There’s a funny saying that cross country runners like to throw around and it goes something like this: “Our sport is your sport’s punishment.” Unfortunately, this quote carries with it more than a grain of truth: Most people just hate running. Running is hard, it takes time that could be spent on other things, and for many people, running is painful, uncomfortable, and unpleasant. Ask any serious distance runner and they will tell you about the scorn they sometimes receive from friends and colleagues for running. I can’t tell you how many times people have told me I’m going to ruin my knees, or that we as humans just aren’t meant to run long distances (which, as an anatomy professor and evolutionary biologist, I don’t agree with). all the heart). So how do you get over this fear and aversion to all things running? In this article, I’ll provide 10 tips on what helped me the most during the first few months of my transition from couch-dweller to full-fledged runner.
I officially mark May 2007 as the date I started running. When I say run, I mean real running, not just jogging a few miles here or there when I feel like it. May 2007 is when I really started calling myself a runner, when I started a habit that sticks with me to this day and has become such an integral part of my life that I couldn’t imagine living without it. Prior to this time, running was for me, as the saying at the beginning of this article alludes to, as a form of self-punishment. I did it because it was supposed to be good for me, or because some coach at some point told me to do it during practice; however, he did not enjoy running. All of that began to change for me when I started to gain weight after the birth of my two children. I realized that I was now 30 years old, and if I was going to take control of my health, I needed to start taking exercise seriously. This brings me to my first tip:
Tip #1 – Find a source of motivation For me, having children was the main impetus to start my running habit. I wanted to get my health back under control, and I wanted to be able to keep up with two young children as they grew and became even more active. To this day, one of my main motivations for running is to set a good example about how important exercise is to them. A secondary source of motivation was entirely personal: I wanted to lose some weight. It turned out that I lost about 15 pounds during my first six months as a runner, and that was a huge motivation to keep going.
If you don’t have kids and your weight isn’t an issue, motivation can still be found in other areas. My next tip for beginning runners details one of the things that really got me going early in my running life:
Tip #2: Sign up for a road race I am extremely competitive with myself, and one of the things that initially got me running was a deal my wife and I made to sign up to run a 4-mile race on July 4, 2007. When I signed up for the race, there was never run more than three miles in one go, and four miles seemed like an astronomical increase over that. Signing up for the race and paying money to reserve my spot gave me a goal to train for, and because I don’t give up, there was no way I was going to back down. If you’re a bit competitive (if only with yourself), signing up for a local 5K is probably one of the best things you can do to motivate yourself to keep running. For me, racing hooked me in a way I never anticipated, and racing is one of my main motivators for training to this day. It also introduced me to a whole “running world” that I didn’t even know existed. In every city there are like-minded people who run crazy distances just for the fun of it. These folks are among the most open and friendly people I’ve ever met, and their enthusiasm for running can be contagious. If you want to get into this little piece of the world, start by going to some road races, I guarantee you won’t regret it.
So now suppose you have some source of motivation to get off the couch and hit the road or trail. What follows are the lessons I’ve learned from personal experience that I think are the most important to pass on to a beginner who has made the decision to start running.
Tip #3: Get the Right Running Shoes I cannot stress enough how important this tip is. When I say “appropriate” running shoes, I don’t mean going to your local sporting goods store to pick out the coolest shoe in the “running” section. What most people don’t realize is that each of us has a particular type of running gait. The way our legs move, the way our feet hit the ground: each of us is a little different. When it comes to running shoes, you want to make sure you find a pair of shoes that are right for your particular gait. How do you do this? The best way is to go to a specialty running store where they will analyze your gait (usually for free) and let you try a few pairs of running shoes around the block. Any good running store will do this, and getting the right pair of shoes for your body and gait type will go a long way toward making your transition to running a smoother one. It will also help minimize any chance of injury that may arise from uniformly choosing the wrong shoe simply because you like the way it looks. Finding the best shoe for you can take a bit of trial and error, but it’s well worth the effort.
