It’s no secret our workout options are a little limited right now, and it seems as a response to this more and more people are finding their running feet! It’s no surprise it’s a big YES from us, and we’re so excited to see so many of you finding thrill in simple strides in the same way we have for many years, alongside our fellow running enthusiasts (if you know, you know right?)
Whilst there’s an abundance of positives that come with this, there’s also a number of not so positives (negatives?). Running like any (slightly addictive) hobby can come at a cost if done too much. It’s a high impact sport and one that takes a serious toll in the body. As mentioned above, it can also be quite addictive, so it’s easy to get carried away when we start to find our flow. This is where we’re hoping we can help.
We’d love the lot of you to continue taking the small steps to fall in love with this fancy frolic, so let us share with you a few tips to increase your mileage without battering your body.
The 10% Rule:
The 10% rule isn’t always right. If you’re a beginner or coming back from an injury we’d suggest ignoring this completely. As a beginner, you want to simply get used to the motion of running. It’s repetitive don’t you know, and this can play havoc with an unknowing body. Work on getting comfortable and don’t worry about increasing your distance every week. Work on beginning to enjoy the time you are out. If you’re coming back from injury, the slower the better in our books. Be guided by your physio or medical expert, not some rule the internet invented. The 10% rule can come into play if you’re a more experienced runner and are building up to a race distance, but even then, be aware.
Be Smart:
Be smart when you’re delving into the unknown. This goes back to the bit on beginners, but can also go for those with a bit more practice. If you are running more than usual, it’s easy to enter a danger zone. You do not want to rush into doubling the miles, this should be a slow steady process and one undergone with care.
Intensity, Frequency and Volume:
If you are looking to increase your mileage over a long period of time, be aware of intensity and frequency too. It’s all very well wanting to add extra miles but be sure to back off the other aspects of your run, or training. You can’t increase everything at once, so be smart and create a plan (or better yet seek out a professional to write you one). We’ve tagged a few recommendations for coaches in the post.
Roll with it:
It’s not just about running you know? It’s hard-hitting, we’ve said that so give back. Roll, stretch, sleep (a lot) and be nice to your buddy when building the miles.
Get Strong:
Strength training is crucial to ensuring your body (muscles/tendons) can handle the strain of running and the progressive increments in volume spoken of above. If we fail to take advantage of S&C we leave ourselves potentially open to injury or worse, not even being strong enough to just cope with running happy.
TTH x
