14 Jul Five tips to help your running program

Every runner can use a few tips to help get them going faster and longer.
Whether you train on a treadmill, outside or both, even small changes can help you perform better.
For instance, a skewed running form or the wrong type of shoes can add up to injury over many miles, or lack of motivation can cause an early exit when it doesn’t have to.
In order to get the most out of your training, here are five tips to improve your run:
1. Set a goal to sign up for a local 5K or 10 K race. It will give you a goal to shoot for. If you’ve already run a race recently, then try to beat your time the next time out.
2. Try to find a running buddy or running club to train with. It will make it easier to maintain a regular running schedule if you know someone else is counting on you. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Life can get busy and you’ll miss workouts, just try to get back to running as soon as possible.
3. Wear the proper shoes. Check with a specialty shoe store to make sure you’re in the proper shoes for your foot/body and running mechanics.
4. Make sure you’re properly hydrated before, during and after the run. That’s a great way to avoid being sluggish.
5. Keep a record of your runs and any additional training you do such as weightlifting. This will help you set and track goals, chart progress and serve as further motivation to not miss workouts. Few things will make you feel worse than looking in your workout book and seeing it’s been weeks since your last entry.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com