Doing too much too soon or getting injured are two of the most common reasons why people start running, only to give up shortly afterwards.
That’s according to the Irish Times running coach Mary Jennings who will be sharing these and other insights next Wednesday, September 10th, in the Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise.
Jennings likens how some people take up running to embarking badly on a diet. “They do too much too soon and end up worse off.”
The secret, she says, is to allow the body to adapt slowly and not to compare your fitness levels to someone else’s. Instead, she says, you should compare yourself to how you were before you started running.
Jennings talk, entitled “Exercise and Motivation,” is aimed at people who want to take up running or who are coming back to it after some time.
Jennings will show you how to make running part of your life, keep it on track and not let it become a stress on your life.
She says now is a good time to start running. Schools are back, people are getting back into a routine after summer and “you can make the most of the evenings while it is still bright”.
If you can establish the running habit now, she says, you will have it in place for the winter evenings.
The Irish Times Health & Family supplement on Tuesdays will be featuring articles about running programmes over the next eight weeks.
You can check out Get Running on the Irish Times website for free programmes aimed at beginners, lapsed runners and improvers.
These eight week programmes are structured, include a weekly online Q&A and are free.
In the meantime, if you wish to attend Mary Jennings free talk on Wednesday, contact Rachel Ahearne on 01 6690030 or rachel.ahearne@ogilvy.com.