How to become a runner:
Lace up.Run.
That's it. Congratulations, you're a runner.
But in all seriousness, it can be daunting for someone who has never done it. Scary even.
I was that person in 2009. I was 185 lbs and decided I wanted to go from being 100% sedentary to training for a half marathon. And I really gave it my best shot for all of 2 months. But my lack of education on the topic of running, combined with being grossly out of shape, led to severe tendinitis in my right leg and sidelined me for another 2 years. Because after my leg and ankle healed 6 months later, I had decided I "wasn't good at" running.
Fast forward to 2011. I promised my sister I would do a 5k in September 2011. I thought:
1) 3.1 is way better than 13.1 so how hard could it be?
And
2) I have PLENTY of time to train.
Except I didn't. I continued to sit on my couch and eat Chinese food and entire boxes of Swiss Cake Rolls.
September rolled around, I was reminded of my promise, and I decided to just suck it up and do it, even if I walked the whole thing.
So I did it. And it sucked. And, shockingly, I was addicted to racing at that point. I was 3 months out from my 30th birthday so I decided that I would stick with it and do a 5k every single month while I was 30, until the end of 2012. My goals were a) improve my time by ANY amount each race, and b) don't ever be last.
That's when the learning curve began. Sure, I had survived that first 5k. But I wanted to do more than survive. I wanted to see my time improve and I wanted to do it injury free. I am the QUEEN of running injuries. I've had almost all of them at some point.
Here's what I learned during the process of becoming a runner:
1. Shoes are EVERYTHING. I wore too small shoes in the beginning, followed by shoes that were terrible for my feet.
A. I always buy a size up. I wear 8.5 in regular shoes. I buy 9.5 for running.
B. Running stores can be your best friend. They will help you find a shoe for your gait. I personally need stability shoