I’ve seen a lot of self doubt and negative self talk out there recently, I’m even guilty of it, and so while I’ve talked about some of these before I thought it was important to reiterate and compile some things here for anyone who is feeling unmotivated or scared to start.

Faster is better

Maybe the number one myth out there about running is that pace is the only measure of success. I wrote a little post about pacing here but I’ll keep repeating this as long as it takes. Stop. Apologizing. For. Your. Pace. There’s just no reason to, you’re a damn rockstar!

Pace matters for a number of reasons. It’s a good measure of improvement and overall fitness, but not one of those reasons should be tied to your self esteem. Faster doesn’t necessarily mean you’re more fit or a “better” runner. What matters is that you start somewhere, and if you aren’t happy with that pace, you work to improve.

Running more is always better

You can’t expect to improve much just running once a week for sure. However running hard every day won’t do you much good either. Life is about balance and your body needs easy days and rest days just as much as the hard stuff. Start out with 2-3 days of running and increase based on how you feel. If you’re tired, take a rest!

Of course the important thing here is learning to know whether you’re tired or just unmotivated. Some days I know my body needs a break and I take it. Other days I know I’m feeling blah mentally and I don’t want to run, but I get up and go and feel better afterwards.

It only hard for beginners

I’m a distance runner. I can run for hours at a time, and I relish the days when I “only” have to run a couple of miles. That doesn’t mean some days 3 miles aren’t really hard. Some days I feel like I’ve just started, like my body has forgotten how to run. I get side stitches, my legs hurt, I get winded…you name it and it happens. To EVERYONE. If you ask professional runners I bet they can recall a time recently when they had a crappy run.

I don’t say this to discourage you. Quite the opposite, but the truth is running is hard. It’s also awesome and if you keep going eventually the good runs outweigh the bad and then one day you’ll have a GREAT run. I also want you to know that if you’re struggling it’s ok. If a kid that couldn’t finish the mile in high school gym can learn to love marathons, then you can learn to like a mile or two. (In case it wasn’t clear…that kid was me, but I think you got it)

You have to race

Not all runners love racing. Some have never once signed up for one. Some make it their mission to dominate the 5k while others want to see how far they can go. I love races, so I’ll talk a lot about them here, but it doesn’t make you any less of a runner if you prefer to run through the neighborhood and that’s that.

I also want to be clear that “racing” doesn’t have to mean competing with anyone other than yourself. When I sign up for a marathon, for example, I know I will not win. I won’t even come in close to the top of the pack. I don’t care at all because I will still get that medal and I will still know I accomplished something amazing. Bonus if I beat my own best time, but that doesn’t always happen either. The feeling of accomplishment and the rush of the crowds is all I need.

Carb Loading

I have a love-love relationship with carbs. I love to eat them and I love to burn them. A lot of people say that runners can eat what they want because they will just burn it off, but that’s really not true. Another truth about running is that many people over estimate how much food they need.

Yes, you need carbs for running. They are your fuel. What you don’t need is a pound of pasta before a race, unless you want cramping and other lovely digestive issues. Everyone is different, but my general guidance is you also don’t need it the night before a race. I KNOW! You actually want to start carb loading two to three days before a race and keep your pre race meals light and low on the fatty food scale. Also sorry but…you don’t need to carb load for a 5k. You can, I won’t stop you, but you don’t need to.

You can’t train on a treadmill

Many runners, myself included, hate the treadmill. Mostly it’s for a pretty simple reason: boredom. When I run outside, I can take in the scenery, see people, even get lost in my thoughts out in the open. On the treadmill, I can only seem to look at my feet, my sweaty reflection in the monitor, etc. I’m not into listening to music or anything while I run and I just get bored.

If you are someone who can listen to music, podcasts, watch tv, or just don’t mind running on a treadmill, then go for it! I’d caution you that if you are training for a distance race and never run outside, you might have a harder time on race day. The road or the trail is really different than the flat treadmill.

Otherwise, if you don’t live somewhere outdoor running is an option, or just not your jam, don’t sweat it. Pun intended.

Walk breaks don’t count

Bananas! There’s a thing I love to say to all my runner friends who are training for events and struggling with miles, speed, what have you. It’s all about time on your feet. I think I may have stolen this from Jeff Galloway, but I can’t really remember. The point is that sometimes when you’re out for a run you need a reset and you have to walk. It’s totally ok!

