With the weather taking a turn for the unseasonably warm this spring, many Calgarians are trading in their treadmills for park pathways. For both experienced runners and people who have just started running for exercise, there are a few tips and tricks that can make a jog by the Bow River a bit easier.
Rob Christie’s advice for both the amateur and the seasoned? Slow and steady wins the race.
“I would caution them to take it easy,” said Christie, the regional manager for The Running Room. “When you first go outside it’s totally different from running on a treadmill.”
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Christie also advised that people use the “10 and 1” system, which involves taking walking breaks between short bursts of running.
“There’s no need to do it every day,” Christie added. He recommended going for a run at least three to four times a week, with cross-training in between.
The Running Room has eight locations in Calgary. In addition to its “Learn to Run” program for beginners, it also features “Run to Quit,” a 10-week program which helps people quit smoking through exercise.
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“It’s great for the newbie and the smoker,” Christie said.
“We start out very easy: walk two, run one, and by the end of 10 weeks you’ll be running 10 minutes and walking one minute.”