5 Mistakes New Runners Make

ByCaroline

Here’s something worth saying upfront: if you’re a new runner, you are almost certainly making at least one of these mistakes. And that is completely fine.
Not because the mistakes don’t matter — some of them do have a real impact on how running feels, and a couple are genuinely worth fixing sooner rather than later. But because nobody starts running with a full understanding of how to do it well. You learn by doing, and part of doing is getting things slightly wrong before you figure out what works.


This post isn’t about making you feel like you’ve been doing it wrong. It’s about the things I wish someone had told me at the beginning — the small adjustments that make running feel more sustainable, more enjoyable, and a lot less likely to end in injury or burnout before you’ve even hit your stride.
If you’re just getting started and want the full picture before diving into this, the [beginner’s guide to starting running] is worth reading first. But if you’re a few weeks in and something already feels a bit off — or you just want to make sure you’re setting yourself up well — you’re in the right place.
Here are the five mistakes most new runners make, and what to do instead.

Mistake 1: Too Much Too Soon

This is probably one of the most common problems for both beginner runners and those returning after a break or injury. Your body needs time to adapt to your new training plan and that takes time. Your cardiovascular system can improve at a faster rate than your muscles, tendons and ligaments – that may make it feel like you can push harder than you should. This is where a structured plan such as Couch to 5k can be a good option. It allows you to build your fitness progressively without pushing past your limits.

The other general rule of thumb when it comes to either beginning your running journey or making a return after a break is to stick to the 10% rule. As you build your mileage up, stick to adding no more than 10% to your distance each week. For example, if you ran 5km last week you might increase it to 5.5km this week. This is also a good way to progress on from a Couch to 5k plan by turning one of your runs into your “long run” each week.

Read our Beginner Running Tips guide for more advice on getting started

Mistake 2: Skipping Fuelling Because “It’s only 5k”

Beginner runners often fall into bad fuelling habits early on because they assume that shorter distances don’t need it. And yes, you might not need to be consuming gels and other sports nutrition when you start out, but that doesn’t mean that fuelling is non-existent.

Running “fasted” can affect your performance and more importantly your recover even if you don’t plan to be out there for long. Evidence suggests1 that for women in particular, exercising on an empty stomach is unlikely to produce your best results. Now, this does not mean you need to consume a huge meal before each run, far from it! But a small snack 60-90 minutes before is a great move.

There’s a big trend at the moment in the sports/health/wellness spaces online – I’m sure you’ve heard at least someone mention Protein? Or how about Fibre? Protein was the biggest buzzword of 2025 and shows no sign of slowing down. Fibre is now close on its heels. Every “fitness food” is high protein and labels have it plastered all over the supermarket shelves. Here’s the thing – protein and fibre are great for your health and wellbeing as part of an overall approach to your nutrition. But when we are talking about fuelling for performance, particularly endurance sports like running, CARBS ARE YOUR FRIEND! Say it louder for the people in the back. Carbs have been the enemy of many in recent years and there will be those that say low-carb is fine for runners. Personally, the evidence I see and the approach taken by most professionals is clear – Carbs are King for running.

Where protein does com in useful is in the post -run recovery meal. Something rich in both protein and carbohydrates is great for recovery to replenish your energy stores and promote repair.

Sports nutrition is a minefield that cannot possibly be covered in a quick post but in short, eat something with carbohydrates before your runs. If your runs start to go past the 60-90 minute mark as you progress, start to think about mid-run fuelling like gels, sports drinks and chews.

Mistake 3: Skipping Your Warm Up

No, by warm up I don’t mean a token 2 second static stretch of your leg!

Static stretching is not a suitable warm up before a run and could actually do more harm than good. A warm up should gradually increase your heart rate and blood flow from your resting levels and start to improve your range of motion.

It doesn’t need to take long! A quick five minutes of gentle hip openers, high knees, pogo jumps and some brisk walking rather running to start will make a huge difference.

Save the static stretching for the end of your run and cooldown!

Mistake 4: Comparing Your Pace to Others

This one has impacted on my own running journey as a “slower runner”.

But am I actually slower? Lets look at the average 5k times for a women in her 30’s (i.e. me!)

According to Runners World the average 5k time for a woman in her mid 30’s is around 35-36 minutes. For complete transparency I will say this is close to my average “easy pace” time. But I have actually broken the 30 minute 5k barrier on more than one occasion. So am I really a “slow runner”? According to the averages, no, I’m not. And yet everything I see on social media suggests I must be terrible at running if an easy 5k takes me this long.

And this is the issue with running content online – it is always going to be heavily skewed towards faster, more experienced runners. The more experience and more content produced as a result, the more likely you are to find their posts right?

Pace is actually a deeply individual thing which on any given day can be affected by your fitness level, the weather, your hormones, stress, whether you had a good night’s sleep, or what you ate for breakfast just to name a few factors.

In actual fact the answer is really simple. If you run? You are a runner. Your pace will always be secondary to the simple act of going for the run. Running slowly is still running, and most people are not actually running their easy runs slow enough! If you are out for a light effort, use the conversational pace test to check your effort levels. Can you hold conversation? Great. Struggling to string 2 words together? Ease off and slow down.

If you feel a determined need to monitor progress, track your pace against your own previous efforts, not some random person on Instagram.

Mistake 5: Underestimating Recovery

Recovery is one of the key tools that newer runners will often ignore.

Without recovery, all that hard training you put in doesn’t get time to translate into progress. Taking real rest days to allow for muscle adaptation is key, particularly as your body adjusts to your new routine.

Recovery encompasses more than just “doing nothing” though. It includes your sleep, nutrition, gentle movement and mobility to keep your body ticking over between runs.

If you find you are experiencing persistent fatigue, heavy legs, low mood or a desire to avoid your next run, these are all signs that you may not be recovering fully.

Protect your rest days and treat them as of equal importance to your workout days to preserve your body and maximise your training output.

Finally, remember that all runners have made at least some of these mistakes when they were starting out. Don’t let yourself take these mistakes as a negative, rather a way to improve your workouts going forward. Take the time to research and try out some warm-up techniques, or play with your pacing to find what works for you! There are no hard and fast rules in how to train when you are starting out. Be curious, try different things, learn from your mistakes. It’s how we all become better than we were yesterday.

For more advice on your beginner running journey check out our other posts below

  1. Read more from Dr Stacy Sims on Why Fasting Doesn’t Work for Active Women ↩︎