If you were to ask me five years ago whether I would ever voluntarily endure the arduous physicality of running, I would have unapologetically laughed in your face.

Sure, I loved playing on my high school basketball and volleyball teams, but I absolutely dreaded the painful preseason workouts.

I can remember watching the seconds on the gym clock tick by painfully slow as I mustered up the motivation again and again to take just one more step.

After several years away from team sports, I decided to find something that would push me to work toward a goal, in addition to a more regular workout routine.

Much to my surprise — not to mention the surprise of my family — I signed up for my first race: a 5K on April 26, part of this year’s Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon. While I certainly wouldn’t call myself a “runner,” I did learn a few things about how runners should train while preparing for my race. Below is a list of some of the best information I gathered during my journey.

Lace up properly

From my years of playing sports, I learned that proper shoes are the key to succeeding at almost any physical task.

When you decide to begin training for a race, it’s important to consult a knowledgeable footwear store so you can get answers to the most important questions, even ones you have not thought of.

For example, do you have a flat foot or a high arch? Do you need more ankle stability? What’s the deal with this barefoot running craze?

It’s important to know your body and to be comfortable during a race. This will not only make the experience more enjoyable, but it will help prevent injuries.

Fuel your body

When people discuss diets in connection to running, they often place a lot of emphasis on carbohydrates and the energy boost they provide runners.

This information is true and should be factored into an athlete’s diet. However, Melissa Smith, registered dietician at The Mettler Center in Champaign, said that an overall well-balanced diet is even more important. This diet is one which includes carbs, protein and vitamins.

Smith also added that maintaining a healthy lifestyle does not require fancy diet plans or expensive protein shakes. Rather, runners can get the fuel they need from simple fruits and dairy products.

“I worked with a couple of the University of Tennessee runners, and their post-run drink was chocolate milk,” Smith said. “Where a lot of time people are reaching for all these crazy protein drinks, something as simple as a low-fat chocolate milk can do the same thing. 

Know how the body works

Proper knowledge and research is important whenever someone makes changes to a diet or workout routine. Knowing how muscle groups work can allow you to get the results you want from your workouts.

For example, the abdominals and the lower back are what are known as a “muscle pair,” which means that in order to see results in one of these areas, you need to strengthen both.

For long distance racing, bodies also respond to interval-style training, which can include days with quick, intense workouts paired with long, slower runs, according to David Gutekunst, postdoctoral research fellow in orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

Go at your own pace

When you get excited and motivated to do a race, it can be easy to blur the line between pushing yourself in a way that will help you build strength or taking on too much.

“First-time runners often do too much too soon – whether in terms of distance, speed, frequency or a combination of all three,” Gutekunst said. “It’s important to remember that you don’t need to accomplish the entire race performance in training.”

He added that a balanced training regimen includes “easy” days sprinkled throughout the week alongside more intense workouts that “will approach either the race distance or the race effort, but not both.”

Keep calm and R.I.C.E. on

R.I.C.E., as Gutekunst explained, stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation, and it is the mantra that every runner should live by in order to treat (and eventually prevent) soft tissue injuries.

Many runners undervalue the “rest” aspect of their weekly workout routine. However, this period is necessary in order to repair the damage that is done during a run and to ultimately build muscle strength that allows athletes to improve performance.

The compression portion of this treatment, which prevents excessive swelling, can be accomplished with snug, elastic bandages that are wrapped around various areas of the body.

During training runners should also avoid heavy consumption of anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen and aspirin, which can cause damage to the gastrointestinal system, Gutekunst said.

Candice is a senior in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].