5 things I wish I knew when I started running
1) It might feel terrible when you start – everyone talks about the runners high. Yes, it is a thing! I just didn’t feel it for a while. Sure, afterward a run you will probably feel great, but it took me a long time to get that feeling during a run. That flow like feeling where your body knows what is going on and settles into a smooth rhythm and everything just clicks. When you are starting out and first start on a run your body will start pumping blood to your large muscle groups and your heart rate will rise very fast. It might feel weird or even awful but hang in there your brain will soon catch up and with every run your brain will understand what’s going on and you will start to build up your running fitness, as a result of this you will be able to settle in and enjoy that flow like state and post run ‘runners high’.
2) It doesn’t matter how fast you are – I used to think that I had to run as fast as I could for every run I did. Now I run various paces through the week and in doing this I build more fitness than going out hard every time. On this same note, no-one cares about your pace! I was always worried about people thinking I was slow. Guess what? No-one is worried about how fast you are going. Run your own race. There will always be someone who is faster or slower than you.
3) Start slowly – take the time to build a base to avoid injury and build strength. When you first start running it may be tempting to run as often as you can for as long as you can. You might get some initial fitness gains by doing this, however ultimately this approach can lead to injury and burnout. Following a progressive plan that builds fitness over time and includes some downtime, variation in running intensity and planned recovery is key to having longevity in running and building up your endurance and speed.
4) Don’t be afraid to take up space – when I first started running, I was so intimidated by the running community and more experienced runners. I was too nervous to join a run club, and I felt like everyone was judging my pace and my running. Guess what? None of that was true, it was simply a lack of confidence on my part. You belong here! Run with confidence! On the paths, in the races, run clubs, wherever you choose to run, whatever pace you run, if you take walk breaks, just go for it! Take up the space.
5) Do it your way - you don’t have to run a 5k, 10k half or a marathon, you don’t have to run for a particular period of time, you don’t have to ever run a race if you don’t want to. Ignore the noise and run your way. Let running be what you need it to be.