10 Tips to Get you Running

1. Have a goal! Whether it is to run 1 mile or 5, simply setting yourself a specific target will make things a lot easier for yourself if you have a finish line in sight!
2. Make sure you have the appropriate equipment/footwear. Nothing more likely to cause injury/discomfort than this. There are a number of running specialty shops around so any one of these will help you to find appropriate shoes and clothes for you.
3. Community support. Athletics Ireland has set up a number of online running community where you can gain and offer advice and tips. This can be a great way to improve your enjoyment of running, as well as acting as a way of trying to improve by testing yourself against other people. The Athletics Ireland Strava account can be found here, and it's a great place to keep log of all of your runs.
4. Mix your running surfaces. Too much running on one surface can lead to repetitive strain injuries so where possible vary between road/grass/trail/path/treadmill.
5. Stay well hydrated, and eat plenty of carbs around training time to allow best recovery. Other than this your diet should be sensible! It doesn’t need to be very strict but obviously the poorer it is the worse you recover and perform!
6. Try some interval/fartlek/hill training. You’ll see much better improvements in how fast you run if you mix up your paces. If you always run at the same speed you’re just training yourself to run at that speed. You can try simple intervals like 1 minute hard/1 minute easy to start with and make them more difficult as you get the hang of them.
7. Supplementary training such as weights/circuits/pilates can be great for injury prevention and can help running itself. Try to incorporate such activities into your weekly schedule. It might be as simple as 15 minutes of Pilates/core type exercises straight after a run or a more structured program if you have the time.
8. If you have pain running and you’re unsure about why, STOP! Go see your GP or Physiotherapist, find out why you have a problem and then deal with it. Many running related pains are easily dealt with, but some, if left untreated, can become chronic problems.
9. Try making running a part of your work day. Many people use lack of time as an excuse not to run, but it may be possible for you to run into or out of work, or to run at our lunchtime. This allows you most efficient use of your time.
10. Finally, enjoy your running! Every session you do doesn’t have to be better than the last one. Schedule easy runs for yourself where you don’t worry about pace and just enjoy a nice easy trot! And remember to #KeepYourDistance