lengths between lampposts, walk for one lamppost. Run again for five lamppost lengths and walk for one. Do a total of 20 minutes excluding your warm up. Cool down: ending on a run, walk for three minutes and stretch.
FOURTH WEEK DAY 1, 2 AND 3 Start with a five minute walk around the block as a warm up. On all three days it’s about trying to run for as many lampposts continually as your body will allow, then walk for a lamppost distance or two and try to run again for as long as you can. Do a total of 25 minutes excluding your warm up. By the end of the week you should be able to run for an extended period of time before needing to catch your breath. Cool down by walking for three minutes and stretch.
DURING THESE FOUR WEEKS CONCENTRATE ON
Good breathing technique and posture while running.
Remember to relax your shoulders, use your arms more if your legs feel heavier.
Try as much as you can to keep your pelvic floor muscles tight (so contract them as if you have a full bladder and can’t go to the loo), especially during the running parts of the exercise. Stay on this schedule until you can run 25 minutes without a walk break and then progress to the intermediate program (visit www.yourparenting.co.za for this). YB
STEP BY STEP RUNNING
FOR BEGINNERS