How to Quickly Become a Long-Distance Runner

There are many ways to lose that tummy, those thighs, and the stiffness that comes from sitting behind a desk all day. The best one of all is running, especially for long distances. It’s the simplest of sports, and yet so many try and fail at it. That’s because the effort involved seems enormous, and running seems so painful. It doesn’t have to be that way. Running can be fun, and the benefits last for years and years. OK. You’re up out of the chair-now what? Well, a checkup would be a good idea. And while your doctor is giving you the OK to start your new life sport, ask him or her to give you some dietary suggestions to accompany the launch of your running lifestyle. Just like with the running itself, a set plan with intelligent guidelines will maintain your body’s peak efficiency and give you the best chance of succeeding as a runner.

Next, you want to buy some running shoes. Go online and find a reputable runner’s site and check out the recommendations. You don’t want a high-end shoe because you’re a novice runner and won’t be doing heavy mileage for a while. So there’s no need to spend a lot of money on a shoe with all the latest features, a lot of which will be cosmetic or much more than you need. You want a well-constructed shoe that fits comfortably and that gives your feet good shock absorption. Running involves a lot of pounding, but if you protect yourself with a good pair of shoes, you will not become discouraged by injury. If your town has a running shoe store that is staffed by actual runners, ask them to show you the shoe they’d buy if they were training for their first race.

The key to successful running training is the same as the key to successful marathon racing (and for that matter a lot of things in life)-pacing. To become a runner, you need a goal, and for a goal to be worthwhile, it has to be achievable. You can go from the armchair to running and finishing a 5K road race in a matter of months. Here’s how. The idea is simple: get your body used to the task of running and push it gently toward your goal. In the process. you will discover just how much endurance you really have as opposed to what you may think you have. This was a lesson I learned when I started running in the 70’s.

In those days, I could barely run a quarter of a mile without stopping and gasping for air. Then one day, running my quarter-mile, I noticed another runner slightly ahead of me and decided to pass him to conclude my run. But I couldn’t. Though he was only about 100 yards ahead of me, I couldn’t catch up. I had played baseball, basketball and football for years and this was a defeat I wasn’t about to swallow, even though the only real opponent was myself. My competitive spirit kicked in and I decided not to leave the track until I had caught up to this runner. Around and around we went, one mile, two miles, until finally the other runner slowed down and finished his run. Sweaty and exhausted, I ran one more lap just to satisfy myself, and during it realized that I had just run much longer than I ever thought I could, because my adrenaline had spurred me on. It was then that my running ambitions started to grow, and I entered a 5K race.

The best way to get to your running goal is to set a course to reach it gradually. Start off with the premise that your entire workout will be 30 minutes. Run every other day, to give your body a chance to recuperate between runs, and begin by alternating running for 2 minutes and walking for 2 minutes, or until recovered, until you’ve covered 30 minutes. When that becomes easy, increase the running time, and if possible, decrease the walking time until you reach the last stage-running for 30 minutes without stopping. And voila-once you reach that goal, you are now capable of finishing a 5K race, because you’re probably now capable of staying on the race course for as long as it will take to finish. And if not, you can always stop and walk, just like you did during training. In the meantime, you’ll be leaner, happier, and able to call yourself a runner. Just remember to drink that water!