Beginner Runner Village

This is it! You’ve been learning about what to do for nine days. Think of this as graduation day, the day you get the last, but most critical, piece of the puzzle. Today, you find out exactly what you should do, and I mean you, personally, should do on Day 1 of your running journey. Today, is you diagnostic run. In this podcast, I explain what to do to find out how far you should run during each running segment of your walk to run mile, which is the distance you should start with.  I also explain how to progress from there, the three variables, and the details regarding the decisions you’ll be making in deciding what to change and when.  I’m excited for you because this is, of all the secrets I’ve imparted, perhaps the most crucial one, because if you try to start your running training with too much, you’ll likely never succeefd

I’ve been hearing the phrase, ‘turtle power,’ for years, always from ‘slower’ runners, usually in an upbeat, positive way, an “I’m fine with that” way, but sometimes they utter the words apologetically, and that makes me sad. Often, these are beginner runners, but not always. It is my hope that after listening to this podcast, no one listening will ever feel bad, in any way, about being a slower runner. What is slow, anyway? It’s all relative, isn’t it? When an Olympian runs a 6 minute mile, it’s an off day. Most runners will never see the faster side of 9 minutes, and some will always run 12 minute miles, and I sure hope those people don’t apologize for that because there is no reason to be the least bit apologetic. To me, that’s like apologizing because you have brown hair. If anyone ever makes you feel like your pace is too slow, then that person is just being unkind and isn’t worth worrying about. You have as much right to go your own pace and be happy with it as any other runner has a right to go the pace that is comfortable to them. After all, running is an individual sport. One of the most enjoyable elements of running is that anyone can do it; you don’t need to be a gifted athlete, but I sure hope you do realize that anyone at any pace is an athlete. Turtle Power is the mantra of slower runners everywhere, and so it should be. I hope it’s empowering. If you’re a slower runner, and since you’re a beginner, you probably are, own it; don’t apologize for it. Turtle runners unite! Subscribe with Stitcher Radio

Weight loss or management plays a role in the life of virtually every runner. Either they start running to lose weight or they’ve alreaady lost weight, and the want to become a runner to help them maintain that weight loss or they’re worried that their weight will gradually creep up if they don’t get lots of exercise. Even the most fit-looking, slender runners will often say that maintaining a desirable weight is one of the reasons why they run. Bottom line, many runners are running to lose weight. It works. Running can, without a doubt, facilitate these goals, but for some, it doesn’t work. It’s not a given that you’ll lose weight by starting to run. Some people become runners and never lose weight, or even gain weight. I’ve seen it enough times that, now, I can explain why that happens and how to avoid it. I’ve got some guidelines for nutrition as well. I want you to succeed in reaching your weight loss goals, and I’m sure this information will help you do that. Michael Pollan Real Food Liz (Liz Wolfe) author of Eat the Yolks Your Personal Paleo Code by Chris Kresser The Whole30 Subscribe with Stitcher Radio

The two main reasons why beginner runners don’t succeed are these: * They get injured and conclude their bodies can’t handle it. * They don’t enjoy running; they may even dread the workouts. When you do it the way I’ve set out in this series, there is no doubt but that you’ll feel good during and after the workouts, mentally and physically. That’s a given, but I’m sure you’re wanting to know what you can do to run healthy and prevent running injuries. That is the topic of this episode. Subscribe with Stitcher Radio

Many beginner runners don’t warm-up because they think the only reason to warm-up is to prepare to run fast; they know they don’t run fast, so they skip the warm-up. That is a big mistake, but I absolutely understand how a beginner runner might arrive at the conclusion that, for them, a warm-up is unnecessary. The fact is that warming up is even more critical for the beginner runner than it is for an advanced runner. I’ll explain that and how to do an appropriate beginner runner warm-up in this podcast. Then, we’ll talk about walking paces. By that I mean paces for the three different occasions when a beginner runner walks as part of a weekly schedule. Those three are the speed for walking when walking is the whole workout on your easier, non walk/run days, walking as part of a warm-up before the walk run interval, and last, the pace for walking between running intervals. This question came up several times in my online coaching group; so, I know it’s one that occurs to most people executing a walk to run program. Subscribe with Stitcher Radio

The single most common beginner runner complaint I hear from beginner runners is that they can’t breathe. Often new runners say they struggle to breathe because they feel like they’re breathing through a straw; they say they just can’t get enough air. If you’ve ever been in that situation, you will find answers in this episode. That may be the number 1 problem that you know you must overcome to be a successs, to be able to build endurance and run for miles. It just makes sense, that if you can’t breathe, you can’t run very far and you can’t be comfortable for even a few minutes. So, this is a problem we must fix and do it now. For a more extensive discussion of this topic, please check out this earlier podcast episode:  BRV 008: How to Breathe When You Run Subscribe with Stitcher Radio