Tip #4: Start Slow and Run Little When you first start running, it’s best to start by running slowly for relatively short distances. Running will be much more enjoyable if you don’t overdo it to the point where it becomes difficult and starts to hurt. Then consciously and repeatedly tell yourself to slow down. If you need to walk, do it. When you’re alone on the road, no one will mind if you take a break to walk, and if it helps you keep running, then it’s worth doing. For me, when I used to run sporadically before May 2007, I felt like there was no benefit to it unless I tried my hardest. This made running unpleasant and largely explains why the habit never worked. By approaching my development as a runner this time as a long-term process, it became a joy and I eventually reached the point where running longer and longer was a joy rather than a chore. I found that each increase in the distance traveled was a new milestone and sparked the desire to go even further. This culminated in my decision to run a marathon in May 2008, a year after I started running, and that was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.
Tip #5: Track Your Effort If you need help tracking your effort, buy a heart rate monitor or running computer. For beginning runners who own an Ipod Nano, the Nike+ system is a good option. It’s cheap (Tip #6: Eat and drink right). It probably goes without saying, but proper fueling and hydration for your runs is critical. If you eat something (even just an energy bar or similar product) hydrate well, your runs will be much more enjoyable. Starving yourself to lose weight while running is counterproductive and should be avoided at all costs. Your body needs fuel to power your muscles while you run, and it needs fuel to repair any damage that occurs. After running. If you deprive yourself of fuel, your desire to run will vanish. An additional note on hydration: If you run in the summer or in a hot part of the country, be careful with your hydration level. When it’s really hot I usually take water with me. Sometimes I carry it by hand, sometimes I wear a water bottle belt, and for longer runs I use a Camelbak hydration pack. Dehydration can be dangerous and is easily avoided with proper preparation.
Tip #7 – Find something to pass the time Some running purists prefer to avoid all electronic devices while running. However, I am a gadget geek and can’t stand running without my Ipod Nano attached to my arm (except during races, which is why I do without). Listening to great music in a tough race can be incredibly motivating, and there are times when music alone can get me through a rough patch. For long runs or slower, easier runs, I like to download iTunes podcasts or audiobooks from my local library’s digital audiobook download site. Most libraries offer these digital downloads now, and while MP3 player compatibility can be an issue at times, there are ways around this and the downloads are often free with a library card. Listening to audiobooks on the run has opened up a whole new world of options for me, and there are times when I’m so engrossed in what I’m listening to on the run that it feels almost effortless.
Tip #8 – Run with a partner I tend to run alone or with my dog (who is a great running partner, by the way), but many runners love to run with friends/family/co-workers. Having a partner helps pass the time, conversation on the go usually forces you to slow down, and having a partner to keep you honest helps prevent lapses in dedication to the sport.
Tip #9 – Join a running club Most cities/regions support local running clubs. In general, these clubs cater to people of all levels and abilities, and joining one can be a great source of motivation. Meeting other local runners provides an avenue to learn about new running routes in your area, and can be a rich source of information and advice for beginning runners. Visit the Road Runners Club of America RRCA for information on how to find a local club in your area.
Tip #10 – Join an online broker forum Online forums are a great place to find running information and advice. There are tons of forums out there, so finding one you like shouldn’t be difficult. Some examples are the Runner’s World magazine forums, the dailymile.com forums, the Runner+ forums, and the Cool Running Community forums. Even if you’re not an active contributor, reading the collective knowledge on these forum sites can be incredibly beneficial.
I could probably go on and on with tips like the ones presented here, but I’ll cut it down to 10 for now. Probably the most important piece of advice I can give to beginning runners is to stick with it and have fun. As your career progresses, you will begin to experience changes both physically and mentally that you may never have expected. Running improves your body’s health, but it can also change your mind (for one thing, it’s a great stress reducer), and once you’re hooked, there’s no going back.
running happy