Running singlet, shorts, socks, shoes, some rehydration gels, checked.

Alarm clock, checked.

Turning to bed early.

Feeling happy and looking forward to your run next morning when you wake up.

The next thing you know is, a thunderstorm arrives the next morning when you wake up. That ought to dampen some spirits.

Does that sound familiar? Bad weather can be a mood damper and morale killer when it comes to running. However, all is not lost. Here are a few strategies you can adopt when it comes to such unforeseen
circumstances.

Stretching

Do full body stretches from head to toes, that you otherwise have too little time or focus to act on during your regular running sessions. Not only does stretching improve your flexibility, it also helps in recovery, return of blood and general responsiveness of muscle fibres. Simple and powerful routine to enhance your performance indeed.

Calisthenics

Good old static exercises that can be done indoors and at home. From push ups, sit ups, crunches, squats, leg raises, lunges, planks ... there are no short of exercises to keep those muscles busy. Little space is required and you get to tone those other muscles that are less used during running as well. Looking fit and feeling good, not too bad for a rainy day.

Hit the gym

With all that adrenaline and anticipation psyched up, don't waste it! Visit your neighbourhood or club gymnasium for a hearty run on the treadmill. The perks are the great music and maybe TV programmes to watch while working out. Less stickiness in the cooling air-conditioned room too!

Meditation or Yoga

A calm and composed mind is more focused and sharp when put to action. Using meditation time to regulate and control your breathing, circulation and general mental vitality. Feel and unwind each muscle and visualize the placidness of your long runs. While some people treat running as meditation of the mind, the actual static meditation does even more wonders in triggering body senses and smoothness of bodily functions. Oooohmm....

Nourishment

You can take the chance to whip up a good breakfast, filled with wholesome goodness of bread, eggs, cheese, fruits, milk, cereal, beverage or whatever rejuvenates your body to a healthy start, just like a run will! Put all that energy and anticipation into planning and cooking your breakfast, as well as finishing up those great foods. Not a bad reward for waking up early.

Off-season is always an unwinder and performance enhancer for runners. While keeping your body conditioned and oiled, it is important not to overtax your joints and muscles. Hence, yoga is fast becoming a recovery routine for mental and physical rejuvenation. Some have even woven yoga into their weekly routine, to improve muscle flexibility and metabolism.

 

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How to start Running with easy 5 steps

Author: Hazyl Lee
It might be hard to start running at the beginning if you have not done any running before. In fact, Running is one of the inexpensive, great for health and best way to lost weight. Every beginners worries how to get motivated, how to avoid injuries, where and how much to run. Therefore, there are a few tips and guidelines for beginners to get started!
Beginner Tip Number 1: Training Schedules
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. When you are first getting started with running, it\'s important to have a schedule. For example, run Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Rest on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Make sure you stick to what you have planned. In addition, Keep track of your running records and increase your running time or mileage gradually. For beginner runners, Nike Sport Watch GPS is a good choice. It reminds you to run, stores your run history and remembers your personal records.
Beginner Tip Number 2: Find the essential gear
The most important thing to take care of in your running program is to have the right running shoes, comfortable clothing including socks. Getting appropriate running shoes will help to minimize any chances to get injury. The best way is to go to a specialty shoes store where they will help to analyze your pattern of movement to figure out the best shoes of you.
Beginner Tip Number 3: Make sure you warm up
Well, a good warm up before running can prevent all sorts of sport injuries such as muscle tightness which could wreck your run. Warming up also provide you with more significant power whenever you run. And not to forget to cool down for at least five minutes at the end of your run too.
Beginner Tip Number 4: Do a Run-Walk Combination
When you first start running, it is always the best to start slowly. It is advisable to start running at short distances and do not pressure yourself to run the entire length of your desired distance. By doing a run-walk combination, you will able to cover more distance and running will be a lot more enjoyable.
Beginner Tip Number 5: Run with other people
Many of the beginners would prefer to run with their running partners. They can find motivational support and can be rich source of information and advice for beginning runners.  However, you can run with your electronic devices if you are comfortable with it. Listening music or audiobooks able distract you on a hard run and stay motivated.
People say all beginnings are difficult. With these 5 easy steps, you can start running easily with great feeling! To find out more, check this out for better running techniques. This website provides how to run with ideal postures, better running tips and information about the essential running gears.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/track-and-field-articles/how-to-start-running-with-easy-5-steps-5769896.html
About the Author

For those of you having a tussle between wanting to run and being held back by procrastination, here is a beautiful poster that gives you more than ample reasons to put on those running shoes!

Enjoy!

Image source: Tri-factor.sg











































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Clock the mileage first.

Think GREAT, feel GREAT, run GREAT!

Try recalling those fantastic runs you had. What were your emotions before the race day? How did you feel just before the race starts? What was on your mind during the race? How did you feel at the end of the race? Then try remembering 1 of those horrible races, if you had any, where you thought like its never going to end even from the start. Woah.. not very pretty, right?



Quite surprisingly, no matter how much we prepare, one important thing would make or break our performance on race day... and that is our race mindset. As much as we can prepare our body to cope with the demands of running a race, our mind rules over how our body would work. The kind of thoughts and emotions that go through our mind before the race would tune you to a particular frame of mind to begin the race with.



A good way to harness the leverage that your mind provides is to envisage good things. Have an awesome attitude. Think of all the wonderful reasons. Focus on your passion for running. Here, i would like to share with you some simple yet powerful strategies that have helped me in my races.



Use mental visualization. Run through in your mind, the route you will be taking. Imagine the likely atmosphere. Think about the sensation you will go through and how will you keep yourself recharged. Envision how you will like to finish. Envision a strong, euphoric finish. Think of the roars of cheers and upbeat music that will welcome you. Think of anything that motivates you: your family, your supporters, a good drink, a nice massage or anything at all (even sex!). Mentally run through the things you have to bring for race day, the actions you will take, the pace you want to maintain and all the preparations you will do en route to finishing the race.

Talk about it. Tell friends and family about your trainings. Share your emotions. Update fellow runners and motivate each other along as you train up for the race. The more you let it out, the less anxiety will build. A talk with experienced runners would probably help dispel some worries or give u some tips too. Light hearted chats make good remedy for nervous thoughts of pre-race jitters.

Use positive affirmations. Get used to it. Immerse yourself in confidence and assurance of your own ability and training. Try to start with it as early as you can convince yourself. Repeat the process every week, every day, every opportunity you can. The key to this is to repeat it to yourself so often until it becomes a subconscious reality.

Enjoy the race, that's why you signed up in the first place! Focus on the good, like the mileage you have been building or the nice scenery around or simply congratulate yourself after you cover a milestone distance (like every 5km or something). Take it as a sight-seeing tour. Enjoy the little things... from the gentle breeze to the joy of drinking along the way, everything makes up the race experience. Look forward to the grand finishing line.

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