Running coaches have urged beginners and experienced runners alike to build up their training gradually, enlist a friend for accountability and put more effort into strength work than stretching, according to advice shared with the Guardian.
The guidance covers mindset, footwear, goal-setting, nutrition, injury prevention and marathon preparation, and stresses that consistency matters more than intensity.
Jo Wilkinson, a former GB and England athlete who has coached running for 10 years, said motivation is rarely straightforward. “I absolutely hate getting out of bed and going for a run,” she said. “It takes me a good 20 minutes to get into a run, and then I quite enjoy it. Motivation ebbs and flows in all of us.”
Wilkinson suggested arranging to run with someone, or joining a club. “It’s much harder to let a friend down. There’s a sense of obligation to turn up,” she said.
Her tip for evening runners is simple: “If you’re running after work, my top tip is: do not sit down. Walk in the front door and put your running clothes on. If you sit on your sofa, you will not get up again.”
Accepting the harder days
Thomas Craggs, who leads the World Class Endurance Programme for UK Athletics — a squad that includes Keely Hodgkinson and Emile Cairess — said even elite athletes face days they would rather skip. “People think these guys wake up every day and love what they do. They don’t. But they do it anyway,” he said.
Craggs described taking up running as an “overweight, sedentary adult” before becoming a mass participation marathon runner. For anyone self-conscious about running in public, he said: “Being self-conscious is normal — you are not the exception. You are going to have to embrace a period of discomfort to reach the point where running feels comfortable. But one of the joys of being a new runner is that progression can be quite rapid, so you go from struggling to do 30 to 60 seconds’ worth of running to being able to run for 30 minutes.”
Allie Bailey, an ultrarunner, coach and author of 31 Days: A Zero Bullsh*t Mindset Masterclass for the Modern Runner, recommended the Couch to 5K app for first-timers. “Couch to 5K is probably your best bet to start, because then you have a little cheerleader on your phone,” she said, noting that it mixes walking and running. She added: “And when I say run, I mean run a bit faster than walking, because everybody goes off and sprints like they are at school — you don’t need to do that. If you can jog and hold a conversation, that’s a good pace to start.”
Walking is not failure, Wilkinson agreed. “People think they have got to run continuously. I walk all the time,” she said. “Most people would be less prone to injury if they took longer to build up their running.”
Shoes, kit and comfort
Emma Kirk-Odunubi, a running coach and author of Find Your Pace: How Running Changed My Life and How It Can Change Yours Too, recommended having gait analysed, ideally at an independent running store. “Then they can give you impartial advice on what shoes will work best for you,” she said.
Comfort should come before performance, according to Bailey. “Find a pair of shoes that are comfortable rather than performance-enhancing,” she said, reminding runners: “You’re a hobby runner, not a professional athlete.”
On carbon-plated shoes, the style favoured by record-breaking athletes, Wilkinson said: “There is good evidence that they do make a significant difference. You just have to be aware that they don’t have much stability, so don’t wear them for every single run, as it could create problems down the line.”
Kirk-Odunubi said clothing comfort comes first: “We can get to the nitty-gritty of synthetic materials and the breathability later on, but to start with, the more comfortable you feel when you’re running, that’s already one barrier broken down — you feel good before you head out the door.”
Bailey buys most kit secondhand. “I buy from Preloved Sports. You can get everything — T-shirts, shorts, bras — really cheaply. The most sustainable kit you’ve got is the kit you’re already wearing,” she said.
Goals, frequency and plateaus
Craggs urged runners to define a target: “I want to be able to run continuously to that lamp-post in six weeks’ time, or I want to go to a parkrun in six weeks’ time.” Signing up for a race can provide the motivation to keep training, and parkrun is one accessible starting point. Wilkinson said it can look intimidating but is open to everyone: “There are people of all shapes and sizes, ages and levels of fitness. Walking is encouraged as much as running.”
Frequency should be the first priority, Craggs said, pointing to three runs a week as a starting point to “give your body what it likes, which is a managed stimulus, mixed with appropriate recovery time”. Volume should rise slowly so extra rest days are not needed. “The surefire way of stopping is by getting injured, and the most likely way you’ll get injured is by ramping up your training too hard,” he said.
Apps and training plans can help, Kirk-Odunubi said, but runners should “always listen to your body”. “Sometimes an app can say ‘do this speed workout’, and you might be absolutely exhausted, but you do it anyway, and get a niggle or injury,” she said.
