52: Advice from Well-Meaning Experienced Runners

Knowing what good running form looks like and actually being able to execute it consistently are two very different things! In this episode, Coach Debbie Voiles explains how to gradually develop better running form without becoming overwhelmed by all the things you're supposed to remember while running. The secret? Practice, strength, and flexibility. You don't have to master everything overnight. Think of good running form as a skill you'll continue developing throughout your running journey. Debbie breaks down three important ways to make better running form easier: 1. Strengthening Exercises Good running form requires more than strong legs. Your core, shoulders, hips, and feet all play important roles. Debbie shares her favorite beginner-friendly exercises, including dead bugs, planks, glute bridges, clamshells, squats, calf raises, toe raises, and single-leg balance. She also offers a simple four-minute routine for those short on time! 2. Running Drills Drills help you practice individual components of good running form before putting everything together. Learn Debbie's skipping three-set, including high-step walking, high-step skipping, and regular skipping. She also discusses side-to-side movements and backwards walking to develop coordination and strengthen different muscle groups. 3. Stretching and Mobility Discover the difference between dynamic and static stretching, when to use each, and why stretching and strengthening need to work together. Debbie discusses areas runners commonly need to address, including the IT band, quads, hamstrings, calves, feet, shoulders, and torso. You'll also learn why proper cadence and short, quick steps are important considerations as you develop better running mechanics. Most importantly, Debbie reminds beginners not to stress about perfect form. Start where you are, work on one thing at a time, and remember that consistency matters more than perfection. You can do most of these exercises right in your living room, with no gym membership or special equipment required! Inside this episode: Favorite strength exercises for beginner runners Simple drills to reinforce good running mechanics Dynamic vs. static stretching Improving strength, flexibility, and mobility The importance of cadence and quick steps Why massage can help you move more comfortably Remember: Practice Makes Permanent! Give yourself time, keep working at it, and enjoy the journey. Learn more about Debbie's online Beginner Runner community at Skool.com/beginnerrunner. Membership is just $12/month, with no long-term commitment. 7-day free trial.

Good running form isn't something you should wait to work on until you're running longer distances. It's something you should develop from your very first steps! In this episode, we'll explore why proper running mechanics matter from the beginning and take a head-to-toe look at what good running form actually looks like. You'll learn how to position your head and shoulders, develop a natural arm swing, maintain proper body posture, and improve your foot strike. We'll also discuss how tight shoulders, limited mobility, and poor coordination can interfere with your running efficiency. Plus, I'll share simple ways to evaluate your own running form, including a helpful video technique, and explain why strength, flexibility, and stability are essential to putting it all together. The goal isn't just to become a better runner. It's to develop good habits that will help you run comfortably, efficiently, and injury-free for years to come. Want more help with your running journey? Join our Beginner Runner community for instructional videos, masterclasses, a detailed 36-level walk-to-run program, and monthly group calls. Visit Skool.com/beginnerrunner to learn more!

Shopping for your first running shoes shouldn't feel harder than your first run. In this episode, I break down the choices so you can walk into a running store feeling informed, prepared, and confident. She explains the terminology, considerations, my preferences, and help you focus on what matters most, finding the shoes that are right for you, for your gait, for the surfaces you'll be running on, and your feet. Where to shop: Learn why I recommend running specialty stores for personalized help, a broader selection, and connections, i.e., building a relationship with the local specialty running shoe store. How to narrow your options:  Women's vs men's, trail vs road, zero drop vs higher drop, cushioning, toebox size, and more. Running shoe terminology made simple: Understand the upper, toebox, insole, midsole, and outsole, plus stack height and heel-to-toe drop. I also explain the importance of allowing the toes to splay and how that comes into play when selecting the best model. I recommend the Gasparilla Distance Classic, specifically the 5K Walk, February 20th and the walker friendly 8K the next day. $5 off discount codes for each race are RUNTAMPA5 and RUNTAMPA8. I encourage anyone in the area to register for her own December holiday race, the gnome-themed Run Tampa Tinsel Run on December 12th.·       

