{"id":19687,"date":"2025-11-19T08:52:39","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T08:52:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racefinder.pt\/?p=19687"},"modified":"2025-11-19T08:52:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T08:52:41","slug":"the-top-5-mistakes-almost-every-beginner-runner-makes-and-how-to-avoid-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/the-top-5-mistakes-almost-every-beginner-runner-makes-and-how-to-avoid-them\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top 5 Mistakes Almost Every Beginner Runner Makes (and How to Avoid Them)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Starting to run is simple \u2014 but it\u2019s also incredibly common for beginners to make the same mistakes over and over again.<br>The good news? They\u2019re all easy to fix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re taking your first steps into running, here are the five most common mistakes and how to avoid them so you can feel better, improve faster and stay motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1) Starting too fast<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the number-one beginner mistake.<br>Motivation is high, the first kilometre feels amazing\u2026 and suddenly you\u2019re out of breath after two minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to avoid it:<\/strong><br>\u2022 Run at a pace where you can still talk<br>\u2022 Use run\/walk intervals if needed<br>\u2022 Focus on staying consistent, not running fast<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2) Lack of consistency<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Running once a week won\u2019t build fitness \u2014 it just makes every session feel like \u201cday one\u201d all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to avoid it:<\/strong><br>\u2022 Aim for 2\u20133 short runs per week<br>\u2022 Keep a simple routine you can repeat<br>\u2022 Consistency &gt; intensity<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3) Wearing the wrong shoes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t need the most expensive pair, but running in worn-out or unsupportive shoes is a guaranteed shortcut to discomfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to avoid it:<\/strong><br>\u2022 Choose comfortable, stable running shoes<br>\u2022 Avoid completely flat or heavy trainers<br>\u2022 If possible, pick shoes specifically designed for running<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4) Doing the exact same run every time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Same route, same pace, same duration.<br>This stalls progress <em>and<\/em> makes running feel boring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to avoid it:<\/strong><br>\u2022 Mix easy running, walking and different paces<br>\u2022 Try new routes<br>\u2022 Keep at least one \u201ceasy run\u201d every week<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5) Waiting \u201cto get fitter\u201d before signing up for a race<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Many beginners postpone their first race because they think they need to be in perfect shape first.<br>In reality, signing up for a simple event is what gives you focus and motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to avoid it:<\/strong><br>\u2022 Pick a 5K or a non-competitive walk<br>\u2022 Choose a date that\u2019s close enough to stay motivated<br>\u2022 Join for the experience, not the time<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong>Find beginner-friendly events (5K, 10K and walking distances) on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.racefinder.pt\/events\/running\/\">RaceFinder<\/a> \u2014 many still open for registration.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Running doesn\u2019t have to be complicated.<br>Avoiding these five mistakes \u2014 starting too fast, lacking consistency, wearing the wrong shoes, repeating the same run, and delaying your first race \u2014 already puts you miles ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rest comes naturally: confidence, progress and maybe even your first medal before the year ends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Starting to run is simple \u2014 but it\u2019s also incredibly common for beginners to make the same mistakes over and over again.The good news? They\u2019re all easy to fix. If you\u2019re taking your first steps into running, here are the five most common mistakes and how to avoid them so you can feel better, improve [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":19688,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[78,77,75,79,1723,82],"class_list":["post-19687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-running","tag-beginner","tag-beginner-runners","tag-portugal","tag-runners","tag-running","tag-tips"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}