How to run properly? 10 tips to start and progress in running

Run properly. With this seemingly judgmental phrase that appears to conceal well-kept mysteries, I ultimately refer to a few simple and basic principles of running.

First, running well, technically speaking, means being comfortable, feeling good in your body and in your sneakers (and not molded to an 'ideal' runner or stride that is preached to us), and above all, it means doing everything to try to run without getting injured. And running well, figuratively speaking, means running intelligently, without burning your wings and in a way to have a linear progress and always present motivation (of course, that doesn't stop laziness from visiting from time to time 🙃).

In this article, I reveal the 10 practical tips that I would have liked to receive when I started running fifteen years ago (yes, this sport and I have a long love story 🫶).

PS : This article arrives at just the right time since my sister has taken up running very recently. It's so great to see how beginner runners are starting and feeling, I had forgotten what it was like! 🙊

Like many people, I began running in middle school, during PE classes, then via the UNSS competitions (National Union of School Sports). Thanks to my years of basketball, I wasn't starting from zero cardio level, but that didn't prevent me from gradually starting my ultra practice. With my dad, we went from runs of a few kilometers to a 10-kilometer jog every Sunday.

I remember back in the day, social networks were less present, and I think not having comparison elements in front of me helped in my progress. I never told myself: “I'm not doing enough”, or “I'm doing too much”. We often tend to tell ourselves that we are not strong enough and wonder why the content creator is doing much more than us. What we don't see is these people's history. Some have been doing sports for years while others have never put on a pair of running shoes. 🤷🏽‍♀️

When I started running, I only ran once a week for a year, or even two years. In hindsight, I can say that what has paced these last fifteen years of running has truly been consistency, starting little by little, and not skipping steps.

Before, running a half or a marathon was something grandiose, but now, with all the people who run marathons (and sometimes multiple times a year), some people imagine that it's no longer incredible enough, and choose to move towards 100 kilometers, ultra, etcetera. These are therefore not progressive enough in their approach to running, whether in terms of duration or intensity of effort, and even in terrain (elevation, technicality, etcetera). For me, at that time, a marathon/half was unattainable, and it took me years to manage such distances.

We are all different, each person has their own sporting background. When I started running with my father, I lived in Creuse, a place with quite a bit of elevation change. I made sure to take the terrain into account: during the first 5 kilometers which were downhill, we ran, and when we turned around and, this time an uphill awaited us, we walked most of the time, and it was perfectly ok! ☺️

Regarding the duration of the first runs when starting or resuming running, it is essential to gradually increase the time spent running. We don't start directly with 40 minutes of jogging! Moreover, many will not make it. To run well (and especially to love it), it’s better to prioritize initial 15-minute runs, alternating for example one minute of walking and one minute of running, then 20 minutes of jogging, trying to extend the duration of the running segments, and finally to increase running time month by month, and especially, year by year.

As for intensity, it is perfectly normal for it to be quite low during your first strides... it's even desirable! Thus, your pace in base endurance and/or in very-easy endurance may correspond to walking, and that's completely normal. Keep in mind that, even while walking, you make progress, and ultimately, you manage to run longer. 

The warm-up as well as the cool-down before/after a specific workout (any training other than simple jogging in base endurance), it's ultra important! Warm-ups that precede a workout last between 20 and 30 minutes, and for the cool-down, you should allow between 5 and 10 minutes.

As for recovery, it's important to know that it relies on three pillars: 

Next, we add other pillars that can be just as important: stretching (I am not a good example 🙈), massages/self-massages with arnica oil, for example, cold baths, a massage gun, etc.. Actually, it all depends on the runner's commitment to their sporting practice, and especially on their desires and needs. 

When we start running, there is a tendency to injure more, because our body and system have not yet developed the mechanical and physiological adaptations specific to running. The proof is that we all know that runner who has been running for ten years, who does a little bit of anything in terms of training and yet never gets injured, while you, you are just starting out, you are trying to do things right, and you are still going to get injured 🫠. You also have to face the fact that some people are more robust than others, and it partly depends on their sporting background.

I will end with this metaphor that says a lot: a pack of runners is a bit like a parking lot where there are models of cars that easily break down, while others are indestructible. 😎 In short, even though we may be unequal, warming up, cooling down, and recovery are to runners what mechanical maintenance is to cars!

Personally, for me, the drills are done before each workout and each competition. Why do I place particular importance on them? Simply because it's important to not start an intense workout on a cold body, that these movements train the running form, that they allow to warm up the body gently and in a fun way, and that when starting this sport and/or wanting to progress, you need to do them. Personally, I have performed many walking hurdle steps to accentuate the running motion, but you can also perform more traditional drills such as heel kicks, knee lifts, schoolboy steps, etc.. If you're new to running and have absolutely no idea where to start, it might be beneficial for you to go running in a club or in a group, with people who are accustomed to doing drills before their training session and who can show you how to proceed. 

When it comes to running posture, there are the tips that purists share without reserve:

Obviously, technically speaking, all these tips are good to take, but in practice, things are very different and are not just a few rules to apply. What I think is that your body adapts to your stride, to who you are. In my early days, they talked to me about my stride, my shoulders, my elbows being poorly positioned, avoiding striking with the heel, etc.. Although it's true that my posture was certainly not the most pleasant to look at, nor the most mechanically efficient, my body did take these specificities into account. You can see it sometimes: it's not the runners who display the best postures and the most beautiful strides who necessarily come in first.

