Running is one of the healthiest activities we can have. Many thousands of years ago, the man primarily moved by running, not walking. Today, it would be good to implement running as much as possible, because we sit, lie down or walk slowly too much, which all has a bad effect on our health. However, we know that you are limited by your work and other activities and that you cannot be active if your job involves using a computer all day.
That’s why more and more people are running long distances like a marathon or a shorter distance, depending on what they want, what their goal is, and what level of physical fitness they have. We are very supportive of this activity, but it is important that you know how to prepare before running. If you fail to do so, instead of being the best and healthiest part of your day, it can become the moment when you get hurt or just don’t feel well. In order to help you better prepare for running and thus bring yourself into a state where you can practice it regularly, we will tell you things you should not do before running.
Table of Contents
1. Eat too much or too little
It is a big mistake to eat a larger amount of food before running or on the other hand not to eat anything and then be without energy due to lack of nutrients. However, if you have to choose between these two because for example, you did not have time to eat at least two hours before, which is also a mistake, then it is better to eat a smaller amount of food than a larger one.
Ideally, two to two and a half hours before running, you should have a balanced meal that will contain protein, carbohydrates, and fats. If you haven’t eaten yet, and there’s less than an hour to run, then eat some food, which must be very nutritious. For example, dates are a great choice and are used by even the best sports in the world before a match to suddenly raise energy levels. If you overload the body with food just before sports activity, then the body will spend most of its energy on digestion and you will be sluggish. Novak Djokovic, in his own words, ate only a few dates before the 2019 Wimbledon finals and played over 5 hours, which certainly tells us that it is better to eat a little food instead of a lot if you have already failed to eat the ideal amount at the ideal time.
2. Static instead of active stretching
Static stretching is something they have taught you to do since elementary school and on every sports activity you attended for decades. But, that is a very outdated way of stretching before a sports activity. Static stretching has its purpose, but only at the end of a sports activity or on days when you only practice stretching.
It is a big mistake to do static stretching before running, but active stretching is something you have to do. When you stretch statically or passively as it is also called, you stretch muscle fibers, tendons, and ligaments which then make them temporarily weaker. So you will be slower and weaker and what you will mostly experience is a lack of explosiveness. It can even leady to an ankle injury, for example. What you need to do is active stretching which means moving your muscles and joints through a full range of motion without stopping in any position. That is the best way to warm up your body.
3. New or improper shoes
If you want running to be your main sport activity, you simply have to buy the right shoes. You will not be able to do this in sneakers that are not designed for many reasons. First, you will be very uncomfortable, your feet and the rest of your body will hurt and you will quickly give up.
Second, improper footwear will lead to various injuries, especially those such as shin splints, which is a classic example of overuse injury but also injuries due to inadequate shoes. Third, running shoes are very durable and will last you a long time, while all other models will be destroyed very quickly. Another big mistake is to wear sneakers for the first time when you run a long distance. This will probably cause blisters. Therefore, for longer distances, use sneakers that you have worn many times, and slowly get used to new ones during shorter distances. Also, there are places like homeattic which you should visit a read a few buying guides before deciding which pair of running shoes you should buy. It is of utmost importance to buy the best one for you.
4. Excessive water consumption
While it’s probably tempting for you to drink as much water as possible before running, especially if it’s a warm day outside, to prepare for the exertion, it’s not the right thing to do. Of course you need to hydrate, but it must be moderate and not only by using water, but also other types of drinks, above all we mean sports drinks.
If you consume only water, you may lack electrolytes in your body, which will lead to dehydration. Also, if you consume too much water, you will experience discomfort and will have to stop activity to use the restroom. You will definitely not like it, because it will interrupt your rhythm. During the activity itself, stay moderate in water consumption, to avoid something called water intoxication which is potentially fatal disturbance in brain functions.
5. Going to activity no matter what
It is very good to have a strong will and in the days when we are lazy, to force ourselves to go running after all. It is something without which we cannot succeed in life in any field.
However, you should also listen to your body. If you are sick, have an injury that you think can get worse, or just don’t feel well because, for example, you haven’t slept well or anything like that, then sometimes it’s best to move the activity to another day. In such cases, you will do more harm than good if you force yourself to run no matter what.
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