No Shortcuts – Start to Run
Running. To many people, it’s the least desirable type of exercise. You decide on a whim that you want to start running. You lace up your shoes, open the door, take a deep breath, and head outside. Ten minutes later, you are huffing and puffing outside your front door and you’ve already asked yourself, “Why did I possibly think that I wanted to run?”
People either seem to hate running or have a passion for it. I fall into the latter category. Often, friends, family, and others ask me, “Why do you like running?” and, “How can I make it more bearable?” My response is simply: “start to run.” The looks on their faces when I give this answer tell me that I need to explain further. I don’t mean just get outside and run until you feel like your next step might be your last. What I am saying is to go outside or on a treadmill and find a pace that feels relatively easy and go for 5 minutes, maybe even 10.
Running doesn’t have to be robotic and uninteresting. If you’re outside and see something you want to stop and look at more closely, STOP! Don’t just run past it and act like it wasn’t there. Take the time to admire or bask in the glory of whatever caught your eye and once you’re done, continue on your run.
Many of you may be thinking, “If I stop on my run than I’m not getting a good workout in.” This is completely false, especially if you haven’t been working out recently or this is your first run in a long time. You don’t have to run for 30 minutes straight or longer to gain fitness from these runs. This is especially true if your goal isn’t to run a new personal best in a 5K race or something similar.
Truthfully, if you are just starting out, 20 to 30 minutes of exercise is more than enough and the whole thing doesn’t need to be running.
Training Tips When Starting Out
Train three days a week for 20 to 30 minutes at a time.
Consider taking walking breaks (e.g., 1-minute run; 2-minute walk, repeated).
Once a week try to go long and extend your exercise to 40 minutes.
On days you aren’t running/walking try cross-training (swimming, biking or some other form of exercise).
Run at a conversational pace. You should be able to speak in complete sentences without struggling or wheezing.
If your pace is too hard, take longer walk breaks!
Overall, the biggest struggle for many people who think they hate running is that they never give it a chance and give up before they really start. They start running hard on the first day and the whole attempt is a reminder that they aren’t in shape. Start off easy, enjoy your time running and slowly you’ll begin to notice that it becomes easier to run more and walk less. Maybe one day you’ll even enjoy running!
Photo Credit
Photo One
Awesome post, their are so many benefits of running thanks for sharing so many tips to be an effective runner. Started following you, and upvoted.
I appreciate the comment! Running is great, yet so many people never give it a chance and give up before it gets easier.