Tala Al Ejou, French-Saudi Dubai-based athlete, remarkable Personal Trainer, running coach, creator of Run, Wild, Free and lululemon’s newest ambassador demonstrates an unwavering determination to incorporate functional strength building into the lives of everyone she coaches and meet! Attached below are a list of Tala’s 5 most important running tips to get everyone up to speed!
1) Start off slow, get a good base first before deciding to run 10km and hating the whole experience. You know your own body, like everything in fitness it takes time, have some patience, let your body adapt to running and over time as you get fitter, those 10 min runs you started off with will turn into easy 30 minutes runs.
2) Run by time and not distance. It sounds less intimidating to go out and run for 30 minutes then it is to go out and run 5km. Running a distance sets too much pressure to get to that distance done , while running by a set time, you enjoy the experience more and when that time is up, your run is over.
3) Run with a pair of comfortable shoes, nothing worse that starting off your first time running with terrible blisters. Find the right pair, that fit you, not because someone told you how amazing their shoes are. We all have different foot morphology and running styles, so find your shoe.
4) Find a running community or run club that fits in with that you are trying to achieve. Dubai is an amazing place, with a wide variety of running clubs that cater to all levels. Running with people is what one of the best motivations to keep you going throughout a run, it holds you accountable, and they’ll push you through those days you don’t want to run.
5) Small goals first. Don’t sign up for a half marathon, before you have even run a 10km race. Start slow, enjoy the experience, and the increase in mileage. Once that all comes into place, sign up to races, have fun, then start to set some goals and targets.