Beginner Runner Village

Whether your main goal is better health, weight loss, having more energy, or making new friends, your overarching motivation may be simply 'wanting more,' wanting to become a runner to move your life toward something richer, and I'm not talking about things or money, but experiences and better yet, shared experiences with others on the same healthy journey. In this episode, I look at what beginner...

Becoming a runner is on your shoulders. The buck stops with you. You're the one who must make the commitment and do the work. You know that, but you need tools and techniques to make success more achievable, and this is one of the big ones: If you can get your family and friends on board, take them along on your running journey, if you can get them to stand by you, stand with you, support and enco...

Walk to run workouts, also known as walk run workouts. are, hands down, the most effective, safest, and surest way to become a runner. I recommend this method for every beginner runner, and in this episode I explain why and how. Listen in and you'll soon understand how to execute a workout that, after a thorough warmup, alternates segments of walking and running. Subscribe with Stitcher Radio Mojo...

Runners tend to be incredibly friendly, and most experienced runners are extremely supportive of beginner runners, happily offering advice.  That is wonderful, right? Because, after all, some of these runners have logged, literally, thousands of miles, competed in a hundred races over many years. If you have a question, you can bet they will have an answer. For the most part this is good, this fre...

If you've been running even as much as three months, chances are that you've already experienced some discomfort in the front of your leg, some degree of shin splints. If you haven't, that's great. So, the purpose of this episode is to help you prevent shin splints. There are many concrete actions you can take to stave off this dreaded running injury. I hope the advice in this episode of the Begin...

Shin splints are the bane of many runners. I hate to say it, but I think every runner is going to experience this very common running injury at some point in their running career. I'd like to say they can be completely avoided, and that is possible but probably unlikely because you can accidently do something to trigger them, just like plantar fasciitis. If you train wisely and respond at the firs...

If you haven't been warming up before running, I'm willing to bet that will change after you listen to this episode because the benefits of a good warm-up are that impressive, and the possible problems of warming up incorrectly – or not warming up at all – are that dangerous. The hitch with beginner runners is that beginner runners will often say, "I don't need to warm up because I'm so slow that...

It seems that all new runners and 'newer' runners stress about speed, but it that is you, please remember that speed – up to a point – comes naturally as you build endurance. First concentrate on endurance. After your weeky mileage is up to 25 miles, then – and only then – should you insert speed work. Everything in due time! I always harp on how important it is not to worry about running speed, a...

Everybody worries about race strategy, and no one more than the first-time 5K runner. I suspect for most runners that first 5k is more nerve-wracking than a first marathon. This makes sense, too, because anyone who has trained enough for a marathon knows that things that once seemed impossible, eventually, with proper training, become doable, even dare a I say old hat? That comes with time, though...

More people start running to lose weight than start for any other reason. Join a group of runners paused at a water kiosk, and poll them for the reason why each of them runs, and even if they are fast, fit runners, at least half of them will tell you they run to eat.  You'd be surprised. Running can certainly help you lose weight, and it will help you keep it off, but it's not a given; it's not au...

Why should newer runners have to discover some really helpful tips by trial and error? In this podcast, I list tips of all kinds about all manner of big and small things that can be hugely helpful to your runnig career.  Whether you find them helpful, enlightening, or entertaining, I guarantee you'll hear some things you haven't heard before. I explain about all manner of running secrets from nip...

Most people think massages are just about relaxation, but runners of all levels, especially new runners will reap great benefits from a deep tissue or sports massage.  Even if you can only afford one massage a year, get it, really. It's worth it. Even one good sports massage, a deep tissue massage, will go a long way toward making you more comfortable, improving your form, and preventing injury. D...

Most beginner runners assume that training at a higher intensity is a good thing; it must be, right? Wrong. Training at the appropriate intensity is one of the main keys to success, but if you are a new runner, you may find it hard to control intensity because, for you, any running is intense.  In this podcast I explain the optimal training intensity for beginners and how to achieve that intensity...

The beginning, the  very beginning of your running career is the perfect time to learn correct form, and cadence is a huge part of that! With cadence mastered, all the rest of your running, for years to come, will be easier and more efficient. And most important of all, you'll be much, much less likely to suffer the typical running injuries that tend to plague and discourage beginner runners. You...

We've all heard of people-watching. Let me introduce you to runner-watching. It's less entertaining but much more useful. Even the most untrained eye will, with a little coaching from me, be able to spot good running form.  In this episode I'll give you some tips on analyzing the form of established runners, helping you better understand good form, making it easier for you to practice it, yourself...

An integral but often overlooked element of running form is foot strike. Whether beginner or advanced, any runner should take care to be sure to utilize an efficient and stable foot plant and  it makes perfect sense for new runners to work on this from the very beginning, from day one, rather than try to break bad habits later on. Mojo for Running .

Learn the correct running form and succeed that much faster. In this episode, I discuss how to lean, ever so slightly, forward, to take advantage of gravity. Plus, I discuss how to make sure you're landing with your foot under your center of gravity. Correct running form will lessen the likelihood of injury, make your running more comfortable, and conserve energy. Mojo for Running .

Improving your running form will mean avoiding injury and running more comfortably, two worthwhile pursuits for any runner, and there is no better time to master it than at the very beginning of your running career when you're only running a few steps at a time. In this podcast, I explain correct running form in the first of four episodes on this topic. Mojo for Running .

One of the most common concerns among beginner runners is that they struggle to breathe, often saying, "I can never seem to catch my breath" or "I feel like I'm breathing through a straw." For many runners, it's just a matter of learning how to breathe. Many, many people are still following the advice of an ill informed physical education coach from high school years. We've come a long way since t...

I've learned that new runners – even the newest runners – will progress more comfortably and with fewer injuries when they apply proven running training principles that veteran runners use to guide their training. The difference is that they must be modified to be appropriate for beginner runners. In this podcast I  explain one of the hard easy principle, and how to apply it. This one simple conce...

I explain exactly what is included in the Mojo for Running Coaching Program, what the weekly schedules include, and how they break down into a gradual progression from mostly walking to running, then from being able to run to being able to run 3.1 miles, a 5k. The program gradually moves complete non-runners from walking to running while putting great focus on conditioning. From there, the next fe...

While you won't need much in the way of equipment, good running shoes are, of course, a must. After listening to this episode, you'll be prepared for the all-important shopping trip. Discover what to look for, which questions to ask, and how to know if the salesperson is knowledgeable. You'll need to understand the running shoe terminology, and you'll need to know what to do. You'll need an overvi...

Veteran runners can choose from a variety of different forms of cross training, but new runners will need to be quite careful about cross training because if they are not already physically fit, the cross training may sap their energy and tire the muscles they should be saving for their running days. Enter hiking. Hiking is the perfect form of cross training for someone just embarking on a running...

No matter whether you are training to run your first mile, your first race, or you are working toward greater endurance and speed, you will experience much greater success if you follow a well thought out, logical, running schedule, one that is built around accepted and proven running training principles. Many beginners think for a long while, the most important thing is that they just need to run...

It's inevitable that sometimes events beyond your control will prevent you from running for a couple of days to a couple of weeks. If you are a beginner runner, you likely find it especially to persevere through such interruptions. When you can't run, you may experience feelings of guilt and discouragement. In this episode Coach Deb addresses those feelings as well as how to regain lost motivation...