BEGINNER RUNNING TIPS - My Top 5 Tips To Help You Become A Better Runner - Ben Parkes

Are you a new runner looking for some running tips? Well I've got five top tips coming up! Hello everybody, my name is Ben Parkes, 225 marathon runner and ultra runner and what I want to talk to you today about is beginner running tips. Now you join me out here in the sunshine on the south coast of Spain getting in some winter training miles for my own running, but way way back in the day when I started running these are sort of my sort of top five things that I wish I knew back then and things I wish I implemented. So should we go? Yep I think so, without further ado let's get going! Number one is going to be get yourself kitted out with a decent pair of running shoes and also critically a pair of socks to go with them as well. So what I suggest is get down to your local running store, really really important to that because they're going to have lots of shoes for you to try on. There really is not one model that is going to fit everybody, so you can test out lots of different shoes, find out what works for you, they'll be able to test your gait, they'll look at your form, see how you're moving and you can't do any of that if you shop online. I know it's very tempting just to go and find out whatever 50% off latest offer is and it must be expensive so it's got to be good, that really goes out the window with running. So get down to your local running store, get their advice and seek their expertise for the guys and girls that work in there. They'll all be experienced runners and they'll know exactly the type of shoe you're looking for and don't forget get a decent pair of socks when you're in store as well. So number two is get yourself a decent running plan. Now I obviously have these on the website, the Carriage to 5k plan for beginner runners, completely free, log on, download it, I'll put the link down below. Now the secret with getting a good running plan is going to give you real structure to follow, it's going to give you some accountability as well. Now a lot of beginner runners they fall at the first hurdle of it getting out the door, when you've got it there written on a plan it really helps. You get out the door and get that run done. It's also going to give you some runs at different paces and different intensities as well. It's also going help you be able to put some strength work into your week which is really crucial when building up the strength you need to get out there and get the runs done. So have a look around, if you're a bit more of an advanced runner then maybe one of my beginner running plans will be good for you. But yeah, get that plan in place and you'll become a far better runner. Moving on to number three, I'd really recommend recording a lot of your runs. Now in the olden days, probably not that long ago, all athletes would write all of their runs down in a little notebook. Some people I know still do that but it really gives you a record to look back on. Now move forward, we're now here in 2019 believe it or not, modern day advances and apps and things are so many out there for you to track your runs. I'd really recommend getting something like Strava downloaded on your phone. You don't need a fancy GPS watch, you can use it all on your phone and it'll record how far you've gone, the time and also the pace that you've been running. Just three basic metrics there will give you a really good measure of your progression as you move through weeks and months down the line. Now later on if you do want to get one of the fancy GPS watches then you can, but when you're starting out just getting an app on your phone something like Strava will be really good and it will see you on your way. Moving on to number four is going to be get out and get running with other people. Now I know this can be really daunting when you first start out, you're worried everybody's faster than you, but there's some really great organisations out there, people like Parkrun and people like Good Gym as well, or just look up your local running group. I've never met a group of runners that aren't there to help and encourage new people come into the sport. Parkrun is really really good so I'd recommend looking where your local one is, getting down there, you'll never be last because there'll be somebody else out there, a volunteer helping everybody around. People go around that 5k in anything from 40, 50, even up to 60 minutes for that 5k. Everyone's there to support you, there's no fast people, there's no slow people, everyone is out there together to get you around the course. So yeah look it up, get out, get running, get social and surround yourself with as many new people around as well and they'll all want to help you and get you running. Which is enjoy it, get out there and give it your all. Now I've had a few messages from people recently who have been telling me they've been going out at like four and five in the morning because they're so scared of being out there being seen by the people running really slowly. We were all beginners once, myself included, I would have been out there running what you know comparatively now is a very slow time. But you're new at something, we are all sort of bad or whatever at the start, but you know track your progression and you'll see how quickly you're improving if you can get that consistency into your week. Now I appreciate that's easier said than done, I can't just say don't be scared, but you know get out there, be loud and proud and happy that you're a runner. Everyone is a runner whether you're running a 5k in 15 minutes, 60 minutes, we're all runners together in this lovely community. You know get in touch with me if you want some help and support and some other tips as well, we're all here to help. So there we have it guys, they're my five top tips for all beginner runners out there and as I just said in the last one there, I'm here to help and support, so if you need some guidance and things you know let me know down in the comments if you want to make it public or send me a message on one of my social networks and I'll get back to you with some help and support. I really hope you like this kind of video, a thumbs up and a like, a thumbs up and like would be great, and let me know what you thought of it down in the comments, maybe you know some tips to help out some other runners out there if you've got some really good beginner tips as well. 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