The Best Running Tips - 101

Whether you are a beginner, a marathon runner or a veteran, we have got you covered. This is a short and crisp list of running techniques which are simple and effective at the same time.

1) Ready - Set - Go

Just know the fact that everyone is an athlete. The difference is that only some of us are training.

2) Simply aim for this

Let’s stop hiding behind the reason that we are busy. Just aim for running 10 to 14 miles per week. Studies suggest that doing so will have great health benefits.

3) Count minutes, not miles

Psychology suggests that for new runners it is better to increase the minutes of your running time rather than miles. This is a better way to increase your running distance.

4) Follow what your body has to say

If you feel hungry then eat. Your body knows what it wants.

5) Have a good pair of running shoes

So finally when you have decided to include running in your schedule, investing in a pair of good running shoes will be a good decision.

6) Make sure your running shoes are slightly bigger

It is recommended that the pair of running shoes you wear to be slightly bigger than your foot size. This will avoid foot and toe pain.

7) Keep your body in a relaxed position while running

Keep your arms and shoulders relaxed when you are running. The running gets easy this way. People generally keep their shoulders stiff while running which makes the run a bit difficult.

8) Don’t think too much, just get it done

Bruce Lee quotes – “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you will never get it done”. It’s okay even if you have a busy schedule just make sure to have a run even if it is for 10 minutes.

9) Follow the road rules

Avoid running in traffic as often as possible. Even if you have to run then a better choice would be to run against the traffic rather than alongside the traffic. Safety comes first before anything.

10) Avoid clenching fists while running

Run with cupped hands rather than clenched fists. For this you can pretend as if you were saving a lemon from falling off your hands.

11) Try running during noon-time

Running during the day time offers multiple benefits. Keeps you away from eating heavy lunch, you sweat more during the day time and of course gives you a short break from work.

12) Warm up

Try to warm up before you start your run like stretching your muscles or a light jogging.

13) Stay Hydrated

Bruce Lee quotes – “Be water, my friend”. I would say “Drink water, my friend”. Water flushes out the toxins from your body and makes you feel fresh all the time.

14) Good eating habits

It’s a good advice to indulge in good eating habits while working out.

15) Listen to your body

Do not run through pain. If your body does not allow or your legs feel painful then avoid it.

16) Follow the Nike motto: Just Do It.

This point is self explanatory. Don’t miss out on your running schedule. Just do it every day.

17) Make it playful.

Don’t do it because you have to do it, instead do it because it is fun.

18) The hidden treasure

All the warm ups that you do before running burn approximately 100 calories. It doesn’t sound much but it really adds up in the long run.

19) Don’t repeat mistakes

The optimum level of exercising is different for different individuals. If you feel pain then avoid running the next day.

20) Try different running styles

To make it playful, try to run with different running styles every day like jogging on Mondays, sprinting on Tuesdays, pace running on Wednesday and so on.

21) Avoid fats

Excessive intake of everything is bad. Just don’t consume fats in large quantities as fats slow down the process of digestion.

22) Make goals

Making running goals before leaving you house is a good way to stay motivated. These can be like: running 2 miles and jogging 1 mile and so on.

23) Plan it accordingly

Psychology says that we do things in a better way when we write them down somewhere. This principle can be applied here as well. Track your run and match it with the limit specified by you.

24) Be consistent

Running at a slow pace and consistently is better than sprinting fast and then sweating to finish.

25) Mix and match things

Add variety to your run. It can be like running for a minute and then jogging for 2 minutes and then sprinting for 1 minute.

26) Focus on the bigger picture

Rather than focusing on the style of your run, focus on the gain which is endurance.

27) Throw away the clutter

There is loads of information on the internet: run this time, run that way, run like this and blah-blah-blah. Just run how you want to.

28) Let the beats on

Our feet try to match up with the music being played. So just turn on the playlist that you like and get your kicks running.

29) Just keep going

It’s okay if you had a bad day and could not complete the target set by you, but remember “Every day is a new day”. So make sure to get it done the next day.

30) Run quality

There’s no hard and fast rule to running. But make sure to run quality miles. For instance, if you run 35 miles a week then about 8 of those should be quality. It will also boost your body’s aerobic capacity.

31) Keep the boredom at bay

Doing same things everyday can turn out to be a bit boring. So you can jazz up your running time, style and routine a little.

32) Try cross eating

Cross eating simply means adding variety to your diet. A good approach to this is to add a new food every Sunday. This approach really expands your nutritional range.

