Although feeling good at running doesn\u2019t happen overnight, it\u2019s easy to feel successful at running! If you set reasonable expectations for yourself and your pace, you can feel success at the end of each run.\u00a0\u00a0 There are a million methods to try and follow or just make your own plan. If you don\u2019t like a plan, change it!\u00a0\u00a0 No one is the same kind of runner as another so no one else can tell you how it\u2019s \u2018supposed to be\u2019 done. If you want to be able to run 10 miles without stopping, awesome. If you want to run the Galloway method (run walk run), awesome. If you set the goal, you get to say when you\u2019ve met it. Once you meet that first goal, whether it be running a mile or to the mailbox, you\u2019ll want to do it again. But the next time it won\u2019t feel as awesome because you know you can do it, so you\u2019ll raise the bar. This is the addiction of running. I\u2019ve never met a runner that hadn\u2019t set some sort of goal!<\/p>\n
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My Addiction: At the beginning of my fitness journey, it was easy to feel my body changing and getting stronger but some things are easier to measure than others. Running is really easy to measure and feel successful at. Just two years ago I would have said \u201cI can\u2019t even run a mile.\u201d Now I can, and a 5K, and a 10K and a half marathon, and maybe even further if I wanted to.\u00a0\u00a0 I think I got hooked after my first 5K run. I didn\u2019t train for my first 5K. I basically signed up and showed up to run. When I crossed my first finish line, maybe my first since Middle School, it was awesome. I had surprised myself. I\u2019d done something I never thought that I could do and I just wanted to do it again and again and again. Now a 5K is my warmup J and in my 18 month running \u2018career\u2019 I\u2019ve logged 500 miles. It starts with just one!<\/p>\n
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- You\u2019d Be Surprised<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
People envy runners. People want to talk about running. I think secretly everyone wishes they could be a runner. I\u2019ve heard the people say the following things SEVERAL TIMES:<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t run unless I\u2019m being chased<\/p>\n
You\u2019re crazy<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t think I could even walk that far<\/p>\n
I used to run<\/p>\n
I haven\u2019t run since High School<\/p>\n
That being said, you\u2019d be really surprised to find out who can\u2019t run a mile in your life. Every time you run think about this, who in your life is: Still in bed? Wishing they could make a change but haven\u2019t? Eating a donut right now? Looking at you for motivation? Who just watched you run by and envied you?<\/p>\n
My Experience<\/p>\n
I talk to a lot of people about fitness and specifically running. When I say something like \u201cI ran 5 miles this morning.\u201d it evokes one of two responses: they look like they just threw up in their mouth a little bit or they look envious and want to know more. Running is something most people wish they could do but will tell you they can\u2019t. It\u2019s also something everyone has experience with. I have talked to SOOO many people about running or wanting to run. \u00a0It’s something in all of us! Running is contagious and people that want to know how to run will ask you. \u00a0When I started running it slowly lead to my husband running. \u00a0And then I had a run club at work. And then so did he. \u00a0Running is a community and more people want to be members than you’d think. \u00a0Running lead me to meeting some great people!<\/p>\n
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- It Won\u2019t Be Like Gym Class<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
One of the many reasons people hate running is it reminds them of gym class. We all remember having the run the mile for a grade. In fact, I think the orange spray paint is still around the tree on my middle school campus that you had to loop around and come back. Most of us remember being yelled at by a coach or teacher. At the most self conscious time in your life, they make you do what most people hate: run\u2026..in front of everyone\u2026\u2026…for a grade. Torture! \u00a0I swear, running as an adult won\u2019t be like this. No one will yell at you and motivate you. If you want to run alone, you are the only coach. Only you know what your goal is and how fast you want to get there. Use running as time for yourself. Running can be great therapy and time to think through your day. The more you let your mind go the easier your run will be. Just let it go. Run out the frustration and anxiety. Attach something you love to running if you are having trouble falling in love with running. Try ending a run at your favorite coffee or book shop. Run your way to lunch with friends instead of walking or driving. The more you train your brain to run with things you already enjoy, the easier it is to fall in love with it. I encourage you to start your own relationship with running before you try running with a group or friends. It\u2019s hard to find your own pace\/zone\/distance if your constantly with other people.<\/p>\n
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My Inner Peace:<\/p>\n
It took me about a month of running to feel the Runner\u2019s Zone. It can take a while to train your brain for running. Now my brain and body know running so well that it slips into the zone in the first few minutes. My brain and body ask to run now. If you learn to find your zone, running easily becomes something you want to do.\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019ll crave the quiet while your body acts like a machine. I still have a run now and then where I can\u2019t zone. Sometimes I have what I consider a \u2018bad run\u2019. A bad run is usually one of two things: my body was too tired or my brain was too active. Occasionally, there are still runs where I think about running the whole time I\u2019m doing it but this is rare. Once you learn to zone out, you\u2019ll learn to love running.<\/p>\n
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- Think about This Mile\/Minute<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re running. \u00a0If you’re in mile one, sometimes mile 4 seems like forever away. \u00a0Try not to think about the end or how much farther you have to go. \u00a0Only focus on this mile or this interval (if using a run\/walk\/run method). \u00a0Sometimes you can only make it to the next stop sign. \u00a0It’s ok to trick yourself to stay motivated. \u00a0Don’t worry about what is to come just do what you can right now. \u00a0In the beginning of running, it can be hard to motivate yourself but stay true! \u00a0Every time you let yourself end early or cut yourself short, you’re training your brain to give up. \u00a0If you can’t run the last mile, walk it. \u00a0If you have to take a break, take a break but don’t quit. \u00a0It’s true, especially in running, quitters never win. \u00a0Every run is a chance to prove to yourself you can do it. \u00a0End every run feeling successful, not like a quitter. \u00a0Don’t let yourself down or you’ll start to associate running with being disappointed in yourself. \u00a0Treat every run like a race and do your best. \u00a0The feeling of success will lead you through.<\/p>\n
My Mind Game:<\/p>\n
I play mind games all the time when I run, especially when it’s a long distance. \u00a0 If I’m in mile 9 of 12 here’s what I tell myself:<\/p>\n
“You’ve already started mile 9 so it’s almost mile 10. \u00a0You know you can run two miles because you just did it. \u00a0Keep going. \u00a0It’s almost over. \u00a0Oh look, mile 10! \u00a0I’m practically done now! \u00a0See that stop sign, it’s only one mile from the end…….ok maybe not that stop sign but it’s got to be the next one. You can do this.”<\/p>\n
Somehow, I still believe myself! \u00a0I always love the half way point because you know it’s half over. \u00a0Usually, if you make it half way, you can finish! \u00a0Sometimes I can think about how many miles are left, sometimes all I can do is get to the next intersection, and then the next and then the next. \u00a0Either way though, I’m making it to the end because I don’t give up on myself. \u00a0I’m not always happy with how I ran but I always know I’m making myself stronger and lapping everyone at Taco Bell. I don’t stop when I’m tired, I stop when I’m done. \u00a0If I stopped when I was tired, I might not ever leave the house. \u00a0Every time I’m true to myself and complete a run, it teaches my brain that I can be successful at whatever I want to do!\u00a0
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So this week I\u2019m sharing how I think I became and runner and how I learned to love it. This morning I logged 3 miles with the hubby before my usual workout so I\u2019m ready for a nap, but I\u2019ll write first! Success Is Addicting Although feeling good at running doesn\u2019t happen overnight, … <\/p>\n
- Think about This Mile\/Minute<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
- It Won\u2019t Be Like Gym Class<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n