In my world, we don't need balls, pucks, or sticks to have fun. We don't have to throw anything into a net, goal, or basket to raise our hands in the air. We don't have to wait for a teammate or a friend to thrive, and we don't have to reserve a tennis court, a swimming lane, or a golf course to emancipate ourselves.
That's how it goes in running, we just have to leave the house with our running shoes and suddenly, we can have fun playing outside.
Almost 10 years ago, I put on running shoes for the first time. It lasted about twenty minutes and I had no idea which path to take... What was the right technique, the right pace, the right number of times, the right shoes, and should I alternate walking and running? I wasn't even at the stage of asking myself these questions. I was a novice and ignorant, but curious to run.
If I could go back, what advice would I give him?
- Hey 24-year-old Dominic who wants to discover this new way of life...
I would start with walking and running. 1 minute of walking for 1 or 2 minutes of running. And instead of rushing to run every day, wait as often as possible for 48 hours before putting on your sneakers again. It would be wiser and anyway, what's the point of rushing to improve if you enjoy the process.
Don't ask for advice left and right, because you will end up getting lost among these hundreds of different opinions. Find yourself a coach and trust him. Have fun running as slowly as possible. Take very small steps with a fast cadence of about 180 steps per minute because it is less impactful on the body. Go running in parks to avoid traffic lights and to admire the scenery.
Allow yourself to stop and drink water here and there, and allow yourself to walk when needed to better appreciate the moment. Let others pass you and take this moment to smile, live, and improve. As for the technique, it's simple... Keep your back straight and leaning forward, hands relaxed and at hip height, look far ahead and slightly down, avoid jumping too much vertically and try to provide as little energy as possible to move forward. For the rest, trust yourself...
The body is an intelligent machine that adapts easily. Forget about miracle recipes, the thousands of conflicting pieces of advice, the hundreds of contradicting articles, and Excel files more complicated than a periodic table. Running is a pure and simple sport, keep it as clear as possible.
Walking is moving and moving is running. Running is health and health is life... Go play outside Dom!
Text by Dominic Royer (Endurance running club coach)
