Jogging For The Amateur
Driving past in your car, wincing at the sight of a lone jogger out on the field, it’s very easy to convince yourself that you’re much better off in the gym. But in truth, even though jogging can, in the first few weeks, be a bit of chore to adjust to, it soon becomes second-nature–a great thing to do when the gym has been called off. Here’s what you can expect from your first few weeks:
1) Keep a straight back as much as possible when jogging; this allows room for the lungs to contract and expand, and may stop you from feeling sick.
2) Many beginners start off at far too fast a pace: remember, it’s not a race!
3) Breathing: find a breathing pattern that works with the speed you’re running at—too fast and you’ll find yourself out of breath and feeling awful, too slow and you put unnecessary strain on your upper body as it tries to compensate.
Don’t expect to be able to do four laps around the park right away; set a realistic target.
4) Slow down immediately if you start to get a stitch, keeping the speed to half the pace or less until you feel it easing considerably. You may feel as though everyone is watching, but they’ll be watching with a lot more attention if you get struck down by a crippling stitch!
5) Jogging uses a surprising amount of upper body strength—the more you use your arms, the more you will feel it. Don’t panic! This won’t last forever. After a month or so you will notice that you can expand your distance slightly, go faster, and your body will handle it with remarkable ease.
Before I go, I need to have a little bit of a gloat. I have just bought the most gratifying running shoes that I have ever owned. London Marathon, here I come!
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