Running is made up of many components, but one that is not as featured as much is the wearable technology and other technology components that enhance the running experience. Everyone knows about the footwear and apparel that allow you to run more easily and comfortably, but there is an aspect of technology that in my opinion helps to help the mental challenge of running. 

Starting off with smartwatches, there are many different brands that help track and monitor the entirety of your run. They have the ability to track the distance and monitor your heart rate. It automatically calculates mile pace as well. Fitbit and Garmin are types of brands who are specialized for fitness workouts, making them great options for runners. They have the option to be a watch used for running timing, or can also be used as a smartwatch through a connection to your phone. Watches are a helpful tool for runners that allow a tracking of the running pace, the path traveled, and other health recordings such as heart rate. 

Once you learn and adjust to the different metrics that are recorded by the watch, you will be able to utilize it better in order to improve your running times, especially if you are running a race. Being able to monitor how your body runs a certain event gives you the opportunity to seek out the rough patches and look to improve it for the future. This allows a better chance to improve your timings and hit a PR during your next race.

I have my own experience using a FitBit watch and it helped to track my runs and introduced me to joining a running community. Through virtual runs, you can be involved and add up your runs to be shared with others. This can also work as a motivational aspect to help you continue running and feel compelled to run for the sake of your community.Currently I use an Apple Watch and I find that it accurately tracks my runs through the mileage and heart rate recorded. This allows me to analyze and observe the trend of my runs over time to see my improvement. 

Besides a watch, having a phone on you as well can allow you to connect and listen to certain podcasts or playlists that keep you motivated to run. I always run to a certain playlist that is upbeat and makes me energetic to continue running when I might be struggling to keep up. Listening to music or any other audio format allows a distraction from the mental and physical fatigue that comes after some time of running. I have found that music, especially more upbeat and hype, distracts me from the pain I would usually feel during my run and pushes me to keep going. I have also seen my pace drop slightly as I tend to get more comfortable with running as music helps calm my mind to let me keep going.  

There are many other technologies that can be used to enhance your running experience, but these are a few that work to continue to motivate you to keep running. By utilizing them correctly, you better set yourself up to run a better race or potentially improve your own running pace. 

Every runner needs to be aware of when to take a break and when to not push the barrier too far. Intense running without a rest day can lead to various injuries that can take weeks or months off of your normal running schedule. As important as it is to be consistent when you are working out, especially keeping up with your runs to improve your endurance and stamina, it is just as important to listen to your body and take the rest that your body needs in order to stay in correct physical shape.

There are very common injuries that many runners get, such as shin-splints or achilles tendonitis, such as me. The common procedure when diagnosed with such injuries starts with the acronym RICE. It stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. This is a constant home remedy that I found online and been told by my coaches and athletic trainers. A simple list of actions that overtime allow for effective results. Besides this, it is recommended to stretch around that area and continue to put ice around it to quicken the healing process. You should be sure to not do any excessive physical activity while the injured part is healing, which can be rough or difficult at times when you realize all the progress you are missing. Although you might fall behind in your training, it is better to take a short duration of time off to prevent a longer lasting and more serious injury from occurring that could ruin your entire season or even year.

When coping with some of my injuries, I used to compress my ankle around where my achilles is when I would walk around. In my high school, we used to have the “bucket of fun”, which in reality is the complete opposite of what the name implies. We basically submerged our leg from the knee down into a bucket of ice-cold water that we would stay in for 3-5 minute intervals for a set amount of times.

Injuries are terrible. That is the straight truth. However tempting it is to want to continue running on your injury, it is not a smart decision in the present or in the long run as you have the chance to worsen the injury. Sometimes, an athletic trainer may not completely cut you off from running, but rather put you on machines such as the elliptical that is less strenuous on the injured body part.

So therefore, to prevent an injury from occurring it is important to prepare your body for any workout by warming up. This allows your muscles to start warming up and become loose for when they are being used for a strenuous workout. Take a light jog combined with various stretching exercises before starting your run. Once you complete your workout, it is also important to do a cool down run and stretches to once again rest your muscles from the workout they just went through.

Running is a process and taking the time to make sure your body is better equipped to continue running is key to maintaining a steady balance and good health. Remember to always listen to what your body needs and when it needs a break in order to continue your running regime.

Getting ready for an upcoming race takes both mental and physical preparation. From a physical standpoint, depending on the events and distance you have to run, your body needs a certain amount of preparation, rest, and of course, nutrition. 

