We Understand That Running Can Be Intimidating. Here’s What to Expect on Your First Run

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Dec 29, 2020
David Jaewon Oh
With a new year right around the corner, people often use this time to take stock of their overall health and wellness. For many, that may mean starting up a regular exercise routine . While there are tons of ways to do that— yoga , strength training , cycling —here at Runner’s World, we’re partial to one activity in particular: running.
However, we totally understand how intimidating running may seem at first—a mile may seem as daunting as a marathon . And, you may not know exactly how to go about lacing up for the very first time or what to expect from your initial outing.
So, we polled our readers via an Instagram post for some insight on the advice they’d give to new runners that they wished they knew when they were just starting out. Here’s what they had to say.
Responses were edited for clarity.
5 Listen to your body.
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“Listen to your body. Soon you’ll know the difference between the good pain that tells you you’re building muscles and getting stronger vs. the bad pain that tells you to stop because you are—or soon could be—injured. Doing some cooldown stretches after a run is a great way to check in with each part of your body to see how you’re feeling. And if you end with feel-good stretches, you’ll build a positive association with exercise that makes you want to get out there and do it again.” — meganbarlog
“Learn the difference between running through muscle soreness vs. an injury.” — j.rivera4
“Run your own race. You can't take someone else’s training plan and necessarily have it work for you. Listen to your body and figure out what works for you.” — jacquelineevans4450
6 Don’t forget about cross-training and rest days.
Lakota Gambill
“Rest days are necessary! And strength training is key to staying injury-free.” — drsarahweimerpt
“Do any type of cross-training to support your whole body. When I first started running a million years ago, I only ran, and ended up with shin splints and a really bad IT band problem.” — westofthepark
“Do the work to support your running! Roll. stretch, strength, recover.” — bekaluv.outside
“Find some strength training exercises, especially for the lower part of the body, including glutes. Do them at least twice a week. You will have fewer injuries.” — rmatarivero
[ 10-Minute Cross-Training , gives you five muscle-building routines that take just 10 minutes to get you stronger.]
7 Be patient and consistent.
David Jaewon Oh
“Take it slow and don’t give up! It’s easy to feel like you’ll never be able to enjoy it or be able to go very far, but if you keep trying, you’ll be amazed at the things you can do!” — shafess
“Patience is important on a first run. Listen and feel your body, no matter if it’s 5 minutes or a mile—it’s a start to healthier you.” — thenativerunner
“It’s more important to run consistently than fast or far.” — doopdawson12
“Choose your daily goal, but make sure it is an attainable [goal] that won’t exhaust you from waking up and doing it all over again tomorrow.” — aaroncoon__
“I have had people say to me, ‘I can’t do what you do.’ And the funny thing is, I used to not be able to do what I do. I couldn’t run a ½ mile. It took me over a month of running before I ran my first mile. Running doesn’t come easy. There is work. It just takes getting out there and trying day in and day out. It just takes starting and sticking to it.” — thesoulotraveler
“Don’t get discouraged on the very first run. Treat it as a progressive journey to become a stronger and faster runner by putting in the work on all your intervals, easy, and long runs.” — rntaskmaster
“Always remember one bad run doesn’t define your running journey, just like one bad day at work doesn’t define your career.” — mbt._runs
“Frequency is going to make it easier more than anything else!” — laurvanw
8 Embrace bad weather.
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Those who run in foul weather—be it cold, wet, or inordinately hot —are members of a special club of runners who, on the morning of a big run, pull back the curtain to check the weather and, upon seeing rain falling from the skies, allow a wry smile to spread across their face. This is a runner who loves the work.” — don_antwaaan
9 A run is a run, no matter how far or how fast you go.
David Jaewon Oh
“Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not a runner—even yourself. If you are out there and both feet are off the ground for only a millisecond in your stride, you’re a runner. Even if you are running slowly, it doesn’t matter.” — ahearns_running
“Just keep going. One step after the other, don’t worry about mileage or speed. Just do 5 minutes, 10 minutes, then 15 minutes, then 20 minutes, and so on and so forth. It doesn’t matter how slow or how far, just keep going.” — drudleberry
“Don’t put yourself in a box. Being a runner is not based on the watch time or the price of your shoes. Everyone who runs is a runner.” — milesovermedals
“There will be short slow days more than fast ones. There will be tough and good days. Breath in through nose and out of mouth.” — picklesandleather
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