6 Running Tips I Wish I'd Known Sooner!

New to running and don't know where to start? We’re here to help you get going and guide you through the early stages of starting this new sport. We're here to bring our top running tips from setting goals to the best run shoes. We certainly wish we'd known these tips ahead of our first run!

Welcome to GTN 0:00
Pace yourself when running 0:37
Is it ok to walk when you go for a run? 1:40
Set running goals 2:21
Getting comfortable when you run 3:37
The running technique 4:28
Avoid comparison 5:02

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[gtn]

Share your beginner running tips here! 🏃

[rolothefoxdog]

I’m a kid and started running with my mom and I’m loving it thanks for the heads ups❤

[HollyDunnDesign]

The most helpful thing for me? Knowing that it gets easier (so long as you keep at it) BUT that progress isn’t linear. You’ll still have some runs where it feels really hard and that’s normal.

[alaskanuni]

My favorite tip is that the first mile is ALWAYS the hardest. Doesn't matter whether you are running 2 miles or 22. The first is the hardest.

[Nyelands]

Tip no. 1: Enjoy your runs. Make them your mental break and you will get energy from them and automatically have consistency because you look forward to getting out there.

[jovanzee]

I love your rookie Videos. Every run is better than no run.

[PardonMeTrevor]

When your Garmin watch tells you that you’ve had an ‘unproductive’ workout, be sure to take it in stride 😑

[EchoWave-su]

Great video! As someone who has been running for a while now, these tips are super helpful. Especially loved the advice on mixing up the terrain – adding variety has made my runs so much more enjoyable and motivating. Thanks, Global Triathlon Network! 🏃‍♀️✨

[johnhermens]

100% don't compare yourself to others. I know lots of people who think they might want to run, but when i talk to them the first thing they say to me as an experienced marathoner is along the lines of "i can't do xxx like you." No they can't and that's ok. I tell them i can't run like Kipchoge, but it doesn't stop me. Go ahead and get started with what you can do.

[recyclebininfinity]

one random tip for me goes along with he said with consistency

is just get out there and do it, there is never a time that you wont thank yourself for it and if you keep it consistent you will get to the point where you will feel worse if you dont go for a run lol

[monkeyboy]

As someone who's experienced in other sports but just started running at the age of 48 I soon learnt a few things.

1) Decent running shoes are essential.
2) Music helps with boredom.
3) Music unconsciously alters pace. Chose music to match the pace that I intend to do.
4) Ignore the complaints from my body in the first mile or two.
5) To help myself run further I'd catch a bus to somewhere (like work) then run home, so I can't shorten the route 😂
6) Vary the routes and don't always run on the flat.
7) My recovery time appears to have improved since starting out, from a week to a day or two.
8) Get out there and chase a few Strava segments 😎

[Bunny-tl]

Run slow. Time over distance. Just focus on steps and breathing.

[MImranAziz]

I needed to hear this. Sprints eat my distance.

[nataliamartinkova]

Well, for some, the running journey does not materialize. My sons joined me for a 10k. One of them, with the 3rd place medal in his age group, said he was never running again. Four years later, he is keeping his word.

[CiaoMykola]

One of the things I wish I had known when I started running was to get fitted shoes. I bought my first pair of running shoes on Black Friday, and they felt very uncomfortable. Only when I decided to spend some $$$ and get fitted shoes did I learn that my feet were very different in size, and my entire life, I was buying one size too small shoes, lol (EU 44 left foot, EU 45 right foot).

[_J.F_]

I run 10K 6 days a week and aim for a good mix of medium and high intensity training over the week but must admit that the 'go-slow-to-go-fast' method has never really worked for me. If you really trash yourself almost beyond repair every time you go running I can understand that holding back might be in order, but when I look at my long term data the vast majority of my running is zone 3 and 4, and zone 2 is basically just for warm up. I realise that my zone settings could be off, but it compares quite well with the ability to hold a conversation in zone 2 so I don't think it is that much off. Could it be that different techniques just work differently for different people?

[boriss.]

Where to start Pixies & Elves: First do not use audio you need to concentrate on your bodies function.
As a part of your pre warm up routine bent arms in front of your chin & build to a full squat, take your time see in the end how many you can do to lactate build up.
Run slower to run faster 99.9% of all the runners I have seen say running in Bath (not the bath) all they do is fast walk. Concentrate on the trailing leg moving towards your bum, The Glutes only fire when you start running so you may only be able to run for up to 20 paces before you lactate load.
Greater stride length will help you to cover more ground quicker. There 2 - 2.5 strides per sec. Pro distance runner will be around 3 sps but their trailing legs come a lot further back.
When you walk or run count your breaths over your distance 4 paces breath in 4 paces breath out and increase this also helps to show how efficient your O2 transfer is.
Keep your shoulders low push them down there is a tendency to lift them up decreasing the amount of O2 taken into the lungs, on that note
Breath from the diaphragm even when walking and pacing breath control in and out!

[XEinstein]

Not a beginner question, but I am wondering about what pacing I should do in my next week's 50km ultra? In the months training for this run I felt quite comfortable doing runs up to 32km in about 6:45 - 7:00 minutes per km and in the last month concentrated a bit more on zone 4 trainings then zone 2, such that this morning's half hour easy run had my HR just at the edge between zones 1 and 2.
For my ultra I had originally planned for a very conservative 8:20/km, aiming for a 7h run, but currently I think I will not be able to run that slow. So how does one set the right pace for race day if my zone 2 endurance runs were in the 6:30 - 7:00 / km range? Does one add a minute, half a minute, 20 seconds to one's normal pace? Is there a guideline for that?

[cctrailrunningnz]

Run trail and in natural environments. It’s we humans are meant to be.

[karma__]

How the fuck do marathon runners do it? Man i love running but my body basically gave out in a course of a few months.

Are streches needed?, some people say its beneficial others say it isn't? Also is physical therapy needed? Man im just so furious in knowing that I can't run because my body will not let me yet i have really good stamina and my spirit (mind) is filled with energy 😔