10 tips for the beginners of running
We know that beginnings can be tough. Especially when we start a totally new discipline without a proper preparation. What is the best way to stay motivated? If you want the find out the most useful tips from a true professional, read below and find out what recommends Caspar Copetti, the founder of On Running and an avid runner who shows that jogging can became our daily habit.
1. Start slowly
Yes, I know, you want to go fast. But the basis for going fast is going slow, so slow that you can always have a conversation during running. It’s ok to walk up a hill, too.
2. Just show up
The best kept secret in becoming a runner is this: Just get up from your couch or bed an go running. Don’t think too hard about the weather, the cold, the dark, your hangover. Just go and run, and even if it is for just 20 minutes.
3. Don’t overdo it
A friend of mine was just intensively and seemingly successfully training for his first marathon - until he endured a stress fracture in his foot doing barefoot sprints on the beach. This is quite common among ambitious people - our minds are stronger than our (untrained) bodies. So be careful in building up your weekly training volume.
4. Mix up your routes
You will get the most out of your trainings if you run different routes. Us humans are creatures of habit - try running your usual loop in the other direction or find a all together new route and you will not only be less bored, but you will get in better shape because your body cannot stay in auto-pilot.
5. Rest is as important as training
My friend and On Co-Founder Olivier Bernhard always told me: the difference between a professional triathlete and an amateur is the recovery. A professional athlete will spend several hours a week on recovery, be it massages, stretching, physio therapy - or just taking a nap after lunch. Maybe you should consider Olivier’s wisdom: after all, he’s a three time World Champion!
6. Technique is important
No, you were not born to run. Try working on your running form with a coach or accomplished runner. A typical mistake is to take too long strides, to bend over forwards, and to rotate your arms across the body.
7. Mix it up
Once you got into a running habit, try to bring variety in your training by alternating between long/slow runs and short and fast runs as well as hills or very technical courses.
8. Go off road
Nothing beats running on a single trail, ideally with a view (or at least immersed in a forest). You will find it quite challenging and stimulating to watch out for rocks and roots and time will fly by. It’s easier to find your flow, too
9. Sprint it out
If you have the ambition to run fast, you need to start running intervals. Yes, intervals are hard, but also fun. A very effective version is 30-20-10: after warming up, run at a slow pace for 30 seconds, then go at medium pace for 20 seconds, followed by a 10 second all-out sprint. Repeat 6 times and then do a 5 min slow recovery run. And then do it again.
10. Your most important body part for running is - your smile!
We at On Running believe that running should be fun. So don’t take it too seriously. When you feel your legs and heart are exploding - try a smile and feel the extra energy rush through your body.
Caspar Coppeti
In 2010, Caspar Coppetti (43) founded the Swiss running shoe company On together with two of his friends. 9 years later the running shoes with the revolutionary cushioning are available at more than 5000 stores in some 50 countries. Caspar Coppetti has a doctorate in Economics and before On has worked in branding for Young & Rubicam, as a journalist and as a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Co. In 2016 he was named founder of the year by the University of St. Gallen.