Best Practices for Running

Have you decided to start running regularly as a useful exercise routine for your physical fitness or weight loss?

Let's explore how to turn those initial steps into a journey filled with joy and accomplishment.

Running is a beneficial activity that can give your body the perfect aerobic or cardiovascular workout. But you should not just run, you have to do it right and do it safely.

Here are a few helpful tips that'll help you get started if you're not experienced and a beginner for running.

Start Slow — When running, it is important to begin at a slow and manageable pace to allow your body to adapt and reduce the risk of injuries.

Always warm up with gentle aerobic workouts and dynamic stretches before running to increase blood flow to your muscles and prepare your body for physical activity.

Choosing the proper running shoes is crucial for avoiding injuries, ensuring comfort, and improving running efficiency.

Stay hydrated before, during, and after your run, and consume a balanced diet rich in carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats to fuel your body optimally and support recovery.

Running is not just a physical challenge but also a mental one. Cultivate mental resilience by focusing on positive thoughts, setting realistic goals, and practicing mindfulness during your runs.

Start with a basic running or walking routine and gradually increase the duration, frequency, and distance as your body adapts.

Tips for Maintaining Motivation in Running

Setting fitness goals maintains motivation, especially when interest declines.

Running with a partner, in-person or through apps, enhances enjoyment and accountability.

Apps like Justly assist in setting and monitoring fitness goals.

Specific challenges, like time or distance goals, keep motivation high.

Tracking progress with apps like Justly or Pedometers boosts motivation, especially after achieving personal bests.

Incorporating these fundamental tips into your running routine can make a significant difference, especially if you're just starting.

These practices lay a solid foundation for your running journey. For more insights and motivation on how to enhance your running experience, dive into our full article on Justly Blog.

Dynamic Stretching

Hey Tumblr fam! 🌟 Let's talk about dynamic stretching—a game-changer for your pre-run routine! 🏃‍♀️💨 Unlike static stretches where you hold a position, dynamic stretching involves moving through a range of motion to prep your muscles for action.

Here's why it's awesome:

Boosts Blood Flow: Dynamic stretching gets your heart pumping and increases blood flow to your muscles, priming them for exercise.

Improves Flexibility: By moving your body through various motions, dynamic stretching helps improve flexibility and range of motion.

Prevents Injury: It activates your muscles and lubricates your joints, reducing the risk of injury during your run.

So, before your next run, ditch the static stretches and opt for dynamic movements like leg swings, arm circles, and walking lunges. Your body will thank you! 🙌

hi screaming into the void if anyone has tips on training for a half marathon please send help!!!

running a half marathon in Feb it’ll be my first ever running event so would love pointers!!

Edit: I’m not a beginner runner just never participated in an event! :)

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Running Your Dream Marathon - 5 Factors That Impact Your Performance

It has been quite a long time since you last ran a marathon. It was your kids and then your big promotion at work that kept you busy. But everything is settled now. Things are finally coming back on track. You want to get out on the ground and make the most of the time that you have. You have also chosen the marathon event that you want to be a part of. It is all very exciting.

 Image Source: Unspalsh.com

But there are certain factors that you will have to keep in mind because they are going to impact your performance directly. These factors are given below and shed light on a lot of unsaid facts and truths that we all end up denying or neglecting most of the time. Let's have a look at what they are and how you can successfully overcome them and run a marathon just like you used to in your early days:

1. How Long Your Sabbatical Has Been:  

If you are getting back into the game after a long break, things are going to be a little different. The duration you have been away is going to play a pivotal role in your marathon performance. The longer you stay away from any physical activity, the more difficult it becomes for you to get back to your previous fitness level. This is a factor that impacts your marathon performance directly.

2. Your Genetics Play A Role Too:

Your genetics are going to play an important role as well. There is only so much that you can do to alter your stamina, endurance, body frame, and fat percentage. You might have also done your research on how to choose the best running shoes but at the end of the day, your genetics are going to determine how soon you are able to get your fitness levels back to where you want them. 

It is quite obvious that you will have to re-learn several running techniques and also make changes to your lifestyle to enhance your recovery after strenuous exercise. Making changes to your diet and sleep cycle will also be important to help you overcome your inherent/genetic shortcomings.

3. The Body Weight You Have Put On:

The heavier you are, the longer it will take for you to get to your desired body weight. This body weight is ideal for a marathon runner. If you are planning for a long-distance race, you will have to shred all those extra kilos that you have put on during the holiday season.