I don’t think there’s been a marathon yet where I haven’t walked for a minute or two to reset my brain. I say my brain, because mostly for me it’s a mental block that tells me I’m not going to make it. There could be other reasons for you, maybe you pushed too hard in the beginning and need to rest a minute. If anyone judges you for that they’ve never worked hard.

If you take nothing else away from this, just remember that judging yourself based on someone else’s performance will only steal your joy. The truth about running and the beautiful thing about it is that you can create your own path.

The post The TRUTH about running: 7 lies to stop believing now appeared first on Run Like a Kenyon.

All that said, I imagine some of you might be taking this time away from the gym and other activities and thinking about taking up running.  It might seem intimidating and you might be wondering where to even begin. Here I’ll share with you some of the lessons I learned when I was starting out and some things to avoid.

Start slow

If you haven’t run before, you really don’t know your pace.  Even if you’ve dabbled in running, you likely don’t know what your average pace is.  A lot of people think that running has to be fast. When I first started, I would tire out and get winded easily because I started too fast.  

Start at a conversational pace.  That means you should be able to carry on a conversation easily while running.  This will look different for everyone and it might feel like you’re barely running at all.  That’s ok! If you’re worried about what people will think about you “running slow”, don’t. Easier said than done, I know but truly…it’s like your mom said “The only people that care aren’t worth caring about”.

Take walk breaks

Not strictly necessary, but I found this to be a real mental game changer.  Your mind adapts to what you set out before you. For instance on long run days I go out ready to run, say 10 miles and I do it.  But if I only planned to do 5? Good luck getting me to run 10. I’m getting ahead of myself though. Consider taking some walk breaks to let your mind adapt.

Try something like this:  run 2 minutes, walk 1 minute or run 3 minutes, walk 1.5 minutes.  The walk breaks will seem short, but you’ll also be able to get through the run segments easier because your mind will know that rest is coming.  For me, I can talk myself into doing just about anything for 3 minutes if I know I get a reward (rest) after.

Run 2-3 days per week

It might be tempting to want to run more often if you’re really excited about it, but believe me burnout is real.  Start simple, 20-30 minute runs a couple of times per week, on non-consecutive days. On the weekends, or when you have more time, start adding a little bit, maybe 40 minutes.  The goal here is to get your body adapted to the activity but also allowing plenty of time to rest. I’ll be talking more about rest next week, but I can’t emphasize enough how important it is.

Cross Train

Don’t forget to keep up the rest of your fitness routine.  Don’t have one? Get one. You don’t have to become a bodybuilder, but what not everyone understands is that running is actually a full body sport.  The core is particularly important, and a weak one can cause issues all over the body. Just make sure that running doesn’t become your only source of exercise. 

Relax

When you’re starting out you’re not likely to fly out of the gate with good running form.  That’s ok. Honestly, you can’t be expected to figure it all out at once, so just relax. When I first started I ran so tense that my shoulders would hurt, I was thinking about it all too much.  Then I learned to just relax my body and take short strides. Sometimes I felt like I was shuffling. Over time though, my body learned what to do, what felt right. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the Doogie Howser of running, sometimes I still catch myself slumping over like Quasimodo when I get tired.  That’s running.

Breathe

Something I really struggled with early on and still do from time to time – the dreaded side stitch!  I heard and read all kinds of things, drink more, drink less, add salt, put your arm up, put your hand on your side, on and on.  Those are all great ideas and may work for you but they didn’t help me. Then I read something (I wish I could remember where and link it here) that changed my life. 

 *Cue dramatic music here* 

Breathing.  Seems simple, right?  Breathing? Well it can be tricky while you’re learning to have all of your body work together to run.  There’s a thing called “belly breathing” which helps to regulate your breath, rather than just gasping and drawing air from your chest.  It sounds complicated but here’s what got me over the stitches:

Breath from the belly and take shorter breaths, focusing on breathing out every time my right foot (pick a foot) hit the pavement.  I don’t know if it’s mental, physical, or a combination but that focus seems to help get my breath under control. After doing that for a minute or two I’m usually good to go and don’t have to focus on it anymore.

Well that’s enough for now and if you’re still reading, you might just be serious about this so put your shoes on (oh yeah, shoes! We’ll talk about that later) and get started!  I’ll be here if you have questions.

The post How do I start? Running tips for beginners. appeared first on Run Like a Kenyon.