How to Start Running: Pace, Breathing and Your First Few Weeks

Starting to run is mostly about not doing too much too soon. Go slower than you think you should, mix in walking, and keep showing up. The fitness follows. This guide covers the basics, from your first run to the breathing techniques that make running feel easier.

Start with run-walk

Run-walk means alternating short running intervals with walking breaks, for example one minute of easy running and two minutes of walking, repeated. It is how most people start, and plenty of experienced runners use it in marathons.

Walking breaks let you cover more distance with less strain, and they make every run feel finishable. As you get fitter, you run a little longer and walk a little less.

Find your easy pace

Most new runners go too fast. Your easy pace is one where you could hold a conversation in short sentences. If you can only manage a word or two, slow down or walk. This is often called the talk test, and it works whatever your fitness.

Easy running is where most of your fitness comes from, even for experienced runners. Fast running is something to add later, and a club with workouts is a good place to learn it.

Breathing basics

Feeling out of breath is the number one reason people think they are not built for running. Usually the fix is simply slowing down. These techniques help too:

Breathe through your mouth and nose

At an easy pace you can breathe through your nose, but as effort rises you need more air. Breathing through your mouth and nose together is normal and lets you take in more.

Breathe into your belly

Shallow chest breathing makes you feel short of air. Try belly breathing at rest first: lie down with a hand on your stomach and breathe so the hand rises before your chest does. On the run, relax your shoulders and let your stomach move as you breathe.

Find a rhythm

Many runners match their breathing to their steps. A common pattern at easy pace is breathing in for three steps and out for two. When the effort goes up, two steps in and one out. You do not need to count forever; it is a way to settle your breathing when it feels ragged.

Breathe out fully

When you feel breathless, focus on a long, complete exhale. Emptying your lungs makes the next breath in deeper and calmer.

Side stitches

A sharp pain under your ribs is common in new runners and usually harmless. When one hits:

• Slow to a walk and breathe out slowly and fully.
• Press gently into the sore spot and lean forward slightly.
• Start again at an easier pace once it eases.

To prevent them, avoid a big meal in the two hours before running, sip water rather than gulping, and build up your pace gradually in the first few minutes.

Simple form cues

You do not need to overhaul your running form. A few cues help most people:

• Run tall, as if a string is pulling the top of your head up.
• Relax your shoulders, hands and jaw.
• Take short, quick steps and land with your foot under your body, not far out in front.
• Look ahead, not at your feet.

A four-week starter plan

Three sessions a week, with a rest day between them. Each session starts and ends with five minutes of brisk walking. Repeat a week if it felt hard; there is no rush.

By week four you can comfortably join most beginner-friendly run clubs, walking breaks included. Many runners find the group makes the running part easier, not harder.

Rest and staying healthy

• Build slowly. A common rule of thumb is to increase your weekly running by no more than about 10 percent.
• Rest days count. Your body adapts between runs, not during them.
• Sleep and eat well. Both matter more than any gadget.
• Know the difference between general soreness, which fades in a day or two, and sharp or worsening pain, which is a reason to stop and rest or get it checked.
• Mind the heat. LA summers are hot inland. Run early or late and drink water.