Pondering jogging? Helpful hints

Running isn’t complicated. Open your door, step outside and hit it. But whether you take up running for exercise or competition, if you overdo at the outset, you’ll wind up in a world of hurt.

A very common rookie mistake among runners is giving yourself shin splints, which make the front of your shins hurt like fire when pressed.

Jim Walker, the sports science director at The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Murray, Utah, says the first thing to preventing shin splints is to have the right shoes for your foot type.

“Don’t just buy shoes off the shelf. Have an expert fit you, because your foot structure determines the kind of shoes that are the right fit for you,” he says.

Walker says uneven or hard surfaces are more likely to cause shin splints, as is running on the side of a steeply graded road. “The side of the road has a slope, or crown, for runoff, so the same leg is always higher than the other leg. That causes your foot plant to change,” he warns.

Think about the surface on which you run.

If your feet have been pounding away on concrete or asphalt without much of a break, it can be good to do some trail running on dirt for a day or two, where the impact of your foot on the ground won’t be quite as hard.

But ease into any alternate running surface: While the softer surface may reduce impact, avoiding rocks and roots can also overwork your ankles. It’s smart to build up the distance you do on various surfaces over time.

If your feet swell after a run, ice them in a cold-water bath. You never want to run on swollen feet.

HAND-FOOT COORDINATION

Many years ago, I was lumbering slowly around a track behind Olympic great Jackie Joyner-Kersee, when her husband - coach Bobby Kersee - looked at me and shouted, “Move your hands faster.”

I did and, amazingly, my speed picked up.

It’s a biomechanical fact that quick hands equal quick feet. Proper arm positioning is more important than most people realize. When your arm goes back, it’s at a 90-degree angle, and when it comes forward, that angle should be shorter, so that your hand is somewhere between your chest and shoulder, higher than the level of your ribs.

The most important things runners should remember is to understand their abilities, including how their build affects that ability. Running is easy for those who are slight and slim. It’s harder and more physically demanding for those who are bigger.

TAKE SOME TIME

But no matter the runner’s build, every body needs time to acclimate to running. Build miles slowly and be patient (yes, the hardest thing for an athlete with desire). Train by the number of minutes without worrying about the number of miles you run; slowly work your way up to more minutes and more miles, especially if you’re running for exercise and not competition.

Use “perceived level of effort” as your guide. Unless you’re running sprints on purpose, if it feels hard and you are panting and can’t talk without gasping, back off a little. Slow down so you can go farther.

For the casual jogger, this is quite good advice. And of course, the reverse is true: If it seems too easy and you want more of a workout, just run a little harder - while wearing, of course, those perfectly well-fitting shoes.