- The more you run, the less you care about what you are wearing. You don't care if you match. You don't care if you have panty lines. You don't care if your socks are up around your ankles making your calves look ginormous. You just don't care anymore. It stops being about what people see in you when you're running, and more about what you want to be doing.
- It really can take a l o n g time for your body to adapt to running. These couch to 5k things don't work for everyone. Trust your own body. Listen to yourself. Don't feel like you have to fit into some pre-cut mold of how-to-run and feel frustrated when you aren't successful. But at the same time, don't make excuses for yourself either. Push yourself as hard as you can in a safe way.
- ALWAYS make sure someone knows where you are running. Don't be an idiot about your safety. Period.
- Run without music sometimes. I realize that for some of us, it's really difficult to do that, but I have found I have some of the greatest conversations with myself, God, my dog, when I don't have music blaring in my ears. Hearing the sound of my own breathing helps me to keep it in check, leading me to my next point. Plus, I can also very easily hear an approaching dog or vehicle and respond to it.
- Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Some of us naturally hold our breath when we're running. I don't know if it's the anticipation of hard work, or if it's some psychological broken component to our lungs, but I am definitely in that category. If this is you, work extra hard at overcoming this aspect in yourself. Concentrate heavily on how you are breathing. If you aren't sure if this category includes you, think about how running makes you feel. If it makes you tired, you're not breathing right. I used to say all the time running makes me SO tired! Then a friend mentioned in passing that when we were climbing up a flight of stairs, I wasn't breathing. It was like a light bulb went off in my head. As soon as I started focusing heavily on making sure I inhaled and exhaled slowly and deeply, running started to give me energy, instead of making me ready for a nap. Makes sense if you think about it.
- Give yourself goals and targets that are reasonable for you to accomplish. For example, I will run from this street light to the next one, without stopping. I have heard people say: run for ten seconds, then walk for twenty, but that only works if you'll count correctly or be staring at a clock the entire time. If you're like me, your counting will go from normal: 1, 2, 3 to 12345678910!
- If you can motivate yourself to run during shark week, give yourself an extra "hero" pat on the back. To run while your loins are angry and ferocious is really freaking hard, and the cramps that are already happening really suck! The fatigue, the headaches, etc etc etc, mean you deserve an extra awesome dose of "I ROCK!" when you run during this time. I don't care what anyone else says. It's. the. truth.
- If you're going to run with your dog, make sure your dog is a runner. Example: Jake (my chocolate lab) is old and frail. His hind legs have a lot of problems and it is extremely difficult for him to do any running. He would not be the ideal companion to take on a run. Gus-Gus however is a ninja. He loves to run. He is also protective of me. I like to think of Gus-Gus as my bodyguard and my teammate. He wants to run, so he pushes me to run (not in an inappropriate, dominate way... he knows who the alpha is, and he follows my leadership), which helps me to get a better workout.
Running is hard. And to be honest, I haven't seen much physical reward (I don't magically have a six pack, no chicken wings under my arms, and perfectly toned and tanned legs). But I can say this: Running is about you verses your body. It's a screaming match between your muscles wanting to stop and your will compelling you to keep going. It is hell, and it is hard. But it gives me this knowledge: I am stronger than my body wants me to believe...
No comments:
Post a Comment