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This is a follow-up post to my articles 28 Days Later - How To Make Or Break A Habit In Four Weeks and Pssst - Wanna Know The Secret To Life? It’s Running. And Reading.
Update: Since writing this post, I have started a new blog that follows my attempts to run every single day for one year. To learn more, please visit iRun365.com.
I’m eight days into my 28-day experiment to try to run a minimum of 20 minutes each day. My goals are for running to once again become a permanent part of my life in order to improve my physical fitness, lose some more weight, develop a greater sense of calm and inner peace, and to satisfy some longstanding triathlon dreams.
So far, so good. I did the first seven days of 20-minute runs with really no problems at all. I was encouraged on day one that I finished the run without walking and this has continued up to the present. The runs on Saturday and Sunday were harder for me as I’d worked my late shift (10pm through 9am) the previous night and had a busy schedule planned for both days. This meant getting up (after four hours or so of sleep, between about 10am and 2pm) and then literally running out of the door with only maybe ten minutes of ‘wake up’ time. This is something I have never done before and I found it quite difficult. I imagine it’s one of those things you can get used to, but with no experience I just found it tough. My body and particularly my legs felt stiff and sluggish, and because I hadn’t eaten anything at all for hours even these short runs became a bit of a struggle. Moreover, it was about 25C (77F) when I ran, which added to the strain.
Earlier today - my eighth run - I added two minutes to my run time to bring it up to 22 minutes in total. I plan to add a further ten per cent or so to my total time each week until I get to the half-hour mark, when I’ll probably just try to maintain that for 10-14 days before adding more time.
As I mentioned in my previous article, I used to run a lot in my mid/late-20s and as I’m one of those people who devours information about any subject he is currently interested in (often to the point of near-obsession), I have a reasonable knowledge of running, and fitness in general. While it may initially seem a little cheeky for somebody eight days into a running regime to be writing an article like this, I’m drawing more on my experiences ‘back in the day’, which of course because running is such a pure sport remain entirely relevant.
Additionally, even over these first few days I’ve made a few mistakes that have triggered memories of things that I have had to go through before. If you’re thinking about starting a running program yourself, the information here should be of some assistance.
Only Buy What You Really Need - Recycle The Rest!
If you’re a first-time runner it’s important that you don’t part with too much cash before you even take that first step. If you goal is like mine - for running to become something fairly permanent - there’s still no need to make a financial commitment this early in the game.
It’s also worth noting that until you have logged quite a few miles you won’t really know what ‘kind’ of runner you are. Runners aren’t all the same - little things like which part of our foot touches the ground first can be quite significant in deciding which type of footwear you choose to buy.
Only after being sure that running is 100 per cent for you should you consider parting with the big bucks for the good stuff. Until then, to begin running all you need is:
- Running shoes
- Shorts
- Socks
- A T-shirt
- A digital watch
- Your house keys
Let’s look at these items in more detail.
Running shoes - Your shoes are important, even at this stage. If you already own a reasonable pair of cross-training shoes or a semi-expensive sports pair by a reasonable brand, go ahead and run in those. You’ll find out soon enough if they’ll work for you. If you don’t currently own an appropriate pair of shoes, you’ll need to buy some. Look at brands like Nike, Adidas, Reebok, New Balance and Asics. Your budget should not exceed £40 ($80) unless you really have money to burn. Find a decent-sized sports store with a good range and ask for help. And no, a $10 pair won’t ‘do’. That said, all new shoes need a ‘break-in’ period. Expect blisters, and deal with them accordingly.
Shorts - Pretty much any sports shorts will do when you begin running. However, a word of advice - poorly fitting shorts have a habit of rubbing against your thighs whilst you are in motion which can cause a rash that is extremely unpleasant. For this reason, I purchased a pair of Reebok Playdry running shorts before I began my current program. It took me a day to break them in and now they’re absolutely perfect. It’s something to consider.
Socks - Socks are, in my opinion, possibly the most important thing you can and should buy. Any old socks simply will not do - that’s the fast route to blisters and other run-preventing problems. I strongly recommending investing in a couple of pairs of the excellent 1000 Mile socks. They aren’t cheap (about £8/pair in the UK) but it’s a total false economy to wear inexpensive socks (even ones that are designed for other sports) when running. Once you start getting a few blisters your running will become an absolute misery. While there’s a good chance you’ll get a blister or two (usually on or near your heel) when you are breaking in your new sneakers, the 1000 Mile socks (or a similarly-priced competitor brand) will go a long way to stop you from really suffering.
