Face the direction you want to go and put one foot in front of the other! Simple really! However, there are theories on how to stay injury free and improve yourself, some of which will be outlined here. Before this, it is important to stress that research into running is constantly being carried out by many institutions some of which reinforces what is already known but some contradicts widespread practices. We will endeavour to keep the information contained here up to date with best practice principals.  

So, you want to run to get fit or improve the level you are at. There are different levels of intensity to train at in order to achieve what you want and it’s all about getting the heart pumping at certain levels or zones. Aerobic and anaerobic are examples of these zones. Aerobic is a level that you can sustain over a period of time but it can be divided into high and low intensities. Anaerobic is the top level and can only be sustained over a short period; this is where the body goes into oxygen debt, e.g. sprint or rowing. By keeping track of your heart rate you can gauge your effort and over time should be able to see how you are improving.

MAXIMUM HEART RATE:

Firstly, you need to find your maximum heart rate (MHR). Estimate this using the following formula: 214 – (0.8 x age) for men; or 209 – (0.9 x age) for women. The next step is to find your resting heart rate (RHR). For five days, take your pulse as you wake up. Add together and divide by five to get the average. Your RHR should fall as you get fitter. Now you need to get your working heart rate (WHR). Heart rate zones are broadly divided into easy (60 – 75 per cent), moderate (75 – 85 per cent) and hard (85 – 95 per cent). These percentages refer to your WHR. Use the following formula to calculate you WHR at different levels of effort.       [(MHR – RHR) x 0.95] + RHR = WHR.  (The 0.95 refers to the percentage effort you want to train at, if you want to train at 60 percent effort you put 0.60 in its place and so on.) What should happen? Running at a certain pace and distance should become easier. On a set route run at a steady pace and note time and heart rate. Do the same again a few weeks later, your heart rate should be lower on the second run.

Now, to get the benefit from different training levels you need to develop a training plan for yourself. Beginners to advanced alike, a training plan will help you achieve what it is you want to gain from running. Training plans include running at different levels, each of which have different benefits. Whenever you do a session, know what you’re trying to achieve (endurance, speed, running economy). However, it is important for beginners to have a certain number of base miles (long slow runs) completed before attempting speed session etc...

Type of sessions will be outline later (sport related activity section) but here are a few tips on starting out. Get to know your stride frequency! Basically, this is how many times your feet hit the ground during one minute. Research has shown that most top athletes are in around the figure of 180. That’s 180 steps in one minute.  Count the number of steps you take in a minute and see how close you are to this figure. Unless you’re sprinting you should be close to the figure or less then it. Now, if you find that you are considerably less then alter your stride and quicken your cadence. You don’t have to increase your distance at all, just shorten your stride and move your legs quicker. For example, say you cover 200 meters in one minute and have a stride frequency of 140. Try the same distance again over one minute but shorten your stride and pump the legs quicker. The goal here is not to cover any more distance but get your stride frequency close to 180. This may take a bit of time to get used to but in time you’re running economy will improve and you will find that once you’re used to the speed of leg movement you will gradually start cover more distance.VO2 max. This is a term some of you will be familiar with but for those of you who are not it is basically a measure of an individual’s fitness. It is the maximum amount of oxygen the body can absorb when running at your limit. 

There are various types of running, each with different benefits for your body but they generally relate to people who want to move towards being a more competitive runner. A recreational runner may not want to participate in such sessions but it should be stressed that they can offer the runner the capability to improve immensely and not just for competition! If you’re training for an event in the future these type of runs will definitely help and guidelines are given here as to what percentage of your weekly training they should occupy.

Types of running include: