Tips & Tricks

The most important thing in running is having fun! If you are not (yet) enjoying it at the moment, I recommend you to join a running group/club. Here you can get good guidance and you will get the opportunity to train together with other runners.

Purchase a good pair of ‘real’ running shoes and do not try to use your tennis shoes or sneakers first, for example. By doing this you will have the chance to get injured quickly and then you will suffer a great setback.

Above all, build up slowly and create structure in your running. Run at least three times a week if you have the time. This does not mean that these three trainings should necessarily be long and/or with many kilometers. It is purely about continuity!

In terms of eating and drinking, you can prepare yourself well before a training session. Drink plenty of water before you start running, but don’t overdo it. It is important to be well hydrated during the training. In order not to get bothered by flank pain during running, for example, it is important that you do not eat up until 1.5 hours before training, at most a piece of fruit.

Think carefully about what you wear in different types of weather. It is easy to get overheated while running and the wind chill factor rises quickly. Therefore, add 10 degrees to the outside temperature and choose your clothes accordingly. Do not wear jackets that do not breathe. And can you already run a little faster? Then choose to wear shorts from a temperature of 12 degrees.

Set yourself a goal, what do you want to achieve? This will motivate you to continue. Also think about what kind of training (interval, endurance, block training, et cetera) you want to do and link your goal to this.

Breathing is very important when running. Make sure you keep breathing out and focus on this. Take into account an exhalation of 3 to 4 seconds and you will see that after this, the inhalation will actually take place automatically.

If you already became happy and enthusiastic about running then I recommend you to start with a running schedule instead of individual training sessions. By using this you can reach your goal even faster!

Remember that maintaining strength and flexibility is essential for running. For example, insert some strength training a few times a week. You can do this at home by watching a video on the internet, or you can choose to go to the gym. If this does not appeal to you, yoga and pilates are also a perfect solution for strength and flexibility.

Last but not least: take your rest. Recovery is one of the most important things of running. If your body still hurts and you feel tired, then you are not ready to start training again. So listen carefully to your body and take your moments of rest.