4. Your Experience Matters As Well:  

This is going to be helpful and will enhance your performance significantly. The more experienced you are, the easier it will become for you to train for your newest marathon race. Once you make up your mind and set a specific goal, everything becomes easy. 

You just have to find a guide to select the right running shoes and take out at least 1 hour a day for your regular running sessions. Once you get back into the flow, everything is going to start coming back to you such as your previous habits, muscle memory, recovery routine, stretches, diet charts, and sleep discipline.

5. Sports Gear You Have Invested In:

This is one thing that you can never compromise with. You need to make sure that your feet are comfortable. Open YouTube and find out how to choose the best running shoes for the type of race that you want to run. 

Examine the shape of your feet and determine whether you should go for extra soft memory foam soles or regular sportswear with conventional cushioning. If there's a pronation or flat sole problem you deal with, there are special shoes made for such individuals. This will make sure that you do not face any problems or suffer any pain when running your dream marathon.

In the end, remember that your expectations should be aligned with your age, abilities, and your overall endurance. Over time, you are bound to experience a slight decrease in your overall stamina and strength. Remember to eat healthy, sleep well, and watch your body weight at all times.

Running for All - A Guide to Starting Your Running Journey

Embarking on a running journey is a fantastic way to improve your fitness, boost your energy levels, and start your day on a positive note. By following these tips and incorporating running into your routine gradually, you can experience the numerous...

Intro Running is an excellent form of exercise that can be enjoyed by people of all body sizes and fitness levels. Not only does it provide a full-body workout, but it also offers a range of physical and mental health benefits. In this article, we will explore how running can enhance your energy levels, kickstart your day with a positive mindset, and provide you with the guidance you need to…

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🏃‍♀️❄️ Embrace the Chill: Winter Running Tips ❄️🏃‍♂️

Hey, fellow winter warriors and trailblazers! With the snowy season upon us, I wanted to share some tips for making the most of your winter runs. Don't let the cold weather keep you indoors - there's a magical world out there waiting to be explored! Here are some pointers to keep you running strong all winter long:

Layer Up: The key to staying warm in winter is layering. Start with a moisture-wicking base layer to keep sweat away from your skin, add an insulating layer for warmth, and finish with a windproof and waterproof outer layer to protect against the elements.

Protect Your Extremities: Don't forget about your hands, feet, and head. Invest in quality gloves, moisture-wicking socks, and a snug-fitting beanie to keep these crucial areas warm and comfortable.

Traction is Key: Snow and ice can be slippery, so consider using trail running shoes with built-in traction or add removable crampons or spikes to your shoes for extra grip.

Shorten Your Stride: Take shorter, quicker steps to maintain balance on slippery terrain. This will help prevent falls and reduce the risk of injury.

Warm-Up Inside: Do a quick warm-up indoors to get your blood flowing and muscles ready. Jumping jacks, high knees, and dynamic stretches work well to prep your body for the cold.

Stay Hydrated: You might not feel as thirsty in the cold, but staying hydrated is just as important in winter as it is in summer. Drink water before and after your run to stay properly fueled.

Plan for Daylight: With shorter days in the winter, plan your runs during daylight hours to ensure safety. If you must run in the dark, wear reflective gear and use a headlamp or flashlight.

Listen to Your Body: Pay close attention to how your body feels during your run. Cold air can be harsh on your lungs, so if you're struggling to breathe comfortably, slow down or shorten your run.

Post-Run Care: After your run, change out of wet clothes promptly to prevent getting chilled. A hot shower and warm, cozy attire are the perfect rewards for braving the cold.

Enjoy the Scenery: Winter runs offer a unique and serene beauty. Take the time to appreciate the snowy landscapes, frost-covered trees, and the peaceful hush that blankets the world.

Remember, winter running can be challenging, but it's also incredibly rewarding. The sense of accomplishment and the connection to nature make it all worth it. So, layer up, lace up those shoes, and let the winter wonderland be your running playground! ❄️🏔️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

Tbh at this point you should just make your own webcomic app/website because it would probably be 100 times better than whatever going on with webtoon right now.

hahaha it wouldn't tho, sorry 💀

Here's the fundamental issue with webcomic platforms that a lot of people just don't realize (and why they're so difficult to run successfully):

Storage costs are incredibly expensive, it's why so many sites have limitations on file sizes / page sizes / etc. because all of those images and site info have to be stored somewhere, which costs $$$.