It’s not unusual for coaches of beginner runners to disregard form in lieu of total emphasis on building endurance. I believe the opposite is the far better, more effective route. Why learn to run with bad form? Why? It makes no sense. The easies time to focus on form is when you’re only running a few steps at a time. Plus, the better the form, the less the likelihood of injury – and the better the running form, the more comfortable the runner will be, the more coordinated the new runner will feel, and that is hugely important. In this podcast I take you from head to toe, quickly going over all the elements of running form. If you’d like a deeper, quite thorough look into running form, I’ve got that for you, too. I’ve acually done four episodes: BRV 009: Running Form Explained, Part 1 BRV 010: Running Form, Part 2 BRV 011: Running Form, Part 3, Foot Strike BRV 012: Running Form, Part 4, Runner-Watching Subscribe with Stitcher Radio

You need a plan. You wouldn’t set out on a road trip without a map because the chances of arriving at your destination, assuming you hadn’t been there before, would be zero. There are far too many possibilities and far too many possible directions. Well getting started running is somewhat like that. While most people think it’s as easy as running as far as you can, then stopping to walk, then repeating, as I’ve already explained, this method will almost never get you to your desired destination. In fact, more often than not, it ends in a dead end to what might have been a prolific and immensely satisfying running career. Enter the map – or in this case – the plan. By plan, I actually mean a day by day running schedule. This changes everything, and the happy part is that you don’t need to hire a coach to get a schedule that’s tailored to exactly your goals and your body. Now, if you’d feel better about having me  tell you, personally, exactly what to do, where to start, how to progress, I hope you’ll come to my January Beginner Runner Retreat. That would be ideal. If not, though, you’ll certainly get the information you need by listening to this episode of the Beginner Runer Village podcast. Listen in to learn the running principles that are the backbone of every running schedule. Subscribe with Stitcher Radio

Every runner of every level needs a constant stream of motivation, and while that may seem to be a challenge, the fact is that once you establish the habit of running, which experts say takes 28 days, then the habit takes over, and you only occasionally need more of a boost than that. Truth is, the longer you run, the more ingrained that habit becomes, and it actually gets really hard to not run. That’s the good news; that’s the great news, but you’ll need some extra help in the first few weeks, and that’s the goal of this podcast. In this episode, I explain a few secret weapons to get you motivated to get out the door for those first 28 days and for the occasional times after that when you find you need a motivational boost. For a more extensive discussion of motivation, here is a longer podcast I did a while back.   BRV 029: The Motivation of Wanting More Subscribe with Stitcher Radio

It’s the time of year when every day seems to get shorter, and I don’t mean the amount of daylight; I mean it seems like there are fewer of hours in the day. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, the days seem shorter and the ‘to do’ list is always longer. When you add to that the fact that you find yourself eating more and having zero time for fitness. It’s no wonder it’s an especially stressful time. I hope this  10-day condensed class for beginner runners will help allay the stress by helping you feel that you’re prepared to start running in January I had planned a 10-day comprehensive ‘get started’ class for the first week of January, but after giving it some thought, I decided to roll it out now. My thinking is this: * If people know they have a plan for the new year, if they already know what the plan is, and they’re confident that it’s doable, they will decrease the stress they feel during the holidays. * People always have more success when becoming a runner if they spend a few weeks getting their bodies into better condition, first; however, most people want to jump in with both feet and train hard from day 1. It’s characteristic in our society to go all in, to believe that hard work should be invested in any goal as often as possible. This works against beginner runners because their bodies need a super gradual conditioning period. The holidays are, then, the perfect time. Even walking 2 miles a week and doing just a handful of exercises for beginner runners, two or three times per week to prepare your body to run will make a huge difference come January. In this 10-podcast series, I’m condensing everything from the last 35 podcasts into sort of a quick start class. Each podcast will be between five and 15 minutes, with most about 7 minutes.  This beginner running class is for people who are * unfit * or older * or overweight, * or all three. For that reason, it’s different from the usual program; it’s much more gradual. The emphasis is entirely on success, on you becoming a lifelong runner. I believe you shouldn’t be in a hurry to build endurance. The emphasis should be on building fitness at a healthy, controlled rate. We’re after optimal health. If that’s your goal, you’re in the right place. This 10-day series is for people at the very beginning of their running career, people just building up to their first running mile. I’m super excited to have the role of motivator to help you take your first running steps, and hopefully, to assure that you have the confidence to make the commitment to become a runner in 2017. In this first class, I explain how to do it the right way, the most effective way to become a runner. I mention these items in the podcast: Go to BeginnerRunnerVillage.com to order (free) my Resources for Beginner Runners guide Follow me on Instagram @You2CanRun Check out The Human Race, a Documentary Facebook page here. The video clip will leave you feeling empowered, feeling like you can most certainly become a runner. The documentary film will be about runners over 50, and the message will be that you’re never too old and that if you run, you will be healthier, and you can extend middle age and good health for the rest of your life. Watch the clip. You will have goosebumps. Then, save the link, because every time you need a little extra boost of motivation, you can go there and watch it again.  Subscribe with Stitcher Radio

