How to succeed at achieving your running resolutions
Most us make some sort of a fitness goal for our new year’s resolutions. It can be hard to know where to begin and to find the motivation to keep going. We’ve compiled a list of tips to help you achieve your 2018 goals:
- Be definitive about your goals.
Ever notice how people who are self-assured seem to achieve more? A clear specific achievable goal is always more likely to come to fruition than a vague unachievable one.
- Choose the right footwear
Running can be an affordable form of exercise; however, it is important to invest in the correct runners. There are so many different styles of runners to choose from. Discuss this with your podiatrist and ultimately choose what is most comfortable for you. There is some research that suggests that you should alternate between two different runners to help with injury prevention. Change your runners frequently, the runners that you bought 3 years ago are bound to have wear and tear and decreased shock absorption, it’s worthwhile to change runners every 6 months if your clocking up a lot of mileage.
- Increase your distance/ speed gradually
A lot of the injuries we see will be caused by a sudden increase in load on muscles and tissues. If you used to run 15km and haven’t ran in a year and decide to suddenly do 15km your body won’t handle it well and you are heading for an injury. Start small and increase in small increments.
- Grab a friend
Its winter, its cold, its wet, you could be easily persuaded to stay in rather than head out for a run but if you link up with a running enthusiast your less likely to skip sessions, it’s a great motivator!
- Running playlists
Running to a good beat can help your form and put a smile on your face. A metronome app can help sync up your steps to the beat, increasing your steps can help with joint loading, trunk position and foot placement, discuss this with your podiatrist. Spotify has some great running/workout playlists.
- Warm up and cool down
A quick warm up to get you pumped for action is vital, if you launch straight into your run then your body isn’t prepared, there are plenty of five minutes warm up videos on YouTube for before you leave the house. Your cool-down is equally important. Tight calf muscles are the plague of many runners (especially those forefoot runners), so dedicate some time to a good cool down stretch of your muscles. Your body will thank you for it in the end.
- Work on strengthening and toning your core and glutes.
Runners are often guilty of neglecting strength work, however, strengthening a muscle increases its capacity for load and can help with injury prevention. Your core is important in maintaining your trunk position, that balance between a forward or backward lean has more of an impact than you think.
- Vary your route
Personally, I like to have a different route to run every time. I find it can be more enjoyable to change up the scenery around you and really can help when the tiredness begins to kick in. Variety is the spice of life!
If you are taking up running or are a keen runner interested in improving and analysing your running technique, book in for our 3d gait analysis in Donnybrook Foot Mechanics. It could put you one step closer to your 2018 goals.
