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Before you Run
Exercise is known to enhance serotonin levels in the brain, giving you a natural ‘high’ and making you feel better, refreshed and energised.
Being able to see the progress that you have made over time also provides a sense of achievement. The best way to do this is to keep a diary of the training that you have undertaken. Have a look at the KEEP A DIARY AND OBSERVE section for more information.
Achieving success is all about feeling confident with your training programme, which is why it is important to progress at a steady rate and stick to a schedule. The easiest way to lose confidence and the ‘feel good’ factor running should give you, is to over-train or under-train.
Overtraining, put simply, is when you do too much. You can do this by taking on an excessive or monotonous training load, entering too many competitions, not allowing enough recovery time following exercise, inadequate nutrition, etc. External pressures can also place a strain on your body. Financial pressure, work, or social issues are a few examples. Everyone has different tolerances and you’ll find that your limits will change depending on other factors that are affecting you at any specific point in time.
Conversely, under-training is when you are not doing enough to be able to achieve your goal. Not completing the sessions in your training plan may lead to you not completing the schedule, and your goals in the time frame initially laid out.
In both cases try to be as honest with yourself, and your training plan, as possible.
It is vital to give yourself sufficient recovery time, and to maintain all the other diverse elements of your life.
Unlike many other sports where you need to find a special playing area (such as a tennis court, cricket pitch or swimming pool) you can run just about anywhere you happen to be.
The training programmes on this site are based on distance and time rather than on the running surface but do try to mix up the surfaces that you train on so that not all of your running is done on roads or pavements. Running on grass is more forgiving on your feet and legs – so check out your local park or another green space.
Everyone has a different daily routine and will also have different thoughts about when they feel their body is most suited to training. Find out what works best for you.
You may find it easier to get up an hour earlier to go for a run before work. Or maybe the best time will be just as you get home from work in the evening.
Sometimes a run at lunchtime may be possible. Even better if you can persuade a few work colleagues to run with you – running with others will make your runs feel a lot easier, and it’s also not so easy to persuade yourself out of a planned run if you know there will be others waiting for you.
Alternatively, if you live not too far from work you might like to run home, or perhaps get off the train or bus a few miles earlier than usual and running the remainder of the distance home.
