runner-mistakes

4 Common Mistakes Every Runner Makes

Runners make many mistakes especially because they have a limited understanding of how their bodies work. Some just choose to ignore their bodies altogether. You need to adapt to every run; your performance needs to be consistent, and improvement needs to be gradual.

1. Not warming up adequately

Your body is usually in a sleep mode before you start out on your runs. Your muscles are relaxed, and so they need time to stretch. If you fail to warm up adequately, your muscles would suffer trauma leading to leg cramps and strained ligaments because they were unprepared. You will, therefore, be vulnerable to injury and experience fatigue sooner.

Warm up exercises should pick up on speed and intensity. You should do some stretches first, followed by jogs, skips and b**t kicks. You should take about five to ten minutes on warm ups or even slightly more if you are going for a long run.

 

2. Starting too fast

This mistake is usually made by runners who feel confident and energetic. You need to realize that distributing your energy throughout your run is the key to endurance. Starting too fast takes up much of your strength, and it is a sure way to get exhausted quickly.

If you start too fast, your muscles would be overworked in just a short time. After a few miles, every muscle in your body would begin to ache, and you will have a slow and painful finish.

 

3. Not eating enough

Most runners think that adding extra weight would slow them down. A majority of them even try to lose weight through running. While this is not entirely misguided, you should not starve yourself. You are running on the energy that you get from food, and no amount of skill or experience would be useful if you do not eat well. Make sure that you are not going to run on an empty stomach.

You need to eat enough protein to rebuild your muscles. Do not restrain calorie intake too much because this may result in weak bones and stress fractures.

 

4. Failing to cross-train

Unlike other all-around sports, running strengthens a particular group of muscles especially those on your legs. If the only thing you do is run, you will end up with some areas of your body that are either too tight or too weak. This poor composition of muscle strength makes your body unable to coordinate well. Injuries are therefore likely to crop up often.

You can counter this problem by cross-training. You should do some cycling, swimming, yoga and lift weights at schedule sessions during the week when you are not running. It is also necessary to cross-train so that you do not get bored by the same running routine.

It is crucial to avoid these common mistakes if you are looking to improve your running performance. You will also be able to keep injuries to your joints, feet and leg muscles at bay. Try not to push your body too hard and do not to be slack and inconsistent. You also need to have the right shoes on. The best running shoes for sufferers of plantar fasciitis are most preferable. They have soft inner pads and thick under soles to minimize the tension on your feet. Here are the four common mistakes every runner makes.


For the latest news and updates join our 1 Million fans on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.


Leave a Reply