Take running in your stride
How to start, how to stick with it and how to succeed from Olympian Ryan Gregson.
What’s the best time of the year for regular running in Australia?
If you live in Wollongong – all year around. In winter, running feels good to warm you up, and in summer, you can escape the heat in the early mornings and late afternoons. If you’re from a hot climate, don’t worry. Running in the heat has shown to have some similar benefits to altitude training, so even if it seems unbearable, you’re getting a lot out of it.
What’s your favourite terrain to run in?
My favourite places to run are along the coast, and Wollongong has plenty of it. I love looking at water while I run. It makes the time fly and is also nice for a post-run dip.
Do you have any essential running apps, watches or gadgets?
I use a GPS watch to track my pace and heart rate, but it isn’t essential. Quite often you can get caught up with data as these watches have an overload of information. However, they’re great for tracking how far you’ve gone and your pace so you can look to go farther and faster next time.
What’s the best way to trick yourself into a run or workout when you’re tired?
There are plenty of times I don’t feel like running. I may be tired or my body’s a bit achy from a previous session, but it generally always feels better once you’re 5 minutes in and have loosened up. I’m getting a bit older so that first 5 minutes doesn’t look great, but after that I get in the zone and start to enjoy it. Starting is the hardest part, so my advice would be to spend less time thinking about starting, and just start. That’s why running first thing in the morning is good. You’re already 10 minutes in before you’ve woken up and realise what’s going on!
What advice do you give people who want to get into running?
Give it a month. Running hurts if you have never really done much of it. You will get tired, and you will pull up sore, but after a month, you will start to feel better running and you will see yourself drastically improve. Improvement is addictive. I truly believe that anyone can get the running bug, you just have to persist through that difficult initial stage.
What are you top 5 tips for managing the mental side of running/fitness?
- Create a routine.
- Train with friends.
- Mix up your running route.
- Combine running with your social life (go for coffee after).
- If you’re worried about an injury, sort it out right away with treatment. A few days off if you address it early is better than a few months off if it develops into something worse.
Useful links
Using your Peoplecare extras cover for physiotherapy and other therapies
Using your Peoplecare extras cover for chiro and osteo