33) Relax a bit after running

After your run is complete just take a few moments to relax, calm down and stretch. Avoid rushing back to the busy life after that.

34) Take it easy

Aggressive stretching after running may lead to increased injury risk. So just take it calmly.

35) Think big, start small

Just keep in mind the big picture but act on weekly basis to achieve that. For example plan the running schedule for the next 12 days but have in mind how will things change after a span of 3 months. I think that’s a great way to stay motivated.

36) Don’t just hit the rock bottom

The thing that differentiates good runners to average runners is persistence. Anyone can train themselves into the ground but greatness lies in doing something that makes you stronger every passing day.

37) Be in the moment

Don’t forget to smell the flowers and hear the birds chirruping during your morning run. This will really make your morning run awesome.

38) Go with an open mind

Whenever you approach a new workout or running technique just go on with it like a beginner.

39) Try Fartlek Runs

Fartlek runs basically mean “speed play”. Just play around with different speed and styles during your run.

40) Act smart

Place the energy drinks or container bottles filled with water on your running track. This trick is useful when you are aiming for a long run.

41) Work on intensity

It’s said that a long run puts a “beast” in a “person”.

42) Don’t keep an eye on the watch

The best way to do it is to avoid wearing a watch when you go running. It is sometimes better not to compare time from day to day.

43) Take rest

Suppose you work out for 5 days, then make sure to take rest for next 2 days. This will keep your body injury free.

44) Pick and roll

Just pick on one thing every month that you need to work on and then act. It is quite difficult to work on everything all at once.

45) Try the resistance running

By this we mean “run to the hills”. Hill running will also make your leg muscles stronger.

46) Include workouts with your run

Adding chest and legs workout along with your run is a great way to boost endurance.

47) Adapt

Running up the hills puts force on your leg and thigh muscles and in turn makes you stronger. Your muscles learn to adapt to new and increasing stress.

48) Avoid running downside

There is no added advantage to running down the hills. Half of the work gets done on its own and it exerts very less force on the legs.

49) Invest in a treadmill if hills are far off

These days treadmills come with a incline up technology where you can increase the inclined-running angle. This is a good alternative to upside hill running.

50) Try the tempo runs

Tempo runs range for a shorter distance but they are generally at higher pace than the normal. They are the key to improving speed and stamina.

51) Imagination makes things easy

If you are having difficulty running up the hill then imaging then a rope is tied to your waste which is pulling you upwards.

52) Save energy for the top

It’s better to start running from somewhere in between the hill road so that you can complete till the summit.

53) Eat Healthy

The food that you feed to your body acts as the fuel for further mechanisms. A diet with balanced amount of proteins, carbohydrates and other nutrients will keep your body in great shape all the time.

54) Switch between running and jogging

Switching between running and jogging will improve your body’s stamina and will give you a variety run.

55) Keep increasing everyday

Just make sure to increase your running speed every day. This will help you build endurance. If that seems difficult you can also increase your running time.

56) Quality matters

If you stay in your comfort zone and never do the exercises or runs which seem difficult then it is not going to get great things done for you. Instead challenge yourself and it will be fun.

57) Stay informed

Stay informed about the weather conditions, the run tracks and most important your fitness levels.

58) Flexibility adds to the core

If your body is flexible then it really matters. It will reduce the chances of injury and help you run better.

59) Get over with it

If you had a bad run or a bad workout day then simply sweat it out for 30 minutes and get going.

60) Pass by the other runners

Passing by the other runners while completing your run is studied to give you an adrenaline rush and help you stay motivated.

61) Stay Patient

You have to wait for 7-8 successful track runs to see the results. So be patient for that time period.

62) Check your pulse

Just check the pulse rate. If it is above 10 than average then you need to rest as you have not recovered from the earlier day’s session training.

63) Run long

The idea behind is simple: “Run further”. Just keep on increasing your running distance by 0.3 miles every day. This is not much, but it really adds up in the long run.

64) Tie it properly

It is annoying to stop in the middle of the race to tie your shoe lace. So just double tie them before you start your run.

65) Observe

Once you get hold of the warmup and stretching routine that works best for you then follow it. Try repeating it as a daily ritual.

66) Wearing the perfect pairs

Studies say that wearing shoes that are feather-lite help you to run further. So light weight shoes are better when it comes to running long distances.

67) Finish fast

Whether you start your run with a slow jog or a fat paced jog, complete your run at a speed faster than at which you initiated.

68) Persistence matters

It is okay to start at a pace which is slow than to run too fast and then starving to oxygen debt. Just be consistent at the running pace.

