Running
Running tips for beginners: How to get started on your running journey.
Keen to start running? Let former Olympian, trail runner, endurance racing wizard, and Red Bull athlete Courtney Atkinson help you off the starting blocks.
As life often shows us, life can change pretty fast. Bills pop up, unexpected situations with family and friends, car troubles, stress at work, and the rest. But there’s one thing that we can always rely on to help us through difficult times – and that’s exercise. More specifically running!
Running is the best bang for your buck. It’s free, it’s accessible for most people, and everyone can run at their own pace. Moving a little faster than a walk? That's running! Up and down the street? That's running.
Turns out we're not alone with runners, running clubs, fun runs, and marathons popping up across Australia.
But with this massive surge in new runners hitting Australian parks and pavements, I wanted to take a sec to talk through a few super simple tips for newbie runners. Because as fantastic as running is, there are certainly a few things to be cautious of when you’re just starting out.
01
Avoid running too regularly on hard surfaces
If you’re new to running and not used to it, pounding the pavement right out the gate is going to be hard on your knees and ankle joints. One way to reduce ground reaction forces on your body is to run on surfaces that provide some cushioning. When you’re starting out, either opt for shorter runs on concrete or find a big grassy field or park to run around instead.
02
Increase the volume, intensity, and frequency of your running gradually
Don’t stress about progression or results to start out. Just try and focus on doing what feels good for your body. Maybe that’s 500 metres, maybe it’s three kilometres, maybe more. The point is that you won’t know what you’re capable of when you’re just starting. You might be disappointed in what you can do, but you could equally be pleasantly surprised. Find your sweet spot – ie. a run you know you can do within a certain timeframe without wrecking yourself – and gradually build on it.
03
Get on the apps
Strava
© Guilherme Leporace
There are plenty of ‘couch to 5k’ apps out there. Some of them are free, and most of them are cheap. They’re honestly a really simple way to help you progress, and most often will help you build up your running over two or three months. I’m a big believer in running being free or as minimal cost as possible, and unless you’re suffering from some kind of injury or niggle, you don't need an expert to help you get to 5k – just plug your info into the app and let it work its magic.
04
Activate before exercise!
If you’re a newbie or a veteran, it’s always a good idea to do some quick activation exercises before you go out to run – especially when it's the first thing in the morning and your body's waking up. Simple glute activation stuff is all you need – glute bridges, monster walks, that kind of thing. Then just some basic calf and quad stretches. Do five minutes of that before heading out the door, and then I would always suggest just walking the first 100 metres or so to make sure you’re sufficiently warmed up.
05
Run to a routine
For me, I like to get up and do my exercise first thing. This ensures I don’t come up with any excuses or get distracted as the day goes on, and it helps set me up for a day of work. Even though things are a bit weird right now, it's still important to plan your day and have some kind of structure. With any luck, the habits you form now will stick when the world goes back to normal, too.
06
Run for the right reasons
Running for those who can't
© Richard Ström / Red Bull Content Pool
There are so many gadgets and so many people measuring how far they're going. That all makes sense when you’re planning for races or whatever, but right now with no races to train for, I think it's a really good time at the moment just to actually take a step back and enjoy running for the right reasons. Not to get too bogged down on how far you're running, or how fast you're running.
There's so much to be said for going out, running, and learning to listen to your body, and just running within yourself. If you get into a bit of a flow, I think it can be so good for your mental state too. I often find I’m at my most creative when I’m running – just letting your mind be free to wander when you run is one of the best parts about it.
Why do we care about running? There are of course the mental and physical benefits of putting on a pair of trainers and stretching your legs but the big one is our annual charity run Wings For Life which looks to raise funds to support spinal cord research. Every year millions run globally for those that can't.
3 min
Best moments from the Wings for Life World Run 2023
Hundreds of thousands people worldwide raced to support cutting-edge spinal cord research. See the highlights.
