I try my best to be positive about exercise. But I couldn’t deny that running had made me feel even worse. I felt like a failure. Determined not to let the life coach win, I went home to figure out where I had gone wrong. After some research, here’s what I learned.

Poor fuelling

I hadn’t paid attention to what I ate before running, which could have caused my side stitch. A 2015 Sports Medicine study found that experts believe that side stitches are caused by friction in the abdominal lining. This can be caused by food taking up space in your gut, leading to pressure and subsequent friction in your abdominal wall.

No warm-up

I hadn’t warmed up before the run. Warming up allows your body the opportunity to loosen up, and your heart rate to gradually build so that it’s easier to sustain a run for longer. According to a study by the Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research, researchers found that participants who warmed up with dynamic stretching routines achieved better results than those who hadn’t.

Bad breathing

I hadn’t focused on my breathing. It seems obvious, but the more air that you inhale, the more oxygen is available to transfer through your circulatory system to get to your muscles. So diaphragmatic breathing (or belly breathing) will not only take in more of that much-needed oxygen, but an increased amount of studies show that it can be calming, focus-inducing and mentally strengthening.

Poor pacing

I had thrown all of my energy into the start of my run and then couldn’t maintain the pace I had set for myself. It’s important to start at a slow, comfortable pace in the beginning, and then gradually build-up speed with experience. In 2015, Strava, a tracking app for runners and cyclists, reported that the average speed for women who ran recreationally was 10:21 minutes per mile. In pacing myself, I might be able to sustain my run for longer.

Running for beginners: “I tried jogging as my new year’s resolution and discovered that I’m absolutely rubbish at it”