In this episode, Beginner Runner Coach Deb Voiles explains a simple diagnostic test that helps new runners discover the ideal running and walking ratio for the individual, customized to their fitness and ability. The guiding principle is simple: reduce intensity. A high cadence paired with short steps can make running feel easier, but cadence is only part of the equation. Beginners also need an appropriate running duration, enough walking recovery, and a manageable number of repetitions. The goal is not to prove how long you can suffer. It is to build fitness gradually while enjoying the process and giving your body time to adapt. Before taking the test, spend a couple of weeks building brisk-walking endurance, practicing a cadence of 170, and strengthening your balance, core, legs, and feet. To begin the test, warm up with a brisk one-mile walk. Then start your phone's stopwatch and run with a high cadence and small forward steps. Continue until the effort feels hard—about 80 percent. Record the time, walk for three minutes, and repeat the test. Average your two running times. Your starting running interval should be at least 15 seconds shorter than that average. Begin with two or three minutes of walking between running segments, always erring on the side of comfort. Repeat the sequence several times, then slowly add repetitions over a period of weeks, and once a week - or every other week - stretch out the duration of one run. This is the long run principle, and it even applies to beginners.  Listeners who want additional structure can join Deb's free Beginner Runner community at skool.com/beginnerrunner. A $12 monthly tier includes the 36-level Walk to Run to 5K schedule, additional resources, and a monthly Beginner Dinner Zoom call. This episode also highlights Tampa's pirate-themed Gasparilla Distance Classic, in February, including its walker-friendly 5K and 8K. The discount codes RUNTAMPA5 and RUNTAMPA8 provide 25 percent off. Visit rungasparilla.com to register. Visitors can also learn about the club Deb founded and directs, Run Tampa, at RunTampa.com. Key takeaway: Start where running feels sustainable, prioritize comfort, and progress only when your current routine feels easy. Motion is lotion, and patient, consistent movement is what builds lasting success.

In this episode, Coach Deb explains why breathing feels so difficult for new runners and introduces a high cadence technique that greatly reduces effort. She also covers walking preparation, gradual progression from running in place to moving forward, the form and injury-prevention benefits of high cadence, and the resources and next steps recommended for beginning a walk/run program. Beginner runners often struggle to breathe because even short running intervals exceed their current fitness level. No matter how hard they try to run slowly and easily, any running feels intense. The solution is not a special breathing pattern but a change in running form: take very small steps while turning the legs over quickly. A target cadence of about 170 foot strikes per minute, counting both feet, allows a runner to move at an easy pace without overstriding. Think "Quick steps, tiny steps, easy pace." Tiny, quick steps reduce the intensity of each stride, create a smooth rhythm, and help runners feel lighter on their feet. Running slowly with a low cadence is harder because the body must balance longer on each leg. Faster turnover creates momentum, much like a bicycle becomes easier to balance once it is moving. When cadence is high and steps small, the feet land beneath the body's center of gravity rather than reaching forward, eliminating braking and reducing pounding, making comfortable breathing more likely from the start. Preparation has two parts. First, build basic fitness through brisk walking, working gradually toward at least two miles. Walking cadence does not matter; the goal is simply a brisk, sustainable effort. Second, practice the running cadence in place before attempting forward running. Start with 20-second segments at 170 beats per minute, rest for one minute, and repeat several times in the morning and later in the day. A metronome app can supply the beat. Build toward ten repetitions, then progress to 30-second segments when the shorter intervals feel easy. After one or two weeks of consistent practice, begin moving forward with extremely small steps while maintaining the same cadence. Practice indoors or in a driveway before attempting regular outdoor running. If breathing becomes difficult, the steps have probably grown too large. Patience is essential because the method works only when quick turnover is paired with genuinely tiny steps. High cadence also supports safer form. It encourages a slightly bent knee at landing, lowers impact, and helps prevent problems associated with overstriding, such as knee stress and shin splints. Quiet footfalls are a useful sign: "Quick feet, light ground." Once this technique feels automatic, the next stage is choosing suitable running shoes and completing a diagnostic test to set appropriate walking and running intervals. Additional demonstrations and community support are available in Deb's free Skool group at skool.com/beginnerrunner. Deb recommends the Gasparilla Distance Classic 5K and 8K, both walker friendly. 25% off discount codes:  RUNTAMPA5 and RUNTAMPA8

