I’ve been sharing a lot of screenshots of my runs lately and have loved messaging a bunch of you about running and your journeys with it. I thought it would be fun to share some of my personal running tips & tricks that you can test out whether you are new to running or have been doing so for years.

I am not a professional by any means nor am I a certified trainer so I will not be giving any specific training advice. This post is just a place for me to share parts of my running journey and what I notice helps me get faster and be able to run longer distances. There’s also a fun Q&A at the end of the post so thank you for all the questions y’all sent in! I picked the top 5 to answer and think it’s a fun variety of questions.

So without further ado, here are my personal running tips & tricks!

USE AN APP TO TRACK YOUR PACE & DISTANCE

Back in the day, I would head out for a run with no way to track my pace or distance. Even when I ran track in high school, I never tracked my training runs throughout the week to see how my pace was and if I was improving or not. Now, I’m not currently training for anything but I’m definitely a numbers person with some slight competitiveness so I now use the Nike Run Club app to track all of my runs. It’s a free app and so user friendly to use! You can simply track your runs or they even have guided runs available in the app, too. I’ve yet to try the guided ones but I think they’d be a great resource for someone just starting out with running. You can also sync to any playlists you have so if you like running with music, it’s an easy tie-in.

FIND THE RIGHT SNEAKERS AND GEAR FOR YOU

This is probably the biggest and most important tip for running! You have to find the sneakers and gear that work for YOU! All of our feet are shaped differently, we all have different strides, we’re all running different distances and have different training patterns. A sneaker that works for your best friend might not work for you and your body and that’s okay! There are a ton of great running specialty stores that use technology to understand your foot structure, pressure points, size, and so much more. I highly suggest this if you’re in the market for new sneakers. I’ve done this for years and am always so pleased with the results customized just for me.

Along with sneakers, you want gear that is comfortable for you to run in. Earlier this week I shared my spring running must-haves in partnership with Feetures. For me, I prefer a looser short with the built-in brief as opposed to something tight and fitted. I get very warm running whether it’s 50-degrees or 80-degrees out so I typically opt for a copped sports bra. Lastly, finding a really good sock makes such a difference! I know I talked about Feetures socks in my post earlier this week but they are a game changer! They are specifically designed for each foot, have compression features, they don’t slip and your feet don’t get that gross, sweaty feeling like they do in typical socks. I highly recommend them!

INCORPORATE CROSS-TRAINING

I have found over the years that cross-training with running makes a HUGE difference!! Pre-COVID, I was going to 3-4 classes a week at Rise Nation and loved it. I love incorporating weight training into my routine too. Making my body stronger with weight training truly makes such a difference in my running! I also focus on incorporating abs into every workout because your core does so much for your body, especially with running. I also like to incorporate yoga for a good, deep stretch.

STAY HYDRATED

Staying hydrated is so important with running and any workout for that matter! I make sure to hydrate a little pre-run. I don’t like to have too much in my stomach before a run because I can feel it sloshing around and it hurts my stomach. After a run, I immediately drink water to start rehydrating my body. For the remainder of the day, I make sure to drink as much water as I can. If it is ridiculously hot, humid or I’ve done a very long run, I may opt for a G2 for the addition of electrolytes and such.

“CHASE & PASS” GAME

This is something I started doing years ago when my brain wanted to stop running or if I felt myself slowing down. I call it the “chase & pass” game and it’s pretty easy. When you feel your brain starting to say stop or you feel your body slowing down, look ahead and find someone to catch up to and pass. If there’s no one around you, find a tree or something that you pick up your pace a bit to get to and pass. I don’t know why but by doing that, my mind forgets that it wants to stop and focuses on passing the person I’m chasing. Running is as much a mental game as it is physical!

FIND YOUR GO-TO VIBE

Finding you go-to vibe when running I think is so important. For so long I would run to music and never really liked it. After a lifetime of dance, I would end up counting the music and making my strides go to the beat of the music. My runs weren’t consistent and my pace was all over the place. Over the past year and a half, I started going out for runs with nothing but me, myself and I - no music. WOW! What a difference it has made!! I love this sense of being one with the road and nature on my run, just enjoying my surroundings and the fresh air. Without music, my mind wanders and stops thinking so much which is refreshing and must with everything going on in our world these days. So long story short, find what works for you be it music, podcasts or nothing!

STRETCH

I’ll be honest, this is one that I could use some more perfecting with. Stretching after a run or any form of exercise is so important. Lately when I get back from a run I immediately grab my water and plop on the floor to do some stretching, even if its just for 5-minutes. On days when I’m more sore, I like to use my foam roller to really work on any knots or super tight spots in my legs, butt or back. It really does make a difference when you’re muscles feel relaxed and aren’t all tight and knotted!

RUNNING Q&A

Q1: HOW WILL I LEARN TO LIKE IT?!