Maintenance costs are expensive and get more so as you grow, you need people who are capable of fixing bugs ASAP and managing the servers and site itself

Financially speaking, webcomics are in a state of high supply, low demand. Loads of artists are willing to create their passion projects, but getting people to read them and pay for them is a whole other issue. Demand is high in the general sense that once people get attached to a webtoon they'll demand more, but many people aren't actually willing to go looking for new stuff to read and depend more on what sites feed them (and what they already like). There are a lot of comics to go around and thus a lot of competition with a limited audience of people willing to actually pay for them.

Trying to build a new platform from the ground up is incredibly difficult and a majority of sites fail within their first year. Not only do you have to convince artists to take a chance on your platform, you have to convince readers to come. Readers won't come if there isn't work on the platform to read, but artists won't come if they don't think the site will be worth it due to low traffic numbers. This is why the artists with large followings who are willing to take chances on the smaller sites are crucial, but that's only if you can convince them to use the site in favor of (or alongside) whatever platform they're using already where the majority of their audience lies. For many creators it's just not worth the time, energy, or risk.

Even if you find short-term success, in the long-term there are always going to be profit margins to maintain. The more users you pull in, the more storage is used by incoming artists, the more you have to spend on storage and server maintenance costs, and that means either taking the risk at crowdfunding (ex. ComicFury) or having to resort to outsider investments (ex. Tapas). Look at SmackJeeves, it used to be a titan in the independent webcomic hosting community, until it folded over to a buyout by NHN and then was pretty much immediately shuttered due to NHN basically turning it into a manwha scanlation site and driving away its entire userbase. And if you don't get bought out and try your hand at crowdfunding, you may just wind up living on a lifeline that could cut out at any moment, like what happened to Inkblazers (fun fact, the death of Inkblazers was what kicked off the cultural shift in Tapas around 2015-16 when all of IB's users migrated over and brought their work with them which was more aimed towards the BL and romancee drama community, rather than the comedy / gag-a-day culture that Tapas had made itself known for... now you deadass can't tell Tapas apart from a lot of scanlation sites because it got bought out by Kakao and kept putting all of its eggs into the isekai/romance drama basket.)

Right now the mindset in which artists and readers are operating is that they're trying way, way too hard to find a "one size fits all" site. Readers want a place where they can find all their favorite webtoons without much effort, artists wants a place where they can post to an audience of thousands, and both sides want a community that will feel tight-knit. But the reality is that you can't really have all three of those things, not on one site. Something always winds up having to be sacrificed - if a site grows big enough, it'll have to start seeking more funding while also cutting costs which will result in features becoming paywall'd, intrusive ads, creators losing their freedom, and/or outsider support which often results in the platform losing its core identity and alienating its tight-knit community.

If I had to describe what I'm talking about in a "pick one" graphic, it would look something like this:

(*note: this is mostly based on my own observations from using all of these sites at some point or another, they're not necessarily entirely accurate to the statistical performance of each site, I can only glean so much from experience and traffic trackers LMAO that said I did ask some comic pals for input and they were very helpful in helping me adjust it with their own takes <3).

The homogenization of the Internet has really whipped people into submission for the "big sites" that offer "everything", but that's never been the Internet, it relies on being multi-faceted and offering different spaces for different purposes. And we're seeing that ideology falter through the enshittification of sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. where users are at odds with the platforms because the platforms are gutting features in an attempt to satisfy shareholders whom without the platforms would not exist. Like, most of us aren't paying money to use social media sites / comic platform sites, so where else are they gonna make the necessary funds to keep these sites running? Selling ad space and locking features behind paywalls.

And this is especially true for a lot of budding sites that don't have the audience to support them via crowdfunding but also don't have the leverage to ask for investments - so unless they get really REALLY lucky in EITHER of those departments, they're gonna be operating at a loss, and even once they do achieve either of those things there are gonna be issues in the site's longevity, whether it be dying from lack of growing crowdfunding support or dying from shareholder meddling.

So what can we do?

We can learn how to take our independence back. We don't have to stop using these big platforms altogether as they do have things to offer in their own way, particularly their large audience sizes and dipping into other demographics that might not be reachable from certain sites - but we gotta learn that no single site is going to satisfy every wish we have and we have to be willing to learn the skills necessary to running our own spaces again. Pick up HTML/CSS, get to know other people who know HTML/CSS if you can't grasp it (it's me, I can't grasp it LOL), be willing to take a chance on those "smaller sites" and don't write them off entirely as spaces that can be beneficial to you just because they don't have large numbers or because they don't offer rewards programs. And if you have a really polished piece of work in your hands, look into agencies and publishing houses that specialize in indie comics / graphic novels, don't settle for the first Originals contract that gets sent your way.

