Just F*cking Run: The Only First Lesson You Need as a Running Beginner

Core Philosophy: Stop Thinking, “Just F*cking Run”

 For friends just starting to run, the one principle I most want to share is “Just fucking run”—meaning just start running. I believe all the concerns you might have before starting—like whether you should first read some running books, whether you need to find a good pair of running shoes, whether there’s a suitable sports venue, whether you need to find a good coach or running partner, or even constraints like bad weather or being busy with work—are actually secondary. If you truly want to start running, you’ll definitely find a way to take that first step. This is what I think is the core principle every running beginner should understand.

Gear: The Only Important Investment—Running Shoes

When it comes to running gear, I think the only thing you really need is a pair of running shoes that suit you. I’m currently using a pair with a wide toe box, zero-drop, and cushioning. One reason I chose a wide toe box is that my feet are pretty big, and I’ve observed that some trail running experts also choose this style, often pairing them with five-toe socks. This way, toes are more flexible, and running becomes more stable. I’m currently wearing Altra Torin 6, which I’ve had for about 5 months now, and personally I find them excellent. Compared to shoes with heel-to-toe drop, zero-drop flat shoes are closer to the natural state of our arches and other foot parts during movement. They help us adjust our landing style or cadence ourselves, potentially reducing injury risk and providing more stability. I’m aware there are zero-drop shoes without cushioning, but I don’t think those suit beginners, as the impact on your feet is quite significant. Beginners should start with cushioned zero-drop shoes, then try more barefoot-style shoes once adapted.

Technique: The Three Things That Really Matter—Breathing, Posture, and Cadence

Breathing: You can try running while breathing only through your nose. This helps keep your heart rate in Zone 2—the comfortable state for jogging and the best zone for training cardiovascular capacity. At this heart rate, you can even naturally converse with others. If you have a running partner to chat with, you’ll feel more relaxed, and time will pass faster. Leg Landing Posture: When your foot lands, your leg absolutely cannot be completely straight. You need to maintain some bend. This is to cushion the reaction force from the ground. Otherwise, the shearing force will directly impact your knees, making knee injuries very likely. So remember to keep your legs slightly bent. Foot Landing Style: As for how your foot lands, I think forefoot, heel, or whole foot landing can all work—the key is finding what feels comfortable for you. I learned a landing style from a book: it’s whole-foot landing, but the outer edge of the foot touches down first, then through a foot eversion, the entire sole lands. Personally, I find this method suits me well, but it’s definitely individual. Cadence: Generally, the recommended running cadence is 180 steps per minute, roughly equivalent to three steps per second. You can try using a metronome to help yourself keep this rhythm. If you find you can’t keep up with the metronome, it might mean you need to strengthen your leg and glute muscles. (Small quick steps can reduce vertical oscillation during running, creating a cushioning effect similar to horizontal movement.)

Mindset: Why I Choose “Distraction-Free” Running

However, I personally don’t like listening to a metronome or music while running. I feel they interrupt my flow state during running, making me feel distracted, unable to fully immerse in the run. So I usually just focus on running. You’ll find that when you focus on running, sometimes you enter a very happy state, or you notice scenery or things by the roadside you’d never noticed before. I think in this age of information explosion, the ability to focus on one thing is extremely precious.

Practice: How to Arrange Running Time and Diet?

Regarding time management, at first I also felt my days were too busy. But later I discovered that as long as you truly want to do it, treating it as a priority, as one of the most important things to accomplish each day, you can always stick with it and run every day. As for running time, I personally think morning running is easier to maintain. It sets a great tone for your day. You’ll feel like the most important thing is already done, and you can just do your best with everything else. With this mindset, you’re actually more likely to perform well at work without feeling too much pressure. If you choose to run in the afternoon, I recommend between 4 and 6 PM. The advantage of this time slot is that food you’ve consumed in the morning and at noon has already provided sufficient glycogen for your muscles, so you’ll feel more energized for running. After running, you might pay more attention to healthy eating, avoiding excessive food intake at night, which helps improve sleep quality and avoids the negative cycle of poor sleep and phone scrolling. For evening running, I don’t have much experience. Some people find it easier to fall asleep after running at night, while others feel very energized. Personally, I usually choose morning or afternoon.

Regarding diet, I learned the “211 Diet Method” from a book called “Running Heals”: each meal can include two fist-sized portions of vegetables, one palm-sized portion of protein, and one fist-sized portion of carbohydrates. Of course, in practice, since different foods have different nutritional compositions, you need to adjust according to your own situation. For example, I personally prefer vegetarian food since it feels lighter on the stomach, so I might consume more plant-based protein.

Goals: Measuring Progress by “Time” and Enjoying the Happiness

How to measure running progress—for a running beginner like me, using time as a metric is a good approach. If you measure by distance, since your condition varies day by day, forcing yourself to reach a set distance can create too much pressure.

If you want to improve further in the future, like participating in marathons or more professional advanced training, you can try consulting AI to help you create a running training plan, or read professional running books like Daniels’ Running Formula. However, being busy, I currently don’t plan to further advance my running regimen. Right now I’m just maintaining half an hour each day. But next month’s plan is still to maintain that daily half hour.

If you can fully immerse yourself in running, and running brings that continuous sense of happiness, I think that would be an even better state.