In this episode Deb provides a reassuring overview of the journey to becoming a lifelong runner. She'll describe the three main segments of the journey, providing insight into what to expect, from the challenges of the first months when everything is new and nothing feels quite natural to the point, six or eight months away, when you can no longer imagine a life without running. The focus is on starting gently and allowing the body to adapt. Training at this stge doesn't require a lot of time. Deb explains simple strengh and balance exercises appropriate for beginner runners at the earliest stae, the value of embracing a slow pace, and the imediate goal of establishing a routine that's both sustainable and enjoyable. Then, she describes what you can expect and how you'll feel after several months of a walking and running program, when you start to notice mental and physical improvement, when completing a mile of walk-run intervals feels good, and what it will feel like to finish your first 5K and wear that medal around your neck. By that time, you'll be making running friends and you'll be eager to learn more.  Last, she'll prepare you for the high you'll be experiencing after six to eight months, when you start to own being a runner, when you wear it as a badge, and the benefits seem apparent in every aspect of your life. By that point, running will have become much more than an exercise for fitness, a goal to be reached, but rather, a hobby you look forward to doing. Beginners succeed by starting gently, adapting plans to real life, learning from difficult days, and celebrating small achievements. With consistent effort, expert guidance, and patience, early uncertainty develops into health, confidence, connection, and lifelong enthusiasm for running.

What if the best way to become a runner is not to start by running? In this episode of the Beginner Runner Podcast, coach Debbie Voiles shares a simple path for true beginners: walk first, run a little, and then, only when your body is ready, run a little more. The goal is not to suffer through a rigid plan but to build fitness, confidence, and the identity of a lifelong runner, one manageable step at a time. Debbie recalls dreading the annual 600-yard run in high school. Years later, after the birth of her daughter, she tried again with an ultra-gradual approach and eventually became a devoted runner. That experience replaced an old memory of pain and failure with a love of running and became the foundation of how she coaches beginners. Her method rejects the idea that everyone should progress on the same calendar. Most beginner plans are organized by weeks, with each week getting progressively harder. But your body does not know what week it is. Instead, Debbie organizes training into levels. You repeat each level as long as needed and advance only when the current workout feels unmistakably easy. This patient approach is especially helpful for people starting with little fitness, returning after time away, or working from home and struggling with too much sitting, isolation, low energy, or weight gain. Running can offer far more than a medal. It can provide stress relief, purpose, confidence, adventure, friendship, and support through difficult times. Debbie has watched running help people cope with loss and create friendships that feel like family. She wants the relaunched podcast and her free online community to offer that same connection. The episode also answers common beginner questions. Should you run nonstop until you cannot continue? Is walking allowed? Should you train every day? Should you push through pain? The message is simple: you do you. Your first assignment is to become a mover before trying to become a runner. If you are inactive now, start with what feels good and gradually work toward walking a couple of miles on most days. No amount of movement is too small. Walking improves stamina, prepares the body for walk/run training, and creates the habit of getting out the door. Debbie's larger goal is for you to enjoy the process enough to keep running for life. As John Bingham said, "The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." The next Beginner Runner episode will outline the journey from not running at all to making running as automatic as brushing our teeth. Visit BeginnerRunner.com to join Coach Deb's free Skool community. Listeners near Tampa can also visit RunTampa.com to join Debbie's local running family for a Saturday group run. For now, focus on walking, fresh air, and forward motion. Start where you are, let comfort guide your progress, and remember, motion is lotion.

Anybody can become a runner, but there is a right way, a process that always works, and a wrong way. Sadly, many runners fail to discover that right process, the method that makes sense for runners at the cusp of running their first quarter mile. I'm here to get you on the right path for what I call 'beginning' beginner runners or extreme beginners. In this episode, you'll discover: Why most beginner programs fail (they assume too much starting fitness) How to find YOUR personal "Square One" starting point Why going slow is actually the fastest path to success My proven walk-run method that works for any fitness level Why some people need to start by just walking to the mailbox (and that's perfect!) Want more support? Join my 12-week Beginner Runner Village program. Get weekly "Beginner Dinners" (group coaching calls), personalized progression, and a community of people just like you. Learn more at http://BeginnerRunner.com Remember: "The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." - John Bingham  

Runners are the best people, always ready to help beginners, but sometimes they forget to consider what is appropriate for the new runner at that particular time in their running journey. Experienced runners are extremely helpful to beginner runners, but the beginner needs to always stop and think about their situation before being influenced to do anything differently. MojoforRunning.com

Virtually anyone can run, can become a runner, but there is a right way to start running, and there are several common, deal-breaking mistakes. A beginner runner needs to know how to begin running. When would-be runners go at it the wrong way, make one or more of the common mistakes, they get discouraged and - incorrectly - believe that it's just not possible for them, for their body and their life, but really, anyone can run. mojoforrunning.com