Running Your First 5K

Matt’s Run is a 5K circuit around the Cal Poly Pomona campus and not exactly a leisurely stroll through Voohris Park if you plan to actually run it. Here’s a guide to help the average Joe or Jane runner build endurance and do so in a healthy manner.

Before you diet, exercise or do ANYTHING, keep this in mind: Your safety is paramount.

Whether or not you’re an experienced runner, running or jogging 3.1 miles can put considerable strain, wear and tear on the body. If not properly prepared, you can get seriously injured.

The information below is a general guide and not personal or professional advice. Each person is unique, so consult your physician before designing any nutritional or workout regimen.

With that said, let’s cut to the chase!

Before you go mindlessly running around your neighborhood, here are some important nutritional and health tips you should consider before creating potentially harmful habits.

Diet:
Diet is first and foremost when it comes to any exercise. You’re not going to go very far if you gorge on cookies – if anything, you’re probably more likely to toss them while running.

Don’t get psyched out with the nitty-gritty details you may find below. Remember: Eating and exercise, at their most basic levels, are about simple energy usage. Think of your body as a power plant and your food as coal to fuel it.

Too much energy with little or no exercise is just as dangerous to your health as too much exercise with not enough energy. Finding a healthy balance between the two is key.

A balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins and fats is essential to a healthy and worthwhile workout. How you balance these variables with exercise is up to you, but it’s beneficial to consider how they can affect your body during and between workout regimens.

Carbohydrates

Found in: Fruits, vegetables, pastas, breads, cereals and rice.

Although they’re a primary source of energy for the body, the low-carb diet craze might have you convinced that these little buggers are nutritional nuisances hell-bent on tipping the scale – but nothing could be further from the truth if they’re put to good use.

Your body does two things with carbs: Directly converts them to energy for immediate use, or stores them in the liver and muscles as glycogen for future energy needs. If it helps, think of the former as charging a battery and the latter as having a backup battery.

If your body runs out of carbs, it will burn protein and fat. Even though people allow this to happen to slim down, the cost of doing so is low endurance and a greater, faster onset of fatigue during physical activity.

The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons recommends daily caloric intake from carbs to be 60 to 70 percent.

Proteins

Found in: Meats, fish, poultry, eggs, beans, nuts and dairy products.

Proteins are secondary sources of energy when there are insufficient calories to burn from carbs. Although important in building muscle, proteins can’t be stored in your body the same way carbs can because they are converted directly into either energy or fat, depending upon one’s activity level.

Seasoned athletes and those just beginning an exercise regimen are most likely to need more protein than those who exercise very little or not at all.

With sufficient glycogen from carbs, protein will supply approximately 5 percent of your energy and should comprise 12 to 15 percent of your caloric intake.

Fats (two kinds)

Saturated Fats are found in: Animal-based foods like meat, eggs, milk, cheese.

Unsaturated fats are found in: Vegetable-based products such as corn oil, olive oil and avocados.

Fats aren’t all bad and if consumed wisely, they won’t make you their namesake. Your body uses a small amount of fat as an alternative to glucose energy. During rest or low-to-moderate intensity activities, the body uses fats as its primary fuel source. Why waste good carbs on something light like cleaning your house? Once the intensity of your exercise increases, the body taps into those carbs to burn. After they’re all used up, the body dips back into your fat for energy, which will wear you down a lot faster.

The recommended daily caloric intake from fats is 20 to 30 percent.

Eating during training:

It helps to eat only when you’re actually hungry and never beyond the feeling of satisfaction. Avoid eating during normal workouts and try to consume some protein afterward to reinforce muscle development.

On Your Mark: Safety First!

Los Angeles County can present some interesting challenges to a jogger or runner. Everything from pollution to traffic poses potential dangers, and it’s important to be as prepared as possible. Here’s some food for thought:

Health and Eating:
1) Drink plenty of water. Hydration is essential to one’s immediate health during exercise. Drink 15 ounces of water 15 to 20 minutes before working out, and drink 12 ounces of water for every 20 minutes you remain active.

2) After eating, wait an hour before working out to avoid cramps and nausea. It’s also best to exercise on a satisfied stomach than a stuffed or starving one.

3) Never exercise if you feel sick or sore. You may only worsen an existing injury or illness.

