What Are the Benefits of the programme?
Getting in slow running time, at a conversational pace, has many benefits for your body:
- Strengthens muscles in legs, torso, and arms.
- Adapts tendons, ligaments, joints, and bones.
- Promotes efficient running form and gradual improvements.
- Teaches patience, discipline, and how to handle physical discomfort.
- Trains the cardio and muscular systems to work more efficiently.
- Improves respiratory especially if you suffer with asthma.
Longer life span could potentially be added to that list, and in general, runners have an estimated 25 to 40 percent reduced risk of premature mortality. However, studies have found that consistent slow and moderate-paced runners had a lower risk of all-cause mortality than non-runners or strenuous runners.
How does the programme work?
We always start slowly with a 5-minute walk to warm up and start to regulate your breathing in preparation for your first segment. Running at a conversation pace will give your body a chance to warm up and build towards a comfortable running pace. We promote the “RunTalkRun” theory, within the groups. By talking as well as running, has found it regulates your run and supports breathing techniques, if you can’t talk, you are running too hard. It’s great to always end your workout with at least five minutes easy to cool down until your heart rate is below 100 beats per minute. This cool down time allows the blood that has traveled to your extremities during exercise to return to the heart and the brain. There is no science to running but by using these simple techniques will get you from the couch to your end goal.
Here’s a few tips and guidelines to think about
Start each run slowly with the idea fixed in your mind that you’re going to finish strong. No matter how long you plan to run, start out slowly to warm up, then gradually raise your heart rate as you run.
Keeping the pace nice and controlled to spare lung capacity that you can talk whilst you run, you're probably going too slow. If you are huffing and puffing, you’re going too fast. A good rule of thumb is that you should be able to hold a conversation.
Slow down on hills whatever level you’re at, so don’t feel bad about slowing down on them. The key to conquering hills is to focus on maintaining an even effort – not speed – when ascending and descending. If you find you’re gasping for air, slow down or take a walk break.
Walk breaks aren't cheating and in the early parts of the programme you will walk between intervals. This will stave off muscle fatigue and delay depletion of your stores of glycogen – your prime source of energy on the run – which allows you to run for a longer total time than if you had run continuously. However, you don’t have to take walk breaks during every run if you don’t feel you need them, and you’ll naturally reduce them as your running improves.
It doesn't matter how far you go. The first step is to focus on building overall fitness and making exercise a habit. Plus, the health benefits result from the time you consistently spend elevating your heart rate. So, to start with, just get out there regularly. When you’re a little more experienced and confident you can consider investing in some devices to record your distances.
Don't run every day at first. It’s important to give your body time to recover from every run so it can adapt to the training schedule and the new demands being made on it. As a minimum try and make the Tuesday and Thursday sessions.
If you're struggling, slow down. When the effort feels tough, it’s very common to tense up. If this happens, it helps to unknit your brow, unclench your jaw and keep your hands relaxed. If you’re still struggling, slow down. You need to worry about taking on fuel only when your runs start extending beyond the hour mark.
It's fine to miss a day and If you miss a day on the programme your, simply pick up where you left off and don’t feel bad about it. Even if you’ve missed runs, you probably haven’t lost as much fitness as you think you have. The important thing is not to let this setback or derail you; just get back on track with a run.
Feeling a bit sore is normal, especially at the start of the programme. Pain that is all over the muscles you’ve worked, is on both sides and eases the more you move is probably delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which is normal as your body adapts to the demands of exercise. Pain on one side, that is centred on one area, such as the knee, and hurts more when you move, is probably an early sign of an injury. If this is the case, you should seek medical advice.
For your first few runs, you'll be fine in a pair of standard trainers. However, if you decide you like it (and trust us, you will!), it's well worth investing in a pair of specialist running shoes, which will provide more cushioning and support, making running more comfortable while, crucially, reducing your risk of injury. It's a good idea to go to a specialist running store, such as Gloucester sports who can provide gait analysis, which will measure how and where you land when you run, as well as any misalignments within the ankles or knees. One of the specialist will analyse how you run by filming you on their treadmill, which will help them determine what shoe is best for you. As a member of the programme you will qualify for 10% discount on in store purchases.
For female members a good quality sports bra is a must. This will help to prevent breast and back pain and make running far more comfortable. Check out this link for advice on the best running sports bras.
This might be a lot to take on board, but this will be covered during the programme by the run leaders who will advise on all aspect of the programme. The most important part of the course is to enjoy it, talk to the run leaders for additional support or advice.