FAQs – Your Beginner Running Questions Answered

The short answer here is YES. Stretching is extremely important with any exercise you do. Stretching helps loosen your muscles and tendons while also increasing blood flow. You’ll see improved flexibility and range of motion during your run which will improve your performance. Loosening your muscles will also reduce your chance of injury.

If you run, you’re going to get stitches, it’s inevitable. Side stitches are both annoying and disruptive to your pace.They’re caused by cramping of the diaphragm as a result of core muscles not being strong enough to support the jostling movements when running. When you run too far or for too long without having built up enough strength, you can expect to experience a few stitches. But not to worry. Once you’ve built up the stamina, these stitches will gradually decrease. A few tips to help you get rid of stitches include quick deep breaths to re-oxygenate the area and force the diaphragm into a more comfortable position. Do this while pushing your fingers (in high school they told us to use rocks) into the area of pain. Stopping to take a few big stretches can also help.

Ideally the best way to breathe while running would be to inhale and exhale using both your nose and mouth at the same time. It’s a “big belly” type breath. Breathing this way will keep your breathing steady and also engage your diaphragm to maximum oxygen intake and expel carbon dioxide. Practice makes perfect with this method. 

Another one of the more important running questions. In the beginning, you should always start out slower and then gradually increase your pace and distance based on how comfortable you are. Oftentimes, especially when racing, adrenaline can take over in the beginning causing you to start much faster than you anticipated. Listen to your body. Don’t be afraid to alternate with a walk/run workout. 

This is really a personal preference. Treadmills tend to pull the ground beneath you, moving you forwards with less friction which makes running a bit easier. You can control your intensity, speed, monitor your distance, and modify incline at will. You’ll also find treadmills in climate controlled areas which are very much welcomed in the summer months of North Carolina. However, nothing beats fresh air and a change of scenery, visually seeing the miles pass by is very motivating. Our friends at Body Shot Fitness wrote a nice article on how treadmill miles compare to outdoor miles. You can check it out here. 

As shoe geeks, this is our favorite question. Choosing the best running shoes depends on several different factors including foot shape, running style, and personal preferences. It’s important to ensure you have ample cushioning and support to absorb the impact and prevent injury. Depending on how you roll your foot when running (pronation), you may require different levels of support. You’ll need to make sure to go with shoes that have appropriate features like stability or motion control to help correct any pronation. Be sure to visit one of our locations and our team will be happy to do a full gait analysis and share several options that will work best for you. You can read about our Fit Process here. 

This is probably the most important of all the running questions below because if you’re just starting out, you need to do so slowly. The last thing you want to do is to get injured by starting too fast from something your body isn’t used to. Running can be high impact on the lower half of your body. We recommend a walk/run training program 3 days a week where you alternate between running slowly and walking. Depending on your current activity level you can also include optional cross training for a day or two. But please make sure you rest at least one full day per week at minimum to give your body the time it needs to recuperate.