T-Shirt - Pretty much anything will do here. Just wear an old t-shirt that fits reasonably well - not too tight, not too loose - and away you go. Consider a running vest for very hot weather.
Digital Watch - This is not essential - any old watch will do, really - but it’s important to be aware of how long you are running for. As I’m currently aiming for a minimum of twenty minutes each day, and didn’t own a digital watch, I bought one. It cost me £20. ($40). It’s the Timex Expedition watch. I bought this model because it has a soft strap and countdown timer. I prefer a countdown timer to a stopwatch because psychologically it always feels better to glance at your watch and see how much you have left, as opposed to seeing how much you have done. Sure, you can easily work it out either way, but it’s a little mental trick I picked up a long time ago and will happily utilise to make my runs easier. The Timex Expedition watch sets off a little alarm when the countdown reaches zero, too, which means I can totally forget about all that until it goes off. This prevents me from ‘watching the clock’.
Your house keys - Where will you keep your keys? My running shorts don’t have any pockets, nor would I want keys in there if they did (they bounce around and it’s quite off-putting). If you run with your iPod you can purchase a running wallet for it that may have enough room to slip your keys in. I don’t currently run with my MP3 player, however - partly because it’s a Nokia N95 and there doesn’t seem to be any kind of sports jacket available for it in the UK - but also at this stage my runs are too short to be too worried about music. But I still need my keys, as after the run ideally I’d like to be able to get into my house. So what do I do? Sellotape them to my arm. Okay, it’s a bit extreme, but it works perfectly. The keys don’t bounce around, they’re safe and secure, and apart from a moment of discomfort when I peel them off, they’re quickly accessible.
This is all you need to start. If you’re at all sporty (or have been in the past) the cost to begin running should be nominal. If this is all brand new to you, then beginners-level running shoes, shorts and socks will set you back no more than £60-80 ($120-140 in a straight exchange rate, although I find that in the US more often than not a system of 1:1 is more typical for goods purchases. So about $60-100).
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!
At this early stage, running with a water bottle is not something I need to do. Really, until my runs break the 40-60 minute barrier I wouldn’t even consider it. However, that doesn’t mean I can forget about hydration completely.
This is a mistake I’ve made this week - not taking in enough fluids before the run. Even these short 20-minute runs have seen me losing a lot of fluid through excessive sweating (thanks to the pretty warm weather we’re currently enjoying in the UK) and for 48 hours or so I’ve had a ‘soft headache’ which I’m convinced has been caused by mild dehydration. To rectify this, I’ve digested over two litres of water thus far today, and my headache has gone. To ensure it doesn’t come back, I’ll be taking in water before and after all runs from now on.
How much? A good rule of thumb is one 8oz glass for each planned 10 minutes of exercise. So, for me, a couple of glasses before and afterwards should work fine. Your goal after that, and for each day, should be a minimum of two litres of water, really aiming for three. While modern research suggests that 2-3 litres of any liquid is as good as water, for me personally that simply is not true. If I consume 2-3 litres of soft drinks, coffee, juices etc, I won’t feel anywhere near as hydrated as if I’d consumed 2-3 litres of water (as well as a maybe 1-2 cans of diet beverages and a coffee or two). Experiment, and find out what works for you.
Should I Eat Before I Go?
Yes. And no.
It’s absolutely worth consuming a small mixture of simple and complex carbohydrates 30-60 minutes or so before setting off for your fun. Something like a couple of Fig Newtons and a small glass of juice, or maybe a handful of mixed nuts.
Avoid dairy or anything overly fatty or heavy. And definitely pass on spicy foods as these will come back to haunt you with a vengeance.
If you run early in the morning, it’s worth getting up just a little earlier to take in some food. While it’s not so important when you’re running 30 minutes or less, once you’ve passed that milestone - and certainly when you get towards an hour or more - running on an empty stomach can be counterproductive.
Coffee is recommended if you can stomach it. Experiment with what works for you. Early on you’ll inevitably get some stomach cramping and things like that as your body gets used to this new exercise regime. Try different foods and different periods of time before you set off and you’ll soon figure it out.
When Should I Run?
In my opinion, the best time to run is the earliest possible point in the day that you can manage. Really, if you can get up, eat something to sustain the physical effort and then get out the door, that’s as good as it can be.