69) Don’t miss out

If everything is perfect and your body allows too then do not miss out on the routine of running. If you do then have a backup plan to cover it up.

70) Interval Training

Sprint for 30 seconds and then slow down to a speed approximately 75% of your sprint pace and then continuing at that speed for another 3-4 minutes.

71) Go Minimal

Run for about 25minutes three times in a week and then increase the third week run’s length.

72) Build it gradually

Rather than slow jogging today and immediately sprinting tomorrow, it is better to build upon speed in a gradual way.

73) Do not push it too further

It is said that 2.5 hours slow run is better than 2 hours of sprinting.

74) Do progressive runs

The principle behind is simple: Start at a slow pace – Constantly increase your pace – Finish sprinting.

75) Keep an eye for this

Whenever you are in the “hard training session” feel free to keep a day off for rest. The other thing to watch out or is to never run for more than 3 hours straight.

76) Feather-bed you muscles

If you are going under a hard training then soak in a hot bath sometimes and get your muscles massaged on a weekly basis. Of course it is your body, you can pamper it.

77) Go for diet that is iron rich

Iron and Vitamin C are a good way to keep anaemia at bay. Iron will also give you good amount of energy needed for training.

78) Include weights

You can wear ankle weights while running. This makes it easy for you to run when you run without them, so in a way you train in a hard way.

79) Go Plyometrics

Plyometrics are the explosive workouts like Froggy jumps, jumping squats and so on. They are the core to building muscular body.

80) Divide into groups of three

Divide your run into threes: Running the first one with your head, the second with your personality, and the last with your heart – Mike Fanelli.

81) Don’t rush

Just because you have practiced so much on your running style you will have an edge over the other runners. So take it easy and show it when the right time comes.

82) Walk before you run

It is like a phrase being used – “go easy and then go hard”. This way you will not feel out of breath and will have developed a good stamina in the long run.

83) Being a copycat helps sometimes

If you visualise how your run is going to be then the whole process of running becomes easy. If you role model someone who is calm and composed then it will have a good impact on your run too.

84) Stay positive

If you have a calm attitude towards your running psych then it will surely help you. From the words of Buddha – “What you think is what you become” is what I am trying to talk in here. So keeping a positive attitude will reflect in your workout as well.

85) Comfort investing

Investing in clothes and footwear that feel comfortable is always a win-win.

86) Avoid alcohol

Avoid taking alcohol if possible or else you can indulge in taking moderate amounts of alcohol. The munchies that we tend to consume when having alcohol is also one of the prominent factors of weight increase.

87) Be a smart trainer

By smart training I mean making a proper schedule of time, days and the rest days based on your training. Working out based on schedule also gives you a sense of completion.

88) Make use of technology

These days the mobile phone application stores are filled with a ton of fitness apps. You can probably use one of them which sets your running schedule. The one which I know of and is great is Nike+ training application.

89) Have a cup of coffee

This is one of the common advices that we get – to have a cup of coffee before starting your physical workout. Just make sure to consume it in moderate amounts.

90) Try socialising

Another way to stay motivated is to run with a group of people. Try searching for a running group that is nearby the area you live or else you can find them on the internet.

91) Try meditating

Mediation is known to have a positive effect on our body. It improves your respiratory system and also helps in proper functioning of the body.

92) Try Yoga

Studies show that Yoga increases muscle tone and strength. Improves respiration, muscular flexibility and also makes you feel fresh.

93) Heavy weight lifting

Try explosive workouts which include heavy weights. Workouts like these strengthen the core. A strong core is surely going to help you in running tirelessly.

94) Calf workout

It is said that stronger calf muscles lead to increased vertical jump by a factor of 10 inches. So it gets easy for you to hop around easily while running.

96) Proper sleep

Follow anything, but if you miss this one out then everything goes down the drain. 8 hours of sleep is required by the human for its proper functioning. So do not miss out on your sleep.

97) Avoid energy boosters

Try avoiding energy drinks. Energy drinks don’t provide you with real energy but are loaded with heavy doses of caffeine. So avoid them as much as possible.

98) Squats

Well, squats improve your thigh muscle strength and strong thighs are the core reason to good running.

99) One goal a day

It is like an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Similarly a run a day lays the foundation forward. Try setting up daily run goals rather than setting up for a whole month and try to complete them.

100) Train with somebody

Having a training partner is better than going solo always. This way you both keep a check on each other’s goal and it keeps you motivated.

101) Just run

Last but not the least – Just run consistently. If you keep doing that every day you will realise that in no time you would have become a better runner.

Happy running