I want to start running in the morning for fitness. I'm thinking of doing the Couch to 5k program. I downloaded the app and tomorrow, before school, I'm going jogging for the first time!
I have questions though ..
- Do I eat something before I run? I don't want to lose weight or anything, just improve my endurance (it's REALLY bad right now haha)
- What's the best way to pick my route?
- Jogging technique?
- Breathing technique?
OK, some people are going to criticise me for this, but anyway, if you have the choice, refrain from running in the morning; it's sort of a bad idea. When you run in the morning you have just woken up from bed therefore your body temperature is at its lowest for the day, your muscles aren't pumped up yet, and you haven't eaten for 10+ hours. You'll discover that when you run your legs will be rather lethargic and will start to cramp really bad, and your breathing will be difficult, especially during winter where you feel like your heart and throat is constantly being filled with ice. As well, running in the morning increases your chance of a heart attack, though I think you're too young to experience one. Run in the afternoon or evening before sunset if you have the chance-- somewhere around 5pm so that you have a good hour of cardio to run (though, as you are a beginner, I recommend you start running for 30 minutes first and then gradually increase. Don't worry about pace or distance; you'll improve the more you run). This is the time where your body is at its best for physical exercise as your body temperature is at its optimal temperature and your muscles are primed for exercise. In fact, you'll find out that most of the WRs for running, cycling, swimming etc. have been done in the afternoon or evening. I assume that you wish to run in the morning also to get a good start to the day and to be freshened up for school. I admit that running in the morning does freshen you up and makes you mentally tougher and more attentive in class but there are some other ways that will also freshen you up and yet also lower your chances of incurring an injury. You could get yourself right in the sun in the morning for five minutes, get a cold shower, or have a 30 minute session on a stationary bike in light to moderate pace with a cup of Milo in hand. These activities will also freshen you up. Anyway, I digress. Run in the evening, if you can.
If it is the unfortunate case that you have no other alternative to running in the morning here are the answers to your questions, from my experience-
1).
No, I wouldn't recommend it unless if you either wake up 4am in the morning and eat a light meal, e.g. a bowl of cereal, at 4.30am and then start your run at 5am or if it's a small snack like a muesli bar or something similar. Have a hot cup of Milo or something similar instead. This should get you rather warmed up and pumped but make sure you piss before going out for a run. It's not fun running when you start to feel like you have to hold your piss midway through your run, especially if it's a long one!
2).
Try your best to find a route that has grass or something that gives a little give. Your knees will thank you in the future. The park is the best place. Do runs around the park. If you don't live near a park or have a desire to explore your town find a route that is quiet and not busy with traffic --a route where you don't have to cross many roads-- and mostly flat. Please refrain from running on hills in the morning; you don't want to get injured. If you want to do some hill running (technical term is fell running) do it in the evening and make sure to swing those arms when you do so!
3). Watch a video on youtube of long distance runners and try to emulate their technique. Here's a good one-
[youtube]FSoqqIgX5jo&feature=related[/youtube]
The fundamentals are to keep your head looking straight ahead, your back straight with a slight lean forward, shoulders relaxed, arms rather sideways in motion (do not let your arms cross each other whilst running), hands maintained in a cup-like position like you're holding a delicate egg in each hand, and elbows never to pass in front of the torso unless if you are sprinting by doing that fartlek thing (this is good if you are pressed for time and want to increase your cardio but do NOT DO THIS IN THE MORNING). Your legs will follow and be in good form if you do the above. If you want to run a bit faster and get your heart pumping more, and still maintain a good pace whilst preserving energy, try to make you elbow go rather high up in the back swing (not too high up so that your humerus is parallel to the ground, say that the angle from the back of your humerus to the imaginary parallel line of your shoulder to the ground is 20 to 40 degrees is good) so that you're using your leg muscles to their best potential in the moment, though, keep in mind that you shouldn't run too fast and too strong in the morning for the sake of protecting yourself form getting injured from a torn muscle or cramp. Never run with full effort in the morning. Make it light. If you want a good workout, make the run longer but do not not faster or stronger. Read the bottom paragraphs under the sub-heading 'running at a slower pace' of the following link to clear some stuff that might have been unclear for you because of my poor command of English to describe this well (sorry, if so)-
http://www.momentumsports.co.uk/TtRunTechnique.asp
4).
Just breathe naturally and soon you'll find a comfortable rhythm to breathe in whilst running. Don't pant and take short breaths. Forget that stuff about breathing in your nose and out your mouth. Breath in through both your nose and mouth; you'll get more oxygen in your system from this.
Sorry for the long post.