Why? Because like everything else in life, the more of ‘your day’ you let get in the way the more chance there is that the run will not take place, either because something important will happen that you cannot possibly avoid (that will make you miss the run), you’ll receive an invitation to something that’s happening after work (which will mean skipping the run), you’ll have a really bad day, or receive bad news (that will make you not want to run) or you’ll just lose interest (and not run).
Get it done as soon as you possibly can. If you can’t run in the morning, consider running at work during your lunch break. Make sure you have access to shower facilities. If you can’t run at work, run immediately after work.
If your only option is to run after the rest of your day is done, you’ll need serious willpower to make it a regular habit. From time to time this will be an inevitability for all of us, but as often as you can your run should be the first thing on your agenda as each new day breaks.
Where Should I Run?
I live literally 30 seconds from the beach and so even on the murkiest of days I have somewhere wonderful to run. And when the weather is nice, it’s really very pretty. This in itself is a motivational tool. If you have to travel a long way before you can even begin to run, it can be off-putting. Find somewhere as close to home as possible. Ask about local trails and mapped areas for runners - you’ll be amazed at how popular a sport it is.
Every town will have a club for amateur runners (sometimes more than one). While I currently run alone, once I’ve built up a bit more of a base I plan to join my local club, purely for motivational reasons.
When You Are Running
Try to switch off as much as you can when you run. Be semi-aware of your surroundings and others near you, but my best runs come when I am as relaxed and clear-minded as I possibly can be.
I’ve written before about ‘the zone’ - that moment whilst running that for many (myself included) is a near out-of-body experience. In my experience, it feels as if my body has become two wholes - the top half is ‘resting’, or seated on the bottom half, which is like a separate entity, a running machine that is carrying me to my destination. These moments are fantastic - your mind is clear, but you can think clearly and cleanly without distraction. After a period of time - anything from a few moments to several minutes - you’ll suddenly ‘snap back’ into reality, but while this Zen-like experience is taking place you will feel both incredibly relaxed and calm, and alive.
Even during my current relatively short runs, I’ve already experience these feelings once or twice. As the length of the run increases they will become more common.
Don’t run with your head down, or your eyes on your feet or the ground beneath you. Your head should be slightly raised, and your eyes should be fixed on a point somewhere between the horizon and the base of the sky.
Avoid counting your steps, as this path leads to madness, and the runs seem to go on forever.
As much as you can aim to relax your arms. I run with a kind of soft fist with my thumbs outside, resting on top, as this feels very natural and helps me to relax my shoulders. If your shoulders or arms get stiff, shake them out - just open your arms as wide as you can and literally shake the stiffness away.
If you have to stop running to walk every so often, don’t worry about it. This is something all new runners go through. I recommend pausing your stopwatch if you are using one, and then restarting it once you begin to run again. Otherwise, it’s very easy for your 20-minute ‘run’ to become a 15-minute ‘walk/stand’ with five minutes of running in between.
With regard to your watch, avoid looking at it as much as you possibly can. When you begin you’ll be tempted to look at it all the time, finding yourself groaning out loud that you can’t believe only 42 seconds has passed. In time you will find that you hardly need to look at it at all. This is a good thing. Set your countdown and leave it alone.
When You Are Not
When your run is over, take approximately 10 per cent of the time you just ran and just it to cool/warm down. Don’t sit down immediately. Walk a bit, stretch a little - you don’t want to get too stiff. The first few days you run you WILL feel stiff the next day, but this passes after about 72 hours. Each time you reach a new running length PB - i.e., going from 30 minutes to 45, say - expect to feel stiff all over again.
I don’t stretch before workouts of any kind. I’m unique here - many people swear by it, but I’ve seen no difference in improvement or post-race effects whether I stretch or not. I’ve never had cramp, a charley horse, or anything like that at all. Not once in my entire life. I imagine as I creep up on forty years of age there’s a chance this might change, so I may introduce stretching in the months ahead. 
Surround Yourself With Motivation
I’ve written before on here about a powerful tool I have always utilised where I go out of my way to surround myself with motivation. This prevents me from losing interest in what am I doing and helps me to maintain focus.
With direct regard to running, this will include:
- Magazines
- Web Sites and blogs
- DVDs
- YouTube
Magazines - Originally launched in 1966, Runner’s World is both a magazine and very popular website. (Here are links to the UK and Australian sites.) Tonnes of tips and tricks for beginner-level runners. The forums are a great place to ask questions. The publisher of the magazine has also just launched Triathlete’s World, which was fairly basic but still a good read (in the UK it comes free with the current issue of RW). I’m a subscriber to Outside magazine, also read Triathlete and Inside Triathlon regularly. Men’s Health and Men’s Fitness I buy maybe 4-6 times per year, depending on the content.
Web Sites - The Internet is a magnificent motivational tool. There are thousands of sites and blogs dedicated to running. Here are a few to get you started:
DVDs - Putting on a DVD before you’re going out to run is a quick and easy motivational tool. Anything from a specialist DVD to do with running/racing (the Hawaii Ironman, the ECO Challenge, etc) to something like Rocky Balboa can really get the juices going.
YouTube - If you’re pushed for time, ten minutes on YouTube can work wonders for getting you fired up and raring to go. Search for triathlon races, or running tips, or clips from your favourite inspirational movies, or whatever!
If you’re considering taking up running or you’ve just started, hopefully you’ll find something in this article to motivate you to keep going, to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I’ll report back every 7-10 days or so on my own progress. Good luck! 
Nice primer on running! I keep my keys in my running shorts; they have a small key pocket on the inside of the waistband in the front on every pair except for the ones that have mesh pockets on the outside.
As for how much to spend on a pair of shoes, that will depend entirely upon what kind of shoes you want or need. I’d recommend finding a local running store where there are experts that can help you assess the correct shoes for your current body and running gait.
If you can, try to find a group that you can run with. I coach a weekly run that includes folks looking to improve their marathon or 5k times as well as recreational joggers as well as novice runners that are using the galloway run/walk method. All of them have more fun for having people to run with.
Hi Blaine
I’d definitely recommend going to a specialist running shop and getting advice after you’ve been running for a while, are sure you’re going to stick to it and can look at the sole of your shoes and see what kind of pronator you are, but I think having to do that would be off-putting for beginners, and probably not essential. Until you start running ‘properly’ and regularly, I’m not sure if anyone can give you decent advice as they’ll have no idea what kind of runner you are.
Down the line, maybe two or three months in, then absolutely. I think at the beginning it makes more sense to just buy a pair of shoes in the Nike Pegasus sort of range (£40/$70) and see how you go from there.
Agree on the club; I mentioned this above, as it’s a great motivator. I’ll be signing up for my club once I’ve got a bit of a base on me.
Thanks for your thoughts,
Sheamus
Well, any running shoe is certainly going to be better than a pair of loafers, that is for sure! I don’t disagree with that. I still recommend getting advice early and often; it can shorten the learning curve. I also wanted to point out that the cost of the shoe has little to do with quality as long as you get a shoe made for running (which is very different than a shoe made for walking or other sports.)
I also want to mention to stay slow for at least a few months - after 3 to 5 weeks your cardiopulmonary systems (heart and lungs) will adapt to your training and you’ll feel great and want to pick up the pace. Unfortunately, it takes 6-8 weeks for your musculoskeletal system (muscles and bones) to make those same adaptations, but you don’t get the immediate feedback that you get from your heart and lungs. Pushing the pace too early before your muscles and bones have a chance to adapt is why novice runners get stress fractures so quickly after beginning to run. It’s an easy problem to solve - just keep running nice and easy for a few months.
As for the keys…i generally just tie them into my shoelaces. It works best if you unthread the top eyelet and put the key in there and then rethread it. That way they won’t come out if you shoe comes untied. If they bounce, you can tuck them under the lower laces.
@ Blaine - I agree about cost/quality to some extent. It works both ways though. A $10 shoe is going to be garbage 99 per cent of the time, while a $100 shoe is always going to be well-supported and made with reasonable materials. All sports stores have a running section now - if you keep to a budget, as I suggest, and then down the line when (1) you’re definitely going to stick with it and (2) have some idea of how you run, then you can spend a bit more and get some advice.
The most important thing is the shoes feel right for you and you can run in them at the end of the day. Even the best advice is useless if the shoes feel bad. You can’t have any idea of what kind of shoe you need until you’ve done a fair bit of running, IMO. The best thing to do then is take your old/current shoe to the specialist and get him to evaluate on the back of how you pronate (which will be very visible depending on the shoe leans).
Great advice on starting out slow! Something I’d totally overlooked.
@ Missy - That’s a great idea! However, I’d be worried that, running right alongside the beach as I do (on the promenade), if for some reason the key came flying off it would inevitably go over the barrier and down on to the beach, and I can guarantee I’d never hear it.
I also should have mentioned I need three keys to get into my apartment (main door, inner door, my door). If I lose just *one* I’m toast!