I feel like I hear this a lot and from my experience, people either love running or hate it. And guess what…it’s okay if you don’t like running and it’s not your thing! There are tons of other ways to get your cardio in that don’t require a gym membership or equipment. I think there are also people that hate running and say they hate it because they aren’t amazing at it. Well guess what…no one is perfect at something when they first start out! The key here is just giving it a shot and staying consistent for a period of time (try a month) to see if your feelings towards running change. Again, you can’t force yourself to like running just like you can’t force yourself to like certain foods.

Q2: WHAT ARE TECHNIQUES FOR UPHILL RUNNING VS DOWNHILL RUNNING? I FEEL LIKE I DESTROY MY JOINTS ON THE DECLINE.

This is a great question!! I don’t and haven’t done a tone of uphill/downhill running for that very reason but inevitably we can’t always run where it’s perfectly flat with no hills. For me, I find that when running downhill the biggest thing I have to focus on is my form and stride. I don’t know about you but I tend to get this almost “running down a hill like a kid” thing going with my legs and almost stomping my feet. I try to be hyper-aware when I start doing that and really try to slow myself down and focus on maintaining my normal stride and gate. You are naturally going to be faster going downhill but for me, focusing on keeping things consistent and even helps.

I’ll be honest, uphill running is not fun IMO and I try to avoid it at all costs. With uphill running, I find that my strides get shorter and a bit choppy. I’m still trying to find the best technique but I understand that my pace will be slowing going uphill and similar to downhill, I try to focus on maintaining an even stride as best as I can.

Q3: WHY DO YOU WEAR A MASK WHEN YOU RUN? DO PEOPLE STARE/MAKE COMMENTS BECAUSE YOU’RE WEARING A MASK?

I figured after mentioning in my stories that I wear a mask while running right now that I’d get a ton of questions about it! Long story short, I have a few main reasons I wear a mask when I run. Before I jump into that, I want to say that I wear one anytime I step outside of the house and that is my personal comfort level. It doesn’t mean it is right or wrong, it is just my personal level of comfort and each of us will have our own.

So I wear a mask when running right now for a few key reasons. First, there is a deadly global pandemic going around and to me, wearing a mask when I’m outside the 4 walls of my home is an easy thing I can do to help stop the spread. Two, I wear a mask for YOU because I don’t know if I am one of the asymptomatic people. Three, I wear a mask for me because I don’t know if YOU are one of the asymptomatic people. And last, I wear a mask because I have a compromised immune system due to a lung condition.

For the second part of the question, yes people stare like crazy and some groups of people have made comments. I’ll be honest, the comments make my skin crawl but again to each his own. Most people that stare are ones not wearing masks themselves and people making comments are not practicing social distancing. The comments I’ve received range from “Why would you wear a mask when you’re running?!” to “Hope you’re liking it in that mask!” I try to not let those comments bother me and remind myself that I’m doing what is comfortable for ME and not everyone is going to feel the same.

Q4: DO I START SLOW?! POWER THROUGH?! PUSH MYSELF?!

I totally feel you on this!! Running can be intimidating and as much of a physical game it is, it is equally if not more a mental game. If you aren’t a runner, or you don’t run consistently and want to start, or you’re testing it out to see if you can go from hate to love, I would suggest starting slow. For some, it may be run 1-minute, walk 1-minute for 20-minutes total, increasing the running time each week by a minute. For others, it may be running consistently for 15-minutes without stopping, slowly adding on a few minutes each week. For others, it may be more distance focused say starting at a mile and adding on each week.

Along with this, if you love running like I do and heck, even if you don’t, I think there is something powerful to push yourself in manageable increments. It is important though to listen to your body and if it is saying stop, or something hurts and feels off, do not push through - listen to your body! If it’s your mind saying “ugh this sucks, I can’t do it.” tune it out! Try doing the “game” I mentioned I do above by finding someone to catch and pass to get just a little more mileage in. All in all, finding a balance between starting slow and pushing yourself I think is key. It shouldn’t be comfortable but you shouldn’t be in crippling pain.

Q5: HOW OFTEN TO DO YOU RUN? ARE YOU FOLLOWING A TRAINING PROGRAM?

This is another great question! So I am not training for anything or following any type of running training program. The number of runs I do each week varies and I let my body tell me when it wants to run. If I’m just not feeling it, I’ll go out for a long walk instead. In general, I’d say that lately I’ve been running at least 3 times a week. I don’t set out with a distance or time goal in mind and just do what feels good that day at that time. When the time comes for races to be back after COVID has passed, I would definitely suggest some sort of training program, especially for half marathon and marathon races.

There you have it my friends, my running tips & tricks and a fun little running Q&A! Do you have any running tips? If so, share below in the comments! If you have more questions for me, too, feel free to leave them in the comments as well!