Running, seemingly more than any other exercise, revs up your metabolism; you burn calories not only from the running itself but you get a bonus burn for hours after!
I have pretty much hated running, and been bad at it, all my life. But I do it because it really works at getting me in shape. Good news: as I have gotten more in shape, it’s gotten much easier, and now some days I actually enjoy it! Really, some days I just set out running and for the first little while I get this feeling of “wow, I’m really flying effortlessly along!”. That feeling is amazing.
Some tips:
1. Start with what you can do and just do it. If you have to run 1 minute and walk 2 minutes, and then run 1 minute and walk 2 more…do it!! That’s how I started. Soon you’re able to run 2 and walk 1. Then you run 5 and walk 1. And so on. Right now — and I still need to lose quite a bit of weight — I can run over 20 before needing to walk.
2. Try to run just a little farther each time. This is another way I have increased my ability. If I regularly run down a certain road, I will try to run a little farther than the last time before turning around. If you do a circuit in a city or the suburbs, try to run one more block than last time before you make your turn. If you’re timing yourself with a stopwatch, try to last one minute longer than the previous time.
3. Alternately, try to run a little faster each time. I often run a local scenic loop of about 2 miles. I time myself and I try to make sure each time I am just a little faster than before, even if by only a few seconds. Seeing the improvement in my time makes it much more motivating than just saying, “Yeah, so I did it again….yawn.”
4. If possible, find a running buddy. You will run virtually twice as far with a running buddy because you don’t want to be the first one to stop. It is actually easier to keep running when you have a buddy. Plus, you can talk a little in between huffs and puffs. Talking and running actually increases the workout you get from the run. Just be careful to choose someone who’s in similar shape to you or one of you will be frustrating the other.
5. Get the right shoes. Are you a supinator, pronator, or neutral? If you don’t know the answer to this question, you might be wearing the wrong shoes and hurting yourself, in addition to making your runs harder than they need to be. Go to an actual running store (NOT just a sporting goods store staffed with teenagers) and have them examine your stride and the shape of your arch. They will recommend the best kind of shoe for your body. Spend some money. An extra $50 for higher quality shoes is a tiny price to pay to avoid injury! I speak from experience :(
6. Give yourself rest, especially when you are just starting out. You can’t run several days in a row without your body complaining. Especially when you are just starting out, you will have sore muscles in places you didn’t know you had muscles, like tiny little support muscles around your ankles and feet. Let them heal by giving them a day or two of rest before working them out again. When you stop feeling sore the next day is when you no longer need to rest in between. Even then, don’t exercise more than 5 or 6 days a week without giving your body rest or you are going to be in trouble.
Happy trails!!
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And just to let you know how cool it can get:
Update: Since writing this, I discovered something AMAZING!! I actually got to the point where I realized I don’t have to stop! Running used to always get really hard, and even after I could run 15 minutes without stopping, I always said to myself, “I’m getting tired, I’m going to walk a little.” One day, I was running an extra long run, and I was about to stop to walk like usual, but I thought, “I guess this isn’t killing me, maybe I can keep running.” I did keep running and set a new personal record, 5.1 miles, my longest run ever!!
The point here is this: keep it up and you should eventually get to a point where your heart and lungs are strong enough that they can more than keep up. Since I realized this, I have purposefully set longer goals for myself each time I’ve run. The strangest thing is: the longer of a goal I set, the easier of a time I have running. What this tells me is that, often, “tired” is all in your head. Let me give you an example:
A few weeks ago, I set a new record: I ran 6.6 miles and only stopped to walk twice. Later, I shattered that record, running 8.5 miles. That’s a third of a marathon! And the best part was, the first 7 miles of my 8.5-mile run was easier than my entire 6.6-mile run was! It’s not that I am in that much better shape, it’s that in my mind, when miles 5 and 6 rolled around, instead of thinking, “OMG this is a long run, soon it will be over,” I was thinking, “6 miles down? Okay then, 2 1/2 to go.” For some reason, since I knew I had longer to go, it’s like my brain didn’t allow me to start thinking, “Quit soon”, and that provided me with actual physical energy.
I hope this inspires you to quit reaching for the sky and reach for the stars instead!
Note on increasing speed: Now that I can run a long time without stopping, I wondered how to improve my time (if I’m going to enter a half marathon – yes that is my goal – I want to cross the finish line before they pack up and go home!). I actually picked up a running magazine from the bookstore (those magazines always used to seem like they were in a foreign language) and read an article on how to get better at long runs. An article said to try interval training: going hard for two minutes, then jogging for two minutes, going hard for two, jogging two, etc. Apparently this is supposed to train your body to realize that it has more to give even when it’s tired.
I tried it recently. It was actually pretty cool! Although the fast moments were hard, I didn’t feel like I was going to die – and I felt quite speedy! My head actually swelled a little when I blasted past walkers while running full speed ahead. The easy moments really allowed me to catch my breath. Added bonus: my usual 1.8-mile loop, which I’d never run faster than 17:30 before, I finished in an even 16:30! Not only am I getting faster generally, I’m faster right now!
Highly recommended.
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Okay I keep learning more about running as I do it!! Here’s the latest (Dec 15, 2010)
I can’t believe it!! I’m starting to LIKE running! I mean if you read this blog you might already think I run because I do like it. No, never! I started running because it’s the exercise that makes me lose the most weight, but I never liked it.
I still don’t “like” running the way you like a hobby or pastime or amusement, but I do find myself getting excited about running. Not so much because the running is FUN (let’s face it: it’s still no picnic) but because getting GOOD at running IS fun! Better than fun, it ELATES me!
