New to the Running Sport

As a new runner, I'll always have questions in my head. How should I start running? Is my form correct? What type of shoes should I get? How often should I run? Where should I start?

Out there in the InterWeb is lots of information. Unfortunately they're all scattered and some are even contradictory. Hopefully I can use this blog as a stepping stone for people who, like me, would like to pick up the sport of running. In no way

So, where do we start? We start like all manner of things, in the beginning. Nahhhhh. I'm not here to give you a history lesson (yet = P). Depending on whether you're like me, a couch potato, or already running short distances, you will want to start off on one of the following level below.

Walks: 
Walking is a good way to start. I would recommend you go to a park and pick up walking. Do your walks with a friend or relative to alleviate any boredom you may face. Yeah lots of people will say I walk enough when I go out shopping. The truth is indoor and outdoor walking differs. Some of these differences are:

• Indoor walks do not face Wind Resistance. A strong head wind can force you to use more strength to counter the push back factor.
• Walking surfaces for outdoor walks have subtle unevenness, forcing your muscles in your leg to adapt to the surface you walk on.
• Outdoor walks have slopes and elevation you have to deal with, helping to build up your leg strength in many ways.
• If you walk in the evening, the heat and humidity of the weather will force you to exert more.

The objective of the walk is to build up your leg strength as well as to build up some level of stamina for you to progress to the next step.

Walk/Run: 
Once you feel that you are ready to start running, you can transition into it by adopting a Walk/Run Program. A walk/run program such as C25K is used to help people who are not used to running to get into running in a systematic, controlled approach. The program is designed as “Intervals” to ease you into the habit of running.  These intervals can differ. For example, you can have a 1 Minute Run X 90 Second Walk interval. As you progress along, the intervals between Run and Walk will get Longer and Shorter, till you’re running a full 5KM non-stop.

When are you ready? For me, I walked up to about 6km in 1 hour after which, I couldn’t stand the itch to start running. Some things to consider when you do walk/run program:

• There is no Hard and Fast rule that you have to follow. Everyone is different. You can always slow down the program or repeat 1 plan till you’re comfortable to move on to the next step.
• Take it slow and don’t overdo it. That’s what everybody tells me. Problem is, how would you know you’re gonna overdo it till you’ve overdid it? So instead of telling you that, I’ll say, Take it slow and listen to your body. If you hurt, don’t push it.
• Be patient. Sometimes it may not be apparent that you’re improving. It is important to remember that you’re building your foundation at the moment and will reap the fruit of harvest in the near future.

The objective of the Walk/Run program is to get a person used to running for longer distance in a systematic and gradual way. If  you'd like to try one out, go on and head to Cool Runing's Couch to 5K Plan.

Run: 
Congratulation. You’ve made it to your goal of being a runner. Take your time and slowly build up on your mileage, from 5K to 10K to half marathon to full marathon and etc.

Disclaimer: All the rambling above are from a crazy old man and should be taken with a healthy dose of caution and self-censorship. ;)