No matter who you are or what your situation, there will be times when, try as you might, the end of the day rolls around, and it starts to look like you won’t have time to get in your workout. Has that happened to you? It’s a sad feeling, not terrible, but it’s not the way you want to end your day. It’s just one reason why running early in the morning makes sense, if you can swing it, because then, if something interferes, you still have options. Maybe it means you go out and run on your lunch hour or maybe on your afternoon coffee break or, hopefully, you have some flexibility in your afternoon time, but all that is really beside the point of this podcast. This episode provides you with a safety net for those days when, no matter what, no matter the reason, you just weren’t able to get out and run. In such cases, BAT workouts provide mental reasurance because you know a BAT workout will prevent any loss in fitness. BAT workouts are your running training safety net. Now, what does this have to do with Halloween? Nothing, except that when I was about to record this episode, I got to thinking that bats and Halloween go together; I’ve always called them BAT workouts, which stands for best alternative training, but it was just a coincidence that I recorded this episode the week before Halloween. By alternative training I mean alternative to actually going outside to do your planned workout. This BAT workout will keep your fitness from sliding backwards. Even if your schedule – and your daily life – results in you only having time to run on two weekdays, if you do this workout on the other days, you’ll be fine. You can still continue to improve your running fitness with just those two running workouts and your two weekend workouts. So, these BAT workouts can be critical. Two great things about this workout: * It’s completely customizable. Once you understand the structure, you can swap out exercises or change the time frames. * It can be a complement to your running. Feel free to add in one or two BAT workouts per week. BAT workouts don’t have to be just alternatives for days when you don’t have time to run. Subscribe with Stitcher Radio

Of all the great pleasures of running, time spent with other runners is one of the greatest. You can’t have too many running friends, and running with them makes every mile a whole new and different experience. You’ll make friends for life, and during all those miles, you’ll discuss every comceivable topic, solve the world’s probems and each others. You’ll run more because you want to hang out with your friends, and a bad run will always become a much better run when you have friends by your side. While belonging to a running group is helpful to eperienced runners, it’ exponentially more beneficial to new runners, beginner runners who need motivation and support, but beginner runners often feel intimidated, worrying that they won’t be welcome, won’t be able to keep up, or won’t be able to run far enough, all valid concerns. In this podcast, I address questions submitted by the beginner runners in my Mojo for Running Coaching Program regarding those exact concerns and many more. I hope that after giving this podcast a listen, you’ll feel like you’re ready to find a club and become involved. Subscribe with Stitcher Radio

Newer runners tend to be too hard on themselves, often pushing too hard, running too much or at a level too intense for their current state of fitness. If you’re feeling tired, this could be the reason – or at least part of it. Any time you feel extra tired, more tired than normal, you need to step back and analyze the situation. You need to figure out why you’re feeling tired and take the appropriate steps right away. If you don’t, you may miss several weeks of running, and we don’t want that. This episode of the Beginner Runner Village Podcast will help you figure out why you’re feeling tired and make the correct and very necessary adjustments. Subscribe with Stitcher Radio

Running, every day, requires a constant stream of motivation, but then, when the mercury starts to rise, it’s super easy to make the choice to do something else, anything else, any other activity, as long as it can be performed in the air conditioning. Well, obviously, that’s going to move you farther away from your running goals; so, in this episode, I give you strategies for coping with the heat, the tips that I’ve discovered make the hot weather considerably more tolerable. Running in hot weather will always be a challenge, but these strategies will help you train through the hottest months for running.  Subscribe with Stitcher Radio

Hopefully, anyone starting a running program, any beginner runner, is mostly walking for the first several weeks. Additionally, anyone just starting to run, hopefully, is walking a lot to build up caradio endurance and to strengthen their bodies to get ready to run, but this brings up the question, “How fast should I walk?” People listening to my podcast know that I talk a lot about running cadence; so, it’s not surprising that beginner runners often ask me about walking cadence. Well, there are three different instances during the course of a week when any beginner runnner will be walking. In this episode, we look at each occasion for walking, and I explain the goal, and, therefore, the desired walking pace. Subscribe with Stitcher Radio