5 Running Lessons I've Learned

I’ve learned many lessons since I started running – whether it’s training related, food related or recovery related. These lessons may not work for everyone, but I’ve found they have really helped me to stay injury-free and to keep running consistently.

1. Make sure you run most of your miles easy

I used to set out for every run and try to run faster than my last run. At first my times started to improve, and I was feeling really good but then came all of the injuries. My body wasn’t recovering in between runs and I starting to breakdown.

2. Increase mileage slowly

Don’t rush to increase your weekly mileage. This is another mistake I made – I noticed I was running well and just wanted to run more and more. I increased my mileage too quickly and once again ended up injured. Following injuries, I started to slowly increase my mileage (no more than 10% per week) and it seems to have done the trick!

3. Ensure you’re eating enough food

People often think you need to lose weight to run faster, or don’t realise just how many calories you burn when running. When I first started running, I don’t feel like I was eating enough food to fuel my body, especially as I started to run more miles.

4. Listen to your body

Having a plan for your week is great. But sometimes your body just may not feel up to running or working out. I found it’s so important to rest if my body is showing signs of needing a rest. Sometimes it can be motivation, and these are the runs I push through as it’s just in my mind.

5. Have at least one rest day a week

The number of rest days I have a week has varied since I started running. To begin with, I only ran a couple of days a week, but I’ve slowly built this up to 6 days a week. On some days, I will double train. For example, I would go to the gym for a strength session in the morning and then run in the afternoon/evening. I tend to double train to ensure I can get enough mileage but also have a day free for a rest day.