Blog by Gainesville High School senior and Abernathy Cochran Group intern John Jessup

To me, running is a way to clear my head from the stress of the day. Growing up I seemed to be the fastest on the playground or in P.E. So in 6th grade when I had the chance to join the cross country team at Gainesville Middle School I began to run competitively.
Over the years, I have picked up a thing or two about how to be a successful runner.
Here are my 5 running tips for beginners.

1. Stay Consistent 

This is by far the most important tip for anyone who wants to get into running. If you truly want to get better and see improvements, you have to stay consistent. You can’t run a lot one day and then not run for the next four days and expect to see improvement. I recommend starting with low mileage that you can handle for 5 days of the week, with your off days spread out throughout the week. For example, when you are beginning, try running Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and resting Wednesday and Sunday. If you start with that type of schedule and build up based on how your body feels; you will improve a lot faster and avoid injuries.

2. Be Patient 

If you are looking to become a great runner in a short amount of time, running is not the sport for you. I have been working at this sport since I was 12, I am 17 now and not anywhere close to the best runner I can be. Embrace each and every day and focus on getting a little bit better each day.

3. Proper Footwear

If you aren’t running in proper footwear, you are already putting yourself at a disadvantage. Running shoes provide so much support to your feet, knees, and calves that other shoes just can’t provide. I recommend going to your local running shoe store, one that will watch you run and look at how you land and your stride and fit you with shoes based on your performance. That way you will be able to run injury free- which is the only way to get better! My favorite running shoes are Brooks and I’ve been wearing them for years.

4. Track Your Training

This is very important for long term success. For each run I track my mileage, heart rate, pace, the route I ran, and how I felt before, during, and after the run. While this may sound difficult and tedious, having a running watch to track most of this stuff for you will make it so much easier, so I recommend investing in one! (I wear a Coros running watch and Garmin also is a great choice). A running watch will really help you look back to see what you were doing when you were in your best shape.

5. Set Goals

If you are just going out and running without any goals, it will be hard to find motivation to stay consistent. Whether your goal is to lose weight, or to run a certain time in a race, any goal is better than none. Before each season, my coach sits down with each athlete to discuss goals we have. It motivates each runner to want to work harder and it’s such a rewarding feeling when someone accomplishes a goal. One goal that I set at the beginning of the season was to break the Gainesville High School record in the 5K, which was 15:59 (in 2017). I was able to run 15:43 and hope to improve upon that as the season progresses.