Plateaus are normal, according to Craggs. “There will come a point where those fitness gains slow down, and you start to plateau,” he said, recommending higher volume or intensity, or interval work. “Runners can develop speed and endurance through managed doses of high intensity. This can stress your body beyond its comfort zone in a sustainable way.” The key, he said, is to “tailor the intensity and recovery to your ability and build progressively”.
Watches, fuel and stretching
Both Bailey and Wilkinson warned against over-reliance on data. “Data is great if the watch is working for you and you’re not working for the watch,” Bailey said. Wilkinson added: “Don’t let yourself be emotionally abused by your watch. Is it going to make you fitter? No. What will is running and training.” She called pace judgement “one of the biggest skills you can develop as a runner”, adding: “It shouldn’t suck the fun out of it.”
On food, Wilkinson said: “Carbs are your friend. They are the most efficient source of energy physiologically. You need to focus on carbohydrates regularly throughout the day.” Kirk-Odunubi highlighted pre-run fuel: “Whether it’s a piece of toast with honey, a bowl of porridge or even just a banana.” For recovery, Wilkinson nominated “a pint of cow’s milk”, saying: “You want to have a mix of protein and carbohydrate, and cow’s milk is cheap, simple and highly effective.”
Stretching has limits, Wilkinson said. “Stretching is good if it is done well, but often people don’t hold a stretch for long enough.” Ten seconds is of little use, she said, while holding a stretch for closer to a minute has better evidence behind it; a short yoga or pilates routine is preferable to token stretches.
The experts pointed instead to strength and conditioning. “Join a gym and do some lower leg and lower body strength work every week,” Bailey said. Wilkinson noted this becomes more important with age, because “our muscle mass and bone density start to decline. The more strength work you can do, the more you’ll maintain that for longer”.
Kirk-Odunubi favourited unilateral exercises: “We run on one leg at a time. So go for any exercise that is unilateral, like lunges or split squats. And then look at things like single-leg calf raises, and some low-level plyometrics, like hops and pogo jumps. Adding those in will make a massive difference.”
Injury and marathon preparation
Pain should never be run through. “If running caused your injury, more running will not make it better,” Wilkinson said. “So, if in doubt, stop. Even if you are a long way from home.” Kirk-Odunubi added: “Never run through pain. If your day-to-day activities are being interrupted by discomfort, there is no way that you should be running, and that is a sign to go and seek out some help from a physiotherapist or osteopath,” warning that without a proper diagnosis a runner will not know how to respond.
For those with a spring marathon place, Craggs said training should begin now, while Wilkinson cautioned: “Don’t overcook it too early. It is better to have done less but run consistently and continuously over the whole period up to your marathon than it is to have put in some amazing long runs and then had three weeks off because you overdid it.”
Kirk-Odunubi prioritises the wider picture: “I get people to think about nutrition, hydration and sleep. If life’s got in the way, and you’ve been working long hours and you are fatigued, skipping one session is probably going to be more beneficial for you than pushing through.”
Craggs said the long-run target is lower than many assume: “You don’t have to get to 20 miles in training. Your job is to do enough, but not so much that you come into the marathon knackered. Loads of runners run great marathons off a longest run of 16-18 miles.” He suggested racing a 10k or half-marathon first to rehearse logistics such as gels and energy drinks.
Race-day advice from Wilkinson includes arriving early for queues, and viewing nerves positively: “Nerves are good; they make you want to do well, and they give you adrenaline.” Her pacing guidance is to hold back: “However slowly you think you’ve started, start more slowly. Have a feeling for your first few miles, and do not exceed it. If you do, even if you feel amazing, you will regret it. That is the time when you really need to use your watch.”
Afterwards, she advised an honest review: “Was the time you hoped for realistic based on the training that you did and the fitness you had? Did you have a race plan that was sensible, and did you stick to it? Did you take gels at the right time? Did you keep yourself at the pace that you planned? Were you ill, injured, stressed or overcome by the whole experience? All of those things affect you.”
Wilkinson added that results are rarely judged harshly: “It’s not the end of the world. And do you know what? Ninety-nine percent of people won’t judge you on your time, or won’t even know what it means. My PB was 2 hours and 37 minutes. People think that is amazing. I tell them I ran 3 hours and 48 minutes last year, and they think that’s equally amazing.”
Craggs said disappointment is acceptable but should be kept in perspective. “It’s OK to be disappointed,” he said, advising runners to focus on what went well, such as spotting family and friends in the crowd. “If sport was predictable, we wouldn’t do it.”
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