As you all may or may not know, I've recently quit smoking. Honestly, I stopped counting after 2 weeks or so but I'm going to ballpark a figure around a month and a half of non smoking now. I feel great. Sure my stamina is not at it's best or anywhere close to my younger years but man is it starting to boost up.
So I've decided that I want to do more long distance running to help boost my stamina. Naturally, the next step after a few runs was to shift into buying proper running shoes. Here are a few things you need to know if you want to make the best of your running.
So, there are several basic steps that you need to follow before you decide you want to run and purchase running shoes.
Firstly, you need to know what kind of running you want to do.
- Are you going to run professionally or for leisure?
This will effect how much money you wish to put towards your shoes, the brand, and your diet. - What kind of running are you planning on doing?
Do you want to do long distance, medium distance or short distance? You'll need to research how what kind of shoes are best for the distance or type of running you want. Short distance running includes sprints and needs specific light weight kinds of shoes. Long distance will need more cushion and comfort. - Know your foot type.
Not everyone has the same kind of foot. I personally have a high arch type of foot. Some people have flat feet. You'll need to look up your pronation. There are oodles of resources online to tell you how to figure this out. A simple way is the brown paper bag - wet foot test. Go here to find out more about your foot type (click here).
- Different kinds of running requires different kinds of diets. Although you may find alot of similarities between the diets as running usually requires a certain type of basic nutrients - the differ kinds of running will require different dosages of these nutrients. A healthy diet is the best way to ensure you stay healthy whilst partaking in running. There are many running and fitness websites that can help you out.
- ALWAYS STAY HYDRATED! Although it's Ramadan and I know some of you (including myself like to run before futoor time) it's important that you stay hydrated. What I like to do is drink alot of water before fasting starts (during suhoor) and make sure I have alot of salt intake because salt retains water. If you're anything like me, you'll sweat more than the average person - so it's extremely important you stay hydrated and if you start to feel like you're reaching your limit stop. When Ramadan is over or if you run after futoor make sure that you have a way to keep water on you at allllllll times! I personally prefer running outdoors than on a treadmill. Treadmills bore me.
- I know alot of you want to go out there and be the best runner on your first day but if you're anything like me, you're not as fit as you'd like to be. Start to plan out your route. I started off with a mile jog. I try to take my mile run and beat the time every jog I go on. I know this will not be possible and the general trend is that at first you'll beat your time more frequently and cut your time alot. However, you will eventually hit a wall and peak. Your time difference will become smaller between your runs. So make sure you set a route you're familiar with. The mamsha next to my house has marks every 100 meters so it's easy for me to track the mile. (roughly 1.6km).
- Use support. I have an application on my cellphone called iMapMyRun. I use the free version and when you start recording your run (after your warm up) it will map out your run on a google maps like system and it will provide your average speed and other information to help you track your progress. It is important to track your progress. If you want to beat your time make sure you're focusing on that. If you're trying to run longer distance, ignore time and try to hit more distance. You have other options if you're hard core such as garmin gps and fitness watches.
- You need to know your limits. If you know that you can only run 100ms at a fast pace and then you start to huff and buff...then pace yourself. Running can be strenuous on your knees, heart, back, neck and other parts of your body - especially if you're not knowing your limits. How you run is also important. Alot of experience in trying different ways of running. Some people find comfort in longer strides whilst some find comfort in shorter strides.
- If you know your foot type, then you will be able to purchase the correct kind of shoe. I know in Kuwait that it's hard to find proper running shoes and if you do they tend to be overpriced compared to a lot of other countries and websites. For example, my foot requires me to wear shoes that are for high arch type feet. I wanted to buy the Asics Kayanos. I checked it out at a local sports store in Kuwait and it was priced at around the 50KD range! Online I found prices (after shipping) of around 20-40KD range, depending on the website of choice. Be smart guys, research your prices - whether online or in stores.
- Also, when buying running shoes - you should not get a tight fit shoe, especially for long distance runners. You need to feel comfortable. You need about half an inch or so up front of the shoe by the toe. You'll also need to find out if you need a wider shoe or not. The E system, which if you look up online will tell you about shoe widths. So you can get an 11E which is an American size 11 but wider than the normal size 11.
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| Asics Kayanos |
- Running is not always about achieving your goal. It should be fun or else you won't be able to keep to it. Whether you're trying to get fit or trying to try something new - if you want to stick to running you need to make it fun. A lot of people like to have a distracting factor such as music. Music is a great way to keep distracted and keep it fun. A lot of people also like to run in groups. This is a great way to stay motivated and distracted from getting bored. Having someone, especially if they're an experienced runner can help push you to running. If you're like me, you don't like being embarassed by short comings in front of people so I opt with music. Remember, there are many other things to keep you going while running so learn what works best for you!
The trend in Kuwait is get more muscles and forget about fitness. However, people don't realize that muscles and going to the gym doesn't necessarily mean you're going to be healthy and fit. If you take running seriously or any other cardiovascular activity seriously...you will have a 10 fold chance of being healthier and fitter.
Your heart needs the exercise especially in a country like Kuwait with big displacement V8 engines cover the city and exhausts fill our air. Taking cardiovascular exercise seriously also means diet and habits.
Try quitting smoking and getting your diet right and the rest will follow as long as you really want to do it. I wish you all the best of luck on your journey to health and fitness!
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