I was always one of the last kids picked for the team, and usually the slowest runner. But today I actually went to a local running store and inquired about how to sign up for a half marathon next month. This Saturday, weather permitting, I plan to see if I can run a local scenic trail that’s 10.5 miles long. Guess what? I have BUTTERFLIES thinking about it, even as I type this. Not because I’m scared to try but because I think I might actually be able to DO IT! Me!!
I just want to cry, this is so wonderful and marvelous to contemplate. It’s like I’m the character in a rags-to-riches fairy tale, only it’s better than that because money couldn’t make me as happy as becoming skinny is making me.
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January 2011
You are looking at tumblr’s newest HALF-MARATHONER!! OMG OMG OMG I actually did it!! In less than half a year, I went from fat to fit!!! Holy cow is this really my life????? If it’s a dream, I never want to wake up!! Look at this!!!:
I actually ran 13.1 miles this morning, shattering my record by 2.6 miles! (I used to be unable to run 2.6 miles at all!!) Oh, I am just so elated, it’s better than Christmas and my birthday combined!! Several Christmases and birthdays, actually! I have been so emotional since my finish (With a time of two and a half hours! Which isn’t bad, I’m told!). Several times today, I’ve had to blink back tears as I’ve had the thought, I’m not just someone who dabbles in running. I’m not even someone who goes for the occasional long run. I am a runner. I AM A RUNNER!! :’-)
Oh, I feel dizzy, it is so overwhelming. Happy sigh.
So yeah, I’m going to give you a blow-by-blow account of the race, for those who are curious. It was so interesting and it taught me so much.
PRE-RACE: Woke up at 6:15 after a somewhat restless night. I was so nervous about this; it seemed like I had a final exam today. Will I be able to do it? Will I fail? I met up with my friend R who agreed just 3 days ago to do the race with me. R is a fair bit fitter than I am and a good 15 pounds lighter, but had never run more than 9 miles (which we did together 4 days ago haha). We were both so nervous and excited! R, like me, set no goals other than just finishing.
THE START: When the two of us crossed the starting line, I turned and gave R a high five. “We’ve already won, we crossed the starting line!” I exclaimed! Seriously, just showing up and starting the race was the hardest part. It took a heck of a lot of courage. I knew the hardest part was already behind us. We were already victors, in my mind.
FIRST QUARTER: I couldn’t believe how much FUN we were having at first! Seriously, before we knew it, we’d gone 3 miles and were having the time of our lives. We were talking, laughing, remarking on other runners, remarking how happy we were to be doing this. I’ve never run an easier 3 miles in my life. I felt so fresh it was incredible. We passed the 3-mile marker and I said, “Okay, now that we’re warmed up, we can start the 10-mile race. Easy!”
HALFWAY POINT: When we passed Mile 7, R said, “We’re over halfway there!” I was like, “Yeah, cool, easy!” but then I thought, Crap, that’s a nice milestone and all, but we’ve already been running over an hour and have almost as far to run. So, yeah, kept it positive, but I was starting to realize that this wasn’t going to be a piece of cake after all. Oh, FUNNY thing: at around this point, we passed a guy, dressed in ALL BLACK (shirt, shorts, socks, shoes, even his hair was black, he was the only person we saw in all black) whose race bib number was 666. No joke! We had a good laugh about that!
THREE QUARTERS: At Mile 9, I was getting quite tired, but I was like, “Dude, as soon as we pass Mile 10, that’s only 5K left to go! 5K isn’t that long!” LOL if only it was like that! I tried to convince myself, but I was getting TIRED. Between miles 10 and 12, I had to walk like 5 times. It actually sucked, I was apologizing, but I was getting way burnt out. The worst part was, each time I stopped to walk and regain a little energy, my legs would want to seize up. So, like, I needed to walk, but the more I walked, the harder it became to be able to start running again. I had to start running, even taking tiny steps, in order to keep going, or I knew I would crash and burn. I told R that I was going to have to walk frequently for a bit, but that when we hit Mile 12, I was going to start running and not stop until the finish line.
LAST MILE: I expected to feel a surge of energy in the last mile because I would feel the finish so close. Nope. It just got harder. At about 12.5, we started a small uphill section, and I just decided, “Screw this, I need to walk.” But I didn’t, because less than a second later, I realized that to do so would be to give up. To admit defeat. To go back on my word. To let R, and everyone on tumblr, down. I thought, I need to do this. I need to push myself or I will regret it forever. Gosh, I’m tearing up right now while I type this! I had originally wanted to run my last mile at a fast pace, but I just didn’t have any more to give. I was spent. But I still never stopped.
THE FINISH LINE: With hundreds of people cheering, we managed to find a little extra strength and pushed hard for the last 200 yards. And we crossed the finish line at full speed ahead. And at that moment, we won. It took us two and a half hours. Two and a half hours of running, are you kidding me?? It felt like the biggest thing I’ve ever done. It was one of the biggest things I’ve ever done!! It was one of the happiest moments of my life, as I expect it will always be.I did it. I’m no longer a fatso, I’m a runner.
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February 2011
Just a few days ago I ran 35 minutes and actually forgot to walk! This makes me laugh happy laughter :D
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March 2011
Okay, I give in. I actually do LIKE running now! As in, I find myself in the mood to do it. It makes me happy. I enjoy watching the scenery go by. I enjoy feeling like I can do it and not die. I enjoy knowing that I’m burning hundreds of calories each time I head out. I enjoy getting air and sun (and even rain!). I enjoy when others see me and have no idea that I haven’t always done this. I enjoy telling people that I went for a “short” run of “only” 4 miles. I enjoy that I have been given new life. I am amazed. This is SO cool.
This was an amazing read! Very inspiring - and can apply to whatever sport/fitness activity you are doing :)
