How to Start Running : The Quarantine Effects

By Konrad Barnes

If I told you 6 months ago that we would be forced to stay under lockdown or quarantine for an undetermined amount of days to help prevent an incurable virus from wiping out 50% of the world’s population?

You would probably have had my head checked in at the psychiatric baggage claim!

And yet somehow here we are…

Now I know some of you might be scared of what the next few months might have in store for us, some of you might be thankful for a well earned break… While some of you might be scared of the break in your routine.

Annnnnd some of you might just be happy not to have to go work and see your boss for a few weeks.

But if you are a fellow fitness freak like us, the notion of not being able to hit the gym or attend your weekly yoga or pilates class is a terrifying concept.

Unfortunately, this is our current reality…

And depending on where in the world you’re based and the extent of the pandemic outbreak in your specific area; we’re all facing different levels of daily freedoms. Some of us are stuck in our homes not being able to leave at all, while some are allowed to be outside for a couple of hours a day.

This makes exercising quite impractical and limited in terms of variety. Now for me personally, 98% of my training or activity happens in a gym. But with the current status quo I needed to reevaluate my training and come up with a solution quickly.

That is when I started thinking about running again. I mean, it’s simple, put on some running shoes, grab your ipod and hit the road. So I did…

And I failed miserably! I lasted all of 11 minutes and 26 seconds before I realized I might have misjudged the extent of my current abilities. And that had me thinking, how many people out there will be attempting to start running during this period?

Probably quite a bit. Now for me being a professional in the industry, I immediately knew the answers to the following questions regarding my sad attempt at a run:

What went wrong?

And how do I fix it?

But for you guys, who are just trying to get a workout in every other day, it might not be so simple. It might lead to you getting discouraged and we couldn’t let that happen. And thus the idea of this article was born:

How to Start Running : Quarantine Edition

Okay, so this is how it’s going to work. We will be breaking down various steps on how to go from couch potato to king or queen of the road. That being said, the following points are generalized suggestions for someone that hasn’t done any running in a while. But feel free to add and or change the steps as needed for your individual preference.

STEP 1: Medical clearance. We can’t stress the importance of this point enough. Please check in with your family doctor to get clearance to partake in physical activity. Your health is your wealth and knowing about any underlying health conditions is a lifelong asset with immeasurable value.
STEP 2: Have a plan. In this case it simply means plan your training for each week. That includes your route, distance of that route, time of day and how many runs per week you will do. Start off with a simple plan that is easy to implement. For example, you commit to running 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week, every morning between 6 and 7 am. Your goal is to make it to your local corner store and back in that 20 mins. Make sense?
STEP 3: Warm up and cool down. One of the leading causes of injury is the lack of warming up and cooling down before and after exercise. It is pretty straight forward, warming up prepares your body for the stresses of exercise. And a cool down, allows your body to gradually return to a baseline level of metabolism. A proper cool down prevents stiff and sore muscles and enables you to recover faster for your next run.
STEP 4: Rest and recovery. To build on the previous step, an absolute vital aspect of regular exercise is rest and recovery. In the sporting world, coaches always say the magic happens when you sleep. By this they mean that it is scientifically proven that the majority of physiological benefits of exercise occur during recovery and or rest. Don’t believe me? Check out the articles by some experts on the subject.
STEP 5: Nutrition In terms of the type of food you eat before and after a run has a direct link to how enjoyable or not so enjoyable your run will be. The trick is simple, carbohydrates before and protein after your run. Do that and you should be good to go.
STEP 6: Shoes and accessories. Now one factor well worth considering are making sure you have a shoe fit for running. Again, we want to prevent injuries by all means. Similarly, accessories are pretty useful in taking your training to the next level. Fitness trackers for example, allow you track just how many calories you burnt in a session. While media players like an Ipod can aid in keeping your mind occupied, ultimately resulting in a “easier” run.
STEP 7: There is power in numbers. Despite the global need for social distancing, running is an activity you can still do in pairs of 2 or 3. Having a training partner can help with motivation and it helps having someone that will keep you accountable. Running alone also poses a significant safety risk, so having a training partner helps navigate that to make sure you make it home safe and sound.

All in all these steps will help you get up and get running. Most people usually don’t know where to start so they end not starting at all. But luckily for you, WE have given you the basic tools to hit the road asap. And despite all the uncertainty in the world right now, one thing remains … WE can always go for a run.

Author

Konrad Barnes

Konrad is a Biokineticist that specializes in sports rehabilitation and high performance coaching. He has 6 years experience in both corporate and clinical environments in occupational, orthopedic, cardiac and neurological therapy. Currently, he is a first year medical student in the UK. After almost losing his life in the pandemic, Konrad has decided to dedicate the remainder of his life to saving lives. In addition to his clinical experience, he has 5 years of sales and marketing experience in the health and fitness industry.

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