8,153
edits
Changes
→Rate of Progress
A simple way of learning to run is to stand still, then gradually lean forward until you have to start running to prevent falling over. This will naturally put your weight over the front part of your foot, rather than landing on your heels. This forward lean should come from your whole body leaning forward rather than bending at the waist. Keep your [[Arm Position|arms high]]; your arms should swing naturally as a counterbalance to your running motion. You don't need to consciously drive your arms; just let them move naturally and freely. Don't try to stretch forward with your legs to lengthen your stride, but have your feet land roughly under your hips. Your [[Cadence]] should be high.
=Rate of Progress=
How fast should you shift from walking to running? Listen to your body; if the level of stress is very low, then shifting to more running is good. Remember that shifting Shifting to running more quickly may increase your fitness more rapidly, but it will also increase the possibility of injury. Remember that fatigue is cumulative, and it accumulates over much longer periods that you may expect. The fatigue in your body can be the result of training you did 2-3 weeks ago. That means you can raise your level of exercise dramatically and keep it up for a week or two, then suffer some level of failure. One rule of thumb with marathon training is to only raise your mileage every two weeks. This can also apply to initial running as well; it is better to be cautious. If you have some minor [[Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness]] that's okay, but if it's more than a minor soreness then you should back of your training.
=How Often to Run?=
How often should you run? Is you may know from previous posts, I am a believer in 'less is more', recommending running four days per week. A lot will depend on your fitness level however. If you are reasonably fit and just adjusting to running, you may need to run more days per week, as the stress is not sufficient to require 48 hours recovery. Overall though, I would suggest you are better off running 3 to 4 days/week and raising the intensity of the runs rather than running more days.