So, I believe that when starting out, you shouldn't overcomplicate things, our body adapts to what we give it. Proof: my posture and stride weren't the most elegant, but they have evolved over time through training. Many beginners are somewhat 'matrixed' by this aspect, and only think about absolutely having to place the forefoot first, use their arms properly, and stand straight, etcetera. I would tend to advise relaxing, not to (over)think about it. It will come well after, and above all, naturally, with time.

The feeling I get when I speed up is that I can't go any faster. Is it the same for you too? However, by increasing my stride cadence, it's entirely possible. Make small strides, by increasing cadence, a midfoot strike and a light footstrike (the foot should make as little noise as possible when it touches the ground), this is the recipe for a fast and efficient stride. See it for yourself: during a workout of interval training, you will quickly notice the difference between a long stride (and a bit forced) and a cadenced stride (more natural and much more effective). 

Let's not lie to ourselves: when you're starting out, it's a bit complicated, you don't necessarily have a cardio watch, and when you finally put one on, you discover that your heart rate increases very quickly, very high… a bit demoralizing, in short! Since breathing and heart rate are correlated, it may be wise to focus primarily on your breathing, and not just on the numbers displayed on a watch. It removes in part the infamous 'time pressure', the fear of not being 'fast enough', allowing us to simply focus on ourselves, and that's also what running properly is 🙏.

Being out of breath is normal during specific training, but not when you should be in breathing ease, like during an easy run in BE (base endurance), for example. You need to know how to listen to your breathing, what it's telling us: when you're out of breath when you shouldn't be, it probably means you're tired or that you're going too fast.

➡️ In BE, the idea is to have smooth, calm, and conscious breathing. I always tell my friends who are starting to run that they should be able to hold a conversation with someone while they are running; that talking should not hinder them. When you’re starting at 100%, it’s obviously more challenging, and that’s when our pace starts to resemble power walking more than a slow easy run.

➡️ We can apply this listening to our breathing and sensations to all paces:

When you're starting out or returning to running after a break, it's not necessarily something you want to do. Indeed, people sometimes imagine that they need to devote one hour, two hours, or even three hours per week to strength & conditioning, and as a result, this discourages them (which is understandable). I would say that you need to adopt specific strength & conditioning for runners. In thirty minutes per week, it can be completed! Before Campus released its strength & conditioning videos, I used to do them in front of my TV for a whole year. If you have trouble motivating yourself at home, you can also go to the gym and be accompanied by a coach who guides you on the exercises to perform, or if you're recovering from an injury, consult a physiotherapist. For me, physiotherapy has been indispensable… and yet, I had never tested it before 2025! It has literally changed my life and my perception of running: it's 100% strength & conditioning for me, based on my weaknesses and my sport. 🎉

For me, starting with clothing that has nothing to do with running is ok (well, you should still consider investing in technical, breathable, and comfortable clothing, as well as in gear designed for running). But if there's one accessory you shouldn't joke with, it's shoes! I've seen people run in sneakers, and frankly, it looks bad (not to mention it probably hurts their feet 😬). I don't know how they do it: it's not breathable, nothing is right... In short, good running partly relies on wearing shoes that are suitable for this sport. Additionally, there are options for every budget (however, be aware, you shouldn't start running with carbon-plated shoes, as they are designed for competitions and for relatively experienced runners, whose bodies have already developed the necessary adaptations for running). To choose your running shoes, it's essential to go to a specialty store where a professional can properly advise you. Because buying a pair of sneakers and then ordering them online, we've all done that; however, choosing a pair you've never tried on Internet, that's a very bad idea 🫣.

In addition to progression, variety, and specificity are the foundations of training for all runners. Here are the reasons:

Consistency is the last pillar of training (and not the least), in addition to progression, variety, and specificity. Indeed, it's better to run three 30-minute sessions per week rather than just one 90-minute session… and then struggle to recover. Repetition generates desire, and above all, the mechanical and physiological adaptations necessary for our progress in running. Personally (and I am not an isolated case, since it is true for absolutely everyone), it is consistency that has made me progress. I'm not at an incredible level, and yet, I'm proud to be at the level I am today.

Consistency leads to consistency via establishing a certain sports routine. Understand that the more workouts you add that aren't completed, the more there will be. I've really noticed that the more I run, the less difficult it becomes to go. I now run six times a week; running is perfectly integrated into my daily life. Of course, sometimes I get lazy, and between my beginnings in running and today, 15 years have passed, but little by little, with a bit of willpower, I managed to reach my goals.

In essence, improving your running is not just about covering more distance—it’s about refining your running form, tightening up your arms swing, and being mindful of your foot strike. When you pay attention to running technique, adopt proper footwear, and commit to maintaining proper form, you unlock more efficient movement. With these fundamentals in place, every workout becomes a chance to run smarter, feel stronger, and truly enjoy the journey rather than just the outcome.
In my opinion, running properly is largely based on the progression you want to apply to your practice. Remember, I told you that I waited years before undertaking a half marathon and a marathon. Running with other people (in associations, in a club, in running groups, etc.) has been decisive in building my running "core". Furthermore, integrating running into my routine, by considering this practice more as a lifestyle than just an occasional running session, is a concept that helps me be consistent and to enjoy running. Finally, adopting a training plan that is adapted to your current athletic level and your goals is an essential aspect not to be neglected to run properly and to progress.