Healthy Running Habits: Feel Awesome, Run Forever

Running is good for you, right? Healthy people run. Just look at those tanned, lean people loping along, gazelle-like, without a care in the world. So running will make me healthy, just like them. Right?

Maybe, if you approach it the right way! But let’s clear up some misconceptions. . .

You don't know jack about anyone else's health

. . . and it's not your business, anyway. Someone who looks fit to you may be underfueled and dealing with low bone density. Someone who you think looks out of shape might smoke you in a head-to-head cholesterol level challenge. Your kindergarten teacher was right: you can't judge a book by its cover. So knock it off. You do you.

Focus on yourself (no one else) and your health (not your appearance).

Running doesn't have to mean fast, far, or both

You can totally run races. You can do fartleks and intervals and strides and get smokin' fast. You can do double-digit long runs. You can sign up for the Goofy challenge.

But you don't have to.  Fast training and races can be part of a healthy running routine if they're fun and motivating. They can also turn it into a grind, confuse you about your priorities, and make you feel worse. So if it sounds like fun, do it! If it's not fun, don't!

Health benefits from running start adding up right away, with less than an hour per week, and even at a slow jog. Remember that.

Smart running isn't risky

We've all heard the naysayers-- running will ruin your knees, my boss's cousin dropped dead on the treadmill. . . running is dangerous. This is nonsense.

Provided that you're training smartly and within your abilities, and you've talked with your healthcare provider about your overall health and risk factors, being sedentary is many times riskier than running.

You can get hurt running. But it's not inevitable. And a niggle here and there will pass, while you keep the metabolic, musculoskeletal, and mental health benefits.

How to feel good running

Running is a wonderful way to reap the benefits of physical activity for life. If you're going to keep it up for the long haul, though, you have to 1) stay healthy, and 2) enjoy it.  Fortunately it's easy to do this by sticking to a few core principles.  And you don't need a personal coach or a PhD to put this into action. Just keep the basic ideas in mind.

• Fuel up. Your body needs energy to run. It gets energy from food. You will feel better if you eat enough, eat high quality food, and eat at the right time. I don't recommend running without eating something first-- weather it's a piece of toast or half a banana before a morning run, a balanced lunch before an afternoon run, or a quick carb-rich snack before a late-in-the-day run. And if you'll be out for a longer run-- say, 90 minutes or more-- plan to take in calories while you're out there. Even if you're trying to lose weight, fueling up before a run is the right move. If you need to trim calories from your intake, do it later on (say, by cutting out a soda or beer). You'll feel better running this way, recover better, and be less likely to get injured.

• Stay consistent. The best way to make breakthroughs running is to run. You don't have to run far or fast, but if you can work up to at least 4 days of running per week, running will get easier, fast. Look at your calendar. Look at how you're spending your time. Talk to your people. Find where you can carve out non-negotiable running time-- before everyone else gets up? At lunch? Before you go home after work? Mess around until you find the time that works, then commit to it. And it's better to get in something than nothing!

• Go slow a lot. When you first start running, all your running should be slow. By "slow", I mean slow enough that you can talk. Even if that means you're doing run-walk intervals. Yes, I mean it. No one is judging you. Slow down and you will feel better. As you get stronger, keep most of your running at this effort level. 

• Go fast a little. When you're able to consistently run for 30+ minutes without stopping AND you're running 4+ days per week, you can think about running fast-- a little. You'll teach your body to become more biomechanically efficient, add a little bit of cardiovascular stimulus. . . and have fun! The easiest and safest way to add fast running with hill strides. Towards the end of an easy run, find a mellow, gentle hill. Run up it, gradually accelerating until you're going as fast and smooth as you can without all-out sprinting, then slow back down. This whole thing (speed up, go fast, slow down) should take about 30 seconds. Then jog back down and do it again-- repeat for a total of four. Add this in twice per week for starters and HAVE FUN with it!

• Have a goal. Running is hard sometimes. Sometimes you don't want to do it. Having a goal can make it easier to keep going. Maybe it's a race (lots of races are more like running parties than serious competitions!). Or a route you want to be able to finish. If it motivates you, you could pick a (realistic!) time goal. Whatever it is, make sure it's something that you care about enough to help you stick it out when the going gets tough.

• Do other stuff, too. Running is great, but it is a repetitive motion. Especially on roads, you're putting one foot in front of the other in a straight line, over and over. Do some other activities, too-- take a fitness class, do some yoga, lift some weights. Mix it up and use your body in different ways. This will make you a better all-around athlete and a more resilient, capable human.

• Recover like it's your job. Eat, sleep, and hydrate. Don't discount the power of this basic level of self-care. If you're feeling sore, tired, cranky or off, check in with these areas and correct any deficiencies. You'll feel better.

Get to know your body

Running can improve your overall health, give you tons of energy, and make you feel great-- but it won't feel awesome right away, every day.

When you're doing something new, everything feels hard and lots of stuff hurts. Over time, you can start to learn what's normal for you and what's a sign of trouble.

Start by checking in with your body before and after you run. How am I feeling? How's my energy? Does something hurt? For some people, a log helps (it gives you a ritual-- stop and think, write it down; it also gives you a record to look back-- when did this start?). Need a place to start? Download a holistic training log template here.

When you're running consistently, progressing smartly, and taking care of your body, you'll raise the bar on your health. 

So lace up-- see you out there.