The day before your race, you should not run a hard workout, but a light jog to get your muscles moving. Combine this with stretching as well to help with injury prevention. It is also a good decision to ice any part of the body that is slightly injured or recovering from a previous injury considering the intensity that you will be running at the following day. Just as it is important to get some movement in, it is important to also rest and not overwork your body. This means to not be running insane distances with continuous speed, but to slightly move your legs around the day instead. A good night’s sleep is also necessary with around eight hours of sleep. This is not just for the night before, but for the week leading up to the race as you need consistent rest for your body to be in its best shape to run. My coach used to recommend light toe taps while we were constantly sitting in classes when we had a meet in the afternoon or night. Nutrition is just as important in order to make sure your body is fueled with the right nutrients. It is recommended that you consume foods high in carbohydrates and low in fats prior to your race. You should also look to not eat for two to three hours before your actual race time to allow digestion to take place in order to avoid any stomach discomfort from occurring while you are running. Hydration is also key to preparing your body for a race. You should be drinking enough water the day of the race leading up to it along with days prior as it will better set up your body’s physicality. 

The second half of the preparation is done mentally. Many racers experience slight nerves when it’s close to their time to race, such as myself. I would start to feel slightly worried about the event and my finishing time even before I would get onto the track. Taking deep breaths and the support of your teammates cheering you on from the moment you step onto the track has helped me better focus on how I run my race. From the moment the gun goes off, all the nerves I carried with me vanish.  Once you cross that finish line, no matter what the time you get is, it is important to be proud of yourself for just completing your event. It is not about the race you ran, but what you learn from the race that matters. I always take each race as a learning experience and tweak the method I run in order to potentially run better in the next track meet. 

Running in a meet is intimidating and takes a toll on you both mentally and physically. No matter the amount of times you have run in a meet, there will always be a series of steps to follow to prepare yourself for the experience you will have. Take each race as a lesson and learn from it to improve yourself both physically and mentally in order to allow yourself to be put in the best position for your next race.

When looking at running overall, or if you are a newcomer to a track team, the different types of running can be slightly intimidating. Each type has their own unique benefits and requires a certain amount of work that could be appealing to you. The three main types of running include sprinting, tempo, and longer distance runs. 

Starting with sprinting, you will be going quick, but only after a proper warm up. Sprinting consists of doing repetitive 20-30 second sprints that at the end of the workout will cause you to be exhausted. It is also usually a trend that you become faster as the reps move on, so it means you should not go all out on the first rep itself. Sprinters will not do repetitive sprints daily as everyone’s body will need a break and you will feel soreness, especially from the first couple weeks if you are a beginner.

Sprinters also put work into lifting in order to increase their power and strength. If you choose to become a runner on a track team, you could be running a 100m, 200m, or even a 400m event. Each event requires a certain amount of preparation as you will be unable to maintain the speed of a 100m for a 200m or 400m race. It is a combination of speed and stamina that allows you to complete your race. 

When trying to train for more stamina for longer distances, you might choose to do a tempo run. These runs consist of running at a “comfortably hard” pace as my track coach would say that you would be able to hold for at least 20 minutes. It has a certain intensity level that it should not be as a light jog, but also not that you are completely out of breath in a short while.

Tempo runs should be done once a week, but the frequency can differ based on the type of running event you are training for. You might need to do more tempo runs if you are training for longer distances such as the mile or 3200m event. 800m runners, as myself, have been coached to do tempo runs usually once a week for around 25-30 minutes. The duration is something you should build on as you should not try to overdo it from the start. This could lead you to become more injury prone and halt your training from taking place. The benefits of tempo runs also lead to an increased lactate threshold and higher aerobic capacity.

Finally, you can decide to do long distance runs at a lighter pace. Long distance running is beneficial for cardiovascular health overall. It is also important to continue running in order for you to not lose your stamina on days after a harder day. This is crucial to keeping your legs moving and to not let the soreness takeover. 

Finding your style of running takes time and will take a little trial and error till you feel which running type best fits you. Each has its own benefits and will help you to become better in a certain field of running, such as in track events.

Maintaining healthy nutrition is a part of contributing to good running health and overall physical condition. The correct nutrition fuels our bodies into being able to work at the most optimal physical level through providing your muscles the energy to run. 

Runners, especially distance runners particularly, need carbohydrates for their endurance during their distance runs. Having consumed less carbohydrates can cause a slower recovery process from the run you have done. Consuming a good amount of carbohydrates also helps provide you enough energy to continue your run, rather than burning out. 

To preserve the physical health and internal structure of the body, it is important to remember to make sure you are getting the lost vitamins and minerals back through their diet. To keep the bone density and overall physical health of the bones at its optimal level, it is important to consume vitamin D and minerals such as calcium. The body also needs iron to be able to allow the presence of hemoglobin to be consistent as it helps to carry oxygen throughout the body, especially to the muscles, that allow your body to continue moving with energy. 

When planning to go for a run, it is important you fuel your body two to three hours before you actually begin to run. It is also important to not try to eat a full meal before your run, which can result in feeling cramps or nausea. If you are racing and wondering what you should eat the nights prior, carb loading is a great idea. I have been told this by various coaches as it allows the build up of glycogen that will help with the high intensity of your run to avoid burnout. 

Running and nutrition go hand in hand as it is important to be able to fuel your body to the best of its ability to be able to run at your most optimal level, whether it be a casual or race day run.

Staying healthy while running starts with sneakers. Wearing a pair of sneakers that provides support and comfort to your feet is a key starting point to maintaining good physical health for running. Sneakers provide support to the arches and cushion to the ankles. They also help to absorb the stress placed on the joints. 

It is essential to do research based on the shape of your feet, such as whether you have high or low arches, in order to find the sneaker that best supports you. Personally, I have found that Nike Air Pegasus sneakers have best suited me during runs and workouts for my entire high school running career. 

Wearing sneakers is one of the starting points, the other is to replace the sneakers after a certain period of wear. Sneakers have a certain life span and it is important to replace them after a certain amount of miles have been run in them. Sneakers should be replaced around every 300-500 miles run in them. This is because the structure of the sneaker will start to wear down and no longer provide the structure that once existed. 

Speaking from personal experience, it is important to track the overall distance you have run in a pair of sneakers in order to prevent injuries. During my freshman year of running, I had run in a slightly worn out pair of sneakers and within a week I had pain in my ankles. 

Wearing sneakers may seem like a normality to running, but the meaning behind it is much more crucial. Sneakers provide the stability and injury prevention necessary for runners to perform at their best for a race or a casual jog outside. Therefore, I encourage all runners to check the condition of their shoes monthly in order to prevent any running hiatuses from occurring.

Getting into a rhythm of running takes time and motivation. For me, I found it hard to start a running routine on my own and I would sometimes tell my parents to force me out of the house in order to get my run in. Other times I would say “I run so I can eat unhealthy”. Statements such as this provide me the motivation as to why I need to run in order to maintain my health.

When I was in high school, I realized that running with others and committing myself to a team forced me to run. As a distance runner, long runs can fly by fast when running with friends and having someone to talk with as you try to catch your breath. 

Creating a playlist of songs that get you wanting to dance or move around is another great way to get into the habit of running. A good running playlist will allow you to lose yourself in the music and run several miles. I would recommend some upbeat songs that allow you to run to the rhythm of the beat as in my experience certain songs motivate me to pick up my pace. 

When you start your run, set a goal for yourself, either a time or mileage goal. When I felt myself getting tired, I kept looking at my watch to see how close I was to my goal and it helped to push me to reach and sometimes exceed my goal. When you complete your goal, you can even reward yourself, such as a sweet treat. Finding anyway that provides you motivation to run is key to forming a routine.

Overall, starting a running habit, especially as a beginner can be difficult, especially for me after I take some time off. It is important to find ways to motivate yourself to take that first step as once you establish a routine it will be much easier to keep it going. 

 

     Running is an activity that requires mental and physical ability. Though it may be tough to get into a rhythm of doing running workouts, there have been proven benefits to adding it into your life. 

     Before speaking on the benefits, I thought it would be good to hear my personal experience with it. I have been running since I was a young child and I have continued to keep up with it throughout the years of my life, of course with some small hiatuses within the years. I ran competitively for six years through middle and high school as a distance runner.

     After I started college, I still continue to run as I feel it positively impacts my mental and physical health. Running provided me an escape from the stress of reality such as school and college work. After doing some research on the benefits behind running, I have found that it is a productive and great cardio activity. 

     Running is found to greatly benefit your health, both mentally and physically. Maintaining a consistent workout schedule enhances your physical health. It has been found to strengthen your immunity and is linked to decreasing the chances of certain cardiovascular diseases. From a mental standpoint, it can be a great way to maintain stress and has been found to help the brain’s concentration. 

     Throughout this blog, I will dive into the different aspects that make up running, including my own experiences with the ups and downs, along with other technologies, training, and the community that running embodies. 

     So as this is an introduction for what is to come through this blog, I hope you feel more compelled to go for an easy jog whenever you have the time. Although it can be challenging to find the motive to start, which I can personally relate to, once you finish you will feel the rewards it entails.