Start running with tips from Olympian José Carlos Hernández
Running is one of the most enjoyable activities in the world. That’s why hundreds of millions of people do it every day. And many more of us are turning to running as an effective and fun way to stay fit and active.
In this post, marathon runner, London 2012 Olympian, José Carlos Hernández, encourages us to get started in this sport with some safe and effective training tips, which will help us, in the long run, to get to the starting line for some of the competitions that will be held on the island in the coming months. Ready, steady, go!
The first thing to do is to plan your training so that you know how to divide your workouts into stages and days. Combine days of running with days of static activity to work the different muscles that come into action when we are running.
Walking – running, strength exercises and running technique should be included in the different training sessions. Don’t forget to do core exercises to strengthen the abdominal and lumbar area.
«Run often. Run long. But never outrun your joy of running.» “Julie Ishpording”
«If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win.» “Carl Lewis”
It is very important to respect what you have to do each day, always trying to finish the scheduled sessions and not doing more than planned. Ernest Hemingway advised writers to leave a sentence halfway through each day. Try to finish each training session with the desire to continue a little more. Never train until you are physically and psychologically exhausted. Remember, it has to be fun
In the video that accompanies this post, José Carlos demonstrates the basic strength exercises for our first training sessions. Working the calf muscles, quads, hamstrings, biceps and triceps are essential to improve your workouts.
The Lanzarote-born Olympian shares a trick with us to know what pace we are going at in our running sessions. If you can talk easily with your partner, it means that you are running at a comfortable pace, which is used in long sessions. If you find it difficult to talk, it means that you are running at a slightly more demanding pace, valid for many of our training sessions.
Finally, if you can’t talk, it means that the pace and intensity is high, and in a session of short intervals you will get this feeling.
Running enthusiasts especially appreciate being able to train in Lanzarote as the island offers many outdoor places where you can train, both on trails and on hard surfaces. The seafront promenades or the trails between volcanoes help to increase motivation on each training day.
See you soon athletes!
