How to start running

Make a plan and stick to it. If you fall behind, don't worry, adjust and persevere. That's the short answer.

Just get out there. That's the even shorter one.

My next blog post will be about designing training plans but at this point let me just note that everyone's fitness level to start off with is different. Perhaps you've got a history of injuries from running or your overweight or have heart issues. This will determine whether you can start off on Day 1 running 1km, 3km, or 5km. But importantly, nobody says you have to run.

I initially did a lot of training just by walking. Grab your headphones and an audio book and head out for an hours walk. Once you can do this without trouble, bring a weighted rucksack along. Fill it with water bottles and other things to weigh it down. My initial training would involve walking an hour an evening plus one long walk of 3-5 hours at the weekend with a rucksack filled with 5-10kg of weight. The advantage is that this is less stress on your body to start out with than f you go out running hard. Also if you have a history of hurting your knees etc. this will first build up your muscles so that later on you your body is able to take more strain. It worked for me. I used to get a pain in my left knee (IT band, I think) whenever I ran for more than 6km, but this did not appear after weeks of weighted rucksack walking. The advantage of using water is that you can (a) drink it if you become thirsty, and (b) empty some of the bottles should the weight become too much for your shoulders.

Every runner is different, but for me a goal to keep me motivated, particularly at the beginning, is vital. Pick a race you wish to complete. There is a huge list of really well organized and very scenic races across the world, whatever continent you are on. The aim here is not to achieve a certain time, though you may want to do so, but rather to complete the race. There's plenty of time to run more competitively later on.

Pick a local 10km race, your local city marathon or half marathon. You may want to combine a shorter-term target with a long-tern more aspirational race. For me when I started out the longer-term aspirational race was the Marathon des Sables, which I aimed to complete in 18-months time. Shorter-term I did not have a race in mind but instead merely wanted to increase the hours I was out on my feet every week.

For longer-term aspirational targets there are some incredible multi-stage races that go on for a week, I'll do a separate post about them at a future point. But perhaps one of these will serve as motivation:

Or if you're looking for a single day event with lots of vertical climbing pick one of the demanding UTMB races from the list here.

The key to running besides simply getting out there is staying out there. It's consistency. If you only head out every other week or so, running will never get much easier and will potentially feel like a chore. Setting these longer term aspirational targets helps keep you motivated.

Another way to get motivated is to immerse yourself in the sport, the culture and people. In the evenings consider watching running documentaries as well as tutorials on YouTube. Follow your favorite runners on Strava or Instagram. The great thing about long distance running is that it is such an accessible sport. Anyone can participate. And you can participate right there with your heroes. It's impossible for anyone just to participate in the Wimbledon tennis final or the soccer world cup, but you can just rock up to the equivalent of the ultra running world championships at UTMB, so far as you've put in the work. This in itself can be incredibly motivational.

Oh, and as to the question "what is ultra running?": Technically anything beyond the marathon distance of 42.2km is considered an ultra. 50km, 100km and 100 miles are the most common distances.

Here's a short list of some of the most famous ultra races in no particular order:

In the For Ranger Ultra by Beyond the Ultimate you get to run alongside rhinos, zebras and giraffes

To finish the short blog here is are three more tips to help you keep up that consistency:

Draw up a training plan and try to stick to it.
Pack your bags the night before.
Consider having a box for each day of the week you intend to go running. Label them with the weekdays. Wash your gear at the weekend and then fill up the boxes for the week ahead.
Sign up to Strava. Your friends can give you Kuddos for your runs, and it helps you keep an eye on your progress by charting it graphically. It also helps to know that others see how much or how little you train :)
Figure out when the best time to go running is for you. I"m not a morning person, but I also like meeting friends in the evening. During the week I therefore try to get a lot of the training in during lunch breaks. At the weekend I then go for my longer run and one normal run. I tend to take Fridays off.

And finally three tips to ensure that your runs are fun:

Download an audio book or podcast to keep you motivated.
Insert a more technical run once per week. This could be an interval run, an escalator run where every kilometer is run faster, or a hill sprint.
I've also found it fun to try and set new local best times on the Strava app for routes you run. Strava breaks your run down into lots of smaller sections and then creates local leader boards for these segments.

Maybe just one more final point: if you're going for a longer run, bever go out without a vest/rucksack or at least your pockets filled with the following: your mobile phone, your wallet, a snack bar, something to drink and a warmer top or wind breaker (I also always pack light gloves and a Buff). There will come a day where you pull a muscle or you simply run out of energy and you'll find youself in the middle of nowhere. Have a phone to call a taxi, some money to buy something to eat, a salty bar to eat if you have cramps or simply a windbreaker to put on if you're cold.

Enjoy your run!