It's so hard! I heard my girlfriend say, as she removed her shoes. As a newbie she was feeling the difficulties that come with moving from 0 to active.
Here are some of the instructions I've used with her and some I've found. All are useful but you need to tailor them to the beginner runner you're helping.
A SHORT NEWBIE GUIDE TO RUNNING
• Warm up first
It’s important to warm up your body before running. Otherwise running will feel very hard on the unconditioned body. Walking is a great way to warm up the body. Start with a medium paced walk and then speed up until you start to sweat. Once your body is warm, you are ready to run.
• A few minutes each week
Each run should take about 20 or 30 minutes, three times a week. That time is the amount of moderate exercise recommended by numerous studies for optimum fitness and health. This schedule will get you fit, even if you are not running long distance yet. Be sure to space out these three days throughout the week to give yourself a chance to rest and recover between efforts. My girlfriend uses her yoga class as her both recovery day and strength day.
• Run for time, or run for distance
You can either measure your run by time or by distance. Choose the option that seems easiest for you to keep track of.
• Buy good shoes
It’s worth going to a specialty shop to buy a pair of running shoes. Make sure that the salesperson looks at the shape and arch of your foot to figure out the best shoes for you. The reason good shoes are important is because it will soften the impact and protect your joints. I can't stress enough that a good and probably expensive pair of shoes are a must for any runner.
• Alternate with interval training
The best way to get fit fast is through interval training. This means short burst of high intensity exercise alternating with recovery periods. More calories are burned in short, high intensity exercise. Try alternating 5 minutes of walking and one minute of running for twenty minutes. As you get fitter, you can lengthen the periods of running. This will help you to build up speed in your running. I love the Kenyan version. Jogging the length behind the soccer goals, then sprinting diagonal down field, then jogging the goal, then sprinting again. Lots of fun.
• Use correct running technique
Keep your head up and your lower arms in hip height, and run without bouncing. It all helps to work your body more efficiently.
• Run with others
A great way to keep up your motivation is to run with others. See if a colleague or a friend is willing to come running with you. Or go to meetup.com. You can always start one too, as I recently did.
• Keep an exercise diary
Keep a record of your new exercise routine. Write down each day what kind of exercise you have done. Put feelings and ideas and especially your aches and pains. It's always good to review how things went a few weeks ago, either from a purely intellectual or emotional pursuit.
• Add a cool-down period after exercise
It’s important for the body to cool down after running. The best way is to walk at a medium pace until your heart-rate returns to normal.
• Stretch after running
It’s a good practice to stretch after running because it keeps your body flexible. Another key thing to do, both as a beginner and as a more experienced runner.
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