Transcription:
How to Start Running

Melanie Cole (Host): You've decided to start running but you aren't sure quite where to start and how to begin. My guest today is Sarah Deets. She's a health and fitness instructor at Bryan LifePointe. Welcome to the show, Sarah. If someone's never been a runner, how do you tell them to get started?

Sarah Deets (Guest): Hi, thanks for having me. Always a good question. With running, you want to start out very basic and so there are tons of programs you can always look up, but when I lead a class, I say start where you are, and that just means start slow. And so, in my running class, I'll have people of all age groups, all abilities. So, I'll always say if you've never been a runner, what I would suggest is maybe doing, of course of about five minutes of just a fast walk, and then do maybe one minute run, two minute walk. Try that five or seven times, see how you feel, and gradually build up that time after that.

Melanie: When you say like just doing a couple minutes of a run versus a walk, kind of going back and forth between, when they hear the word run, how fast? Are they supposed to kind of shuffle? What do you want them to do as far as running, jogging, they don't you know. Is it a sprint? What do you want them to do?

Sarah: Exactly. Good question. I typically say, let's do a slow jog--whatever's natural. I also give them something to follow such as rate of perceived exertion or heart rate ranges or just going by how your body feels.

Melanie: Okay. So then, if they want to get started running, let's just start with the base, and the strongest part of our base is our feet. What shoe wear do you want them to look for when they want to look for running shoes?

Sarah: You want shoes that always have good support. Of course, you can go to any store and buy any shoe that you like and looks pretty and everything else, but you want them to have good support on your foot. So, what I typically do is I send people to local stores in Lincoln and I actually have them get fitted by a running professional. So, it's someone who's been in the running business, that knows what a shoe looks like, and they actually fit their foot perfectly. They make sure that shoe has enough support for them.

Melanie: Should it need to be worn in? This is a question that people ask all the time.

Sarah: Typically, no. If it's a good shoe, if it’s a sturdy shoe, you shouldn't have to break it in. Of course, if you are a long-distance runner, you don't want to put on the shoe the first time and then run 20 miles. You always want to gently ease it in. Maybe do a mile or two and see how it feels, but never want to do more than that.

Melanie: And, what if you start feeling pain? So, you get out there, you start walk, running, a little jogging, you've got your good shoes, but you start to feel pain in your arch, or pain in your knee, or shin splints. What do you tell people about those little nagging pains that start to crop up?

Sarah: Oh, yes. With those, those are always fun. Typically, I always say good stretching before and after, you really want to use the ice, rest, the ibuprofen, all that fun stuff. But, if it's just a nagging pain, gradually it will go away, but you just really have to take good care of your feet and stretch a lot and make sure that's okay. If it doesn't go away, I always say get it checked out by a doctor. Make sure the doctor's on board. Like yeah, it's more than just shin splints, we need to take a look at that.

Melanie: Should they be sore after that first couple of runs?

Sarah: A little soreness is normal. If they are feeling anything, for example, if they have shooting knee pain or, you know, we talked about shin splints, or anything like that. Those are things to be concerned about. If you’re feeling a pop in your knee every step, absolutely you should not feel that but a little soreness after each run is pretty normal because you're using muscles that you haven't used in a while in that capacity, so that is normal.

Melanie: Now, some people, Sarah, maybe they have an orthotic in their shoe and they want to start running so they wonder if they should move that into the running shoe or buy one of those like Spencos or Superfeet to go in and give extra support. Can they over correct that way? What do you tell them?

Sarah: Absolutely. Again, I refer them to one of the local running companies, only because I have knowledge of exercise and how to do the running structure and running posture but, in terms of shoe support, I leave that to the doctors and the trusted professionals that deal with that one-on-one.

Melanie: So then, now comes the motivation. How do you get that motivation to do it and how do you set those realistic goals so that you can keep doing it once you've gotten started?

Sarah: Absolutely. One of the biggest things that I work with clients on is setting goals and making them realistic. So, we use what's call the SMART goals and it is “S” is for specific, “M” is for measurable, “A” is for attainable, “R” is for realistic, and “T” is for timeline. And so, in our very first class, we'll set up very specific goals in what they want to accomplish. So, I say, you know, if your goal is to run a mile, how do we get there? And we break down each step. And then, if we say, “Your goal is a 5K or a half-marathon”, I'll give them so many weeks that they need to train to get them there, and I'll be there with them every step of the way. So, we're just figuring out how many days a week they need to run, how long they need to run, how far--very specific things that they can achieve on a weekly basis to get them there.

Melanie: So, if they're training for an event, do they need to run the distance of the event while they're training?

Sarah: That is a very good question. I've heard different things. In my research, for me personally, I've always wanted to run the distance while training just so I knew that I could do it. For example, I ran the half-marathon this year, and I didn't quite do a whole half-marathon in training, I did 12 miles, but I've had actually a physiologist come in and talk and they say really you don't need to do that much because your body knows what to do. And so, I say if you're starting out and you've never done a 5K before, at least try and go at least 3/4 of the distance, so it would be probably 2 miles.

Melanie: And, how hard do you tell people to push themselves? So, if they're not maybe quite doing the complete distance, how hard do you want them to work and when do you say, “Okay, you've done enough for today or for this training”?

Sarah: Yes, exactly. With our class right now, it is an eight week class, and my goal is to get everybody comfortable by about week six to be able to say, “Yeah, I can do 5K. I can do the distance and feel comfortable about it.” And so, it's during those initial weeks that we actually train bigger and we do group runs, but we really evaluate how to do every run. And so, in that situation, we'd use the rate of perceived exertion, that scale from 1 to 10, how hard you feel like you're working. I always say, “When you're running, I want you to feel like you're at a four or five,” and that just means that you're able to keep going, you're able to have a conversation normally, and your breathing is okay. If ever you're at a 7, 8, 9, or 10, that's working too hard and you need to back it down. The other thing I use is the heart rate calculation that I've used for years and basically it's figuring out your max heart rate, and then percentages from there, and figuring out where you want to be and where you don't want to be. So, very similar to the rate of perceived exertion.

Melanie: And what do you tell people about nutrition and hydration during training and during the event itself?

Sarah: Yeah, good question. We actually have a dietitian come speak to our last class. I think she said for every half hour you are outside, you want to at least drink one glass of water, if you can. And, I know that's difficult for a runner, especially if you get side aches, which I'm prone to. So, I always take water with me and I sip along the way. We never want to feel thirsty, because as soon as you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrating.

Melanie: Now, Sarah, what if the weather's bad? Can you train for an event on a treadmill?

Sarah: That's a very controversial topic. When I first started running, I did not want to run outside, so I did my training on the treadmill and it was fine. I've had other people say you need to be able to run on different surfaces so that your body adjusts. For me personally, I say “yes”, but there are others saying that you need to do different surfaces as well.

Melanie: And, when people come to you and say they want to begin running, what do you say to them about what it will do for their mental health, for their feelings of euphoria and those endorphins that are released from running?

Sarah: Absolutely. You know, running is a very powerful exercise. By that, I mean it can be so mentally and physically empowering for you. As I'm running, that's my time to kind of figure out the day and, you know, deduct problem-solving activities, and as soon as you get those endorphins going, you feel better about things. Things look better to you, and that's one of my favorite things about running is that it's your time to just enjoy and be out there and do something for you.

Melanie: That is absolutely great information and thank you so much for being with us today, Sarah. You're listening to Bryan Health Radio and for more information, or if you'd like to learn more about healthy living, you can go to bryanhealth.org. That's bryanhealth.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.