For the last decade corporations have been convincing us that our worth is tied to the eyes we can bring to them. Instead of serving ourselves, we've begun serving the big guys, insisting that it has to be worth something eventually and that it'll "payoff" simply by the virtue of gambler's fallacy. Ask yourself what site is right for you and your work rather than asking yourself if your work is good enough for them. Most of us are broke trying to make it work on these sites anyways, may as well be broke and fulfilled by posting in places that actually suit us and our work if we can. Don't define your success by what sites like Webtoons are enforcing - that definition only benefits them, not you.

As a general rule, if you can see his underpants, it's time to run.

Tips for safer running along the roadside

August 3, 2023

BY NATIONAL FEDERATION OF STATE HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATIONS      It is not uncommon to see people of all ages along the side of the road out for a run. There are almost 500,000 cross country athletes and more than one million track and field athletes at the high school level. These numbers do not include the thousands of athletes who run during training for other sports and Special Olympics track and field athletes.      Surveillance by the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research (NCCSIR) reported seven running-related motor vehicle crashes between 2011 and 2020, resulting in eight deaths, two disabling injuries among middle school and high school cross country and track and field athletes.      In addition, a 45 percent increase in pedestrian deaths was observed between 2009 and 2017 in the United States. In an effort to promote roadside safety for high school runners, the NCCSIR compiled the following pedestrian and runner safety recommendations from national agencies and organizations that are supported by previous research.

     CLICK HERE for a full list of Safety Recommendations.

CLICK HERE to apply by 8/21 for a Brooks Future Run Team Grant.

Race Preparation 101: Unleash Your Inner Gazelle!

🏁🏃‍♀️ 🏃‍♂️🎖️

Hey, running fam! 👋 Ready to take your running game up a notch? It's all about the thrill of the race! Whether you're prepping for a 5K or eyeing that half marathon finish line, race preparation is your golden ticket to victory. 🏁💪

Here are some pro tips:

Taper Like a Boss: Ease off the mileage in the weeks leading up to race day. Your legs will thank you with extra power!

Know the Course: Familiarize yourself with the race route. Visualizing the track can boost your confidence.

Race-Day Gear: Lay out your gear the night before. No last-minute searches for that lucky pair of socks!

Fuel Smart: Eat a balanced meal pre-race, and don't forget your hydration game plan.

Pacing is Key: Set a race pace and stick to it. Save that sprint for the finish line!

Stay Relaxed: On race day, stay calm. You've got this!

So, fellow gazelles, lace up those sneakers, train smart, and let's conquer those races with unstoppable energy! 🌟💥

Akani Simbine

Akani Simbine is a South African sprinter who specializes in the 100-meter and 200-meter events. He was born on September 21, 1993, in Kempton Park, South Africa. Simbine burst onto the international athletics scene in 2015 when he won the gold medal in the 100 meters at the World University Games.

Simbine continued to make his mark in the 100 meters, earning several podium finishes in major competitions. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, he reached the finals and finished fifth with a time of 9.94 seconds, becoming the first South African to run the 100 meters in under 10 seconds at the Olympic Games.

Over the years, Simbine has consistently been one of the top sprinters in the world. He won the gold medal in the 100 meters at the Commonwealth Games in 2018, setting a new Games record with a time of 10.03 seconds. Simbine has also been a regular competitor in the Diamond League, where he has achieved notable victories and podium finishes.

In terms of his personal bests, as of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, Simbine has a personal best of 9.89 seconds in the 100 meters, which he achieved in 2016. In the 200 meters, his personal best is 19.95 seconds, set in 2018.

Please note that my information might not be up to date since my knowledge cutoff is in September 2021, and there may have been new developments or achievements in Akani Simbine's career since then.

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Healthy and Safe Running Tips

Looking for essential tips for a safe and invigorating running routine? Explore our latest blog that offers four fast and effective strategies to enhance your running experience while prioritizing your health. From proper warm-ups to staying hydrated, unleash the power of these expert insights to elevate your fitness journey.

Chennai discovers the benefits of running with more marathons, clubs and tracks

It is 4.30am at Napier bridge and at least 3,000 people are waiting behind the start line of the Decathlon 10k run on May 7. Adrenaline-filled chatter punctuates the loud drum beats. Under a moonlit sky, I stand behind pacers holding the 70-minute flag, praying that my feet do not get stomped on. The least I want to do is to begin the run injury-free.  The race is flagged off at 5.06am. One hour…

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