Environment and Clothing
1) Vehicles pose a serious danger if you choose to run on the road. Running against traffic might seem counterintuitive, but doing so can help you notice danger sooner. Running on or close to sidewalks and turnouts will provide fast escape routes and are always the safer options.

2) It’s safest to run without music, or do so with the volume turned down considerably, especially at night.

3) Run at dusk or dawn, if not during brighter hours. Nighttime running is very dangerous and not recommended, but it can be made safer. Traffic and criminals are two night-time threats that you can prepare for by wearing reflective tape on your clothing and running in well-lit areas. Both will allow drivers to see you and a well-lit setting could deter someone who might want to harm you. Turn down your music or consider leaving your music player at home during darker hours.

4) Run with a buddy! The buddy system is a time-tested way to ensure safety, especially while running.

5) Buy shorts and sweats with pockets. This will allow you to carry a cell phone, identification and medical information should an accident occur. Place identification and medical information in the sole of your shoe as backup.

6) Try an indoor treadmill. Whether you’re at the gym or home, treadmills are convenient tools. Staying indoors helps you avoid a plethora of obvious risks like vehicles, but it can also limit the amount of pollution you breathe and keep you cooler to avoid heatstroke. Similar to the buddy system, be sure someone else is around when you use a treadmill to call for help should an emergency occur. As an added benefit, treadmills absorb shock better than concrete or asphalt, decreasing the likelihood of common injuries such as shin splints.

Get Set: Before You Step Outside

The Importance of Stretching
Be sure to stretch before and after you workout. Stretching increases your muscles’ flexibility, which can help you avoid cramps and other common injuries.

Search the Internet for the best types of stretches.

Why a Warm-up Lap?
Try walking for 5 minutes before you begin running to make sure that critical muscles are getting used to the motion. Consider it like a pilot’s final flight check before taking off.

Go: Building Endurance and working toward a 5K

You’ve been eating right and have taken precautions to stay safe and healthy, now you get to put it all to practice.

We won’t give you a schedule to follow or tell you how you should plan your week. There are many other online resources you can refer to. Our focus here is to provide the informational tools to map out a plan that works best for you.

Getting Started
Like all exercise, running is a progressive activity that one builds up over time. Don’t expect to run a full mile or three the first time you go out if you haven’t done it before.

Don’t wear Yourself Out
Run slower than you think you should. The three things that will slow a runner down are leg pains, inability to catch one’s breath and excessive heart rate. The latter two are pretty dangerous, so it’s worth it to slow down. In the first few days of running, focus on building endurance and strength not only in your legs, but your heart and lungs as well. Starting out with a jog will do the trick.

It’s even more important from a psychological perspective to not exhaust yourself the first few days. You’re going to remember how hard and painful it was to meet what you thought were small, easy goals, and might end up too discouraged to continue your workouts. Prove to yourself that you can meet those small goals first before you kick it up a notch.

Set Small – But Plentiful – Goals
We can’t tell you how to follow through with your goals because that takes personal motivation and discipline, but we can tell you that it’s OK to “feel the burn” and suck it up so long as you don’t feel like you’re in danger.

Setting small goals to reach a larger one is a proven life lesson for success that definitely applies to running. Not only do multiple, small goals make a larger goal more manageable, but they also encourage you to continue when you meet them and don’t bum you out as bad if you don’t.

While running, set goal distances or times to help build your endurance. Tell yourself to take a short walking break for 2 minutes after a full minute of running or jogging and progressively tip that 2-to-1 minute walk/run ratio in favor of the run.

If time goals don’t work for you, map out a one-mile route around your neighborhood and give it a go. Figure out where you start to feel most fatigued and consider that place your goal. Keep building up your endurance until you can run past that goal with ease. Repeat this until you can run a full three miles.

After Your Workout
The hours following your workout are just as important as the workout itself. Muscle recovery is crucial to muscle development and without adequate care, the workout you thought would help your body might end up hurting it.

Remember to stretch after every workout. Not only is it good for you, but it feels great too.

Be sure to drink plenty of water to compensate for what you lost in sweat and eat something small but high in protein like cheese or a hard-boiled egg.

Rest Days
Be sure to have designated rest days between workout days. Giving your muscles a chance to fully recover is crucial to healthy development.
Sources:
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons
Runner’s World
Coolrunning.com