A good tip for you lucky one key people, though. I can see that working really well (my paranoia aside).
Cheers,
Sheamus
Great article! I really like your concept of running 20 minutes for 28 days - such a well rounded goal! I have run for years, but I am working with my son (who is
on his first 5K - little by little - but consistently seems to be the key for him as well.
I think other runners would enjoy this post, as well as your “so you think you are a runner” and “running and reading”. Would you mind if I added them as articles to Runners’ Lounge (www.runnerslounge.com) in the Know How section with a link and credit back to you?
Amy
http://www.runnerslounge.com
blog.runnerslounge.com
Good advice and some nice tips. Bloody keys! Where the hell are our fingerprint sensors eh?
When I moved to Oz I decided to take advantage of the gym in the new building we’re living in and started running on the treadmill. I wanted to shift some weight (I was about 225lbs when I started) and it’s all factored into the rent, so why not? I’ve run a bit at the gym before but always half hearted, so when I started I was only managing about 12 minutes at 10kph before my nose seemed to close up and i’d start grunting and snorting like a wild boar. I’ve now, four and a half months later, managed to get that up to 5-6km (generally 26-30 minutes) 3-4 times a week. I tend to run 500 metres at 11kph and then 500 metres at 12.5kph for the full distance/time. That’s dipped a bit recently as I had a stinking cold, which left me able to run for only about 10 minutes and went back into grunting/snorting mode. Getting back to it though.
Best of all I weighed in on Sunday at 202lbs, which is certainly heading in the right direction. 180lbs is the target.
I really ought to shift from the gym to outside, but it seems (mentally or actually?) about 300% harder when your out on the street. Maybe that’s the next thing to try and get over.
@ Amy - Absolutely! Go ahead and link away. That would, in fact, be great.
@ Pete - You should totally get outside mate. I mean, come on, I can’t imagine many places have better scenery and weather for running than Australia! There’s a reason so many Aussies do so well in triathlons! For inspiration, read The Perfect Human.
Congrats on your weight loss too - sounds like you’re on a similar path to the one I started on - 218 pounds down to 177 currently. My goal is 155-165 now. I feel this fitness of body thing will go a long way to my improving my fitness of mind, too.
Hi Sheamus,
nice article at the right time. Thats motivation for me. I just started running yesterday and today for a daily thing. And it’s interesting what you say about the running time. I thought about improving it very fast first but now i rethink. I ran 22 minutes today and felt good. To run more is no problem, but if you run daily you shouldn’t overdo it. So 20 minutes seems to be a good time as a daily program here. I was thinking about posting something on my blog about my success (which is in german). And yes i should really do it
What else is good is to run in the morning, as you described. One thing which i don’t like on running at late daytime is that you think all the time that you have to run. But in the morning you feel good after it 
I added your blog to my RSS-Reader and looking forward to read new articles
Andreas
Hi Andreas
I think what you say makes a lot of sense. For me it’s all ensuring that my motivation remains strong and I don’t try and do too much too quickly. We all go through days or phases where going out to run is difficult - particularly in cold weather - but if you’re a newcomer to the sport (or starting again) the last thing you want to do is make it overly hard for yourself or give yourself any extra reasons not to want to run.
At these early stages, you should be full of enthusiasm!
For me, that means a week of 20 minute runs, then 22 minutes, then probably 25, and so on. This builds a nice base, keeps me within my comfort zone (to some extent), and stops me sitting at home feeling like I can’t face a 45-minute run.
Which at this point I probably couldn’t, even though I could actually complete that length of time. I’m not ready to do it consistently, and any attempt to do that would, I’m sure, put me off running completely.
The 28-day cycle needs to be doable. It shouldn’t be too easy, but if it’s too hard you will fail, probably well before the four weeks is over, and then absolutely nothing will have been gained.
Also, as you say, when you run early you feel great the rest of the day. Just knowing it’s done, and getting it done, is a powerful motivational tool for the day ahead.
Thanks for your comment, and kind words,
Sheamus
I do need to get outside, you’re right. It’s just that that ever so gentle upwards slope that doesn’t even register when you are walking, all of a sudden becomes an epic uphill struggle when out running. No doubt it’s 90% mental.
I did 30 minutes straight last night, chalking up 5.7km. Could have gone for longer too but there is a 30 min time limit and some folk kept looking my way and tutting
This is where the ‘towel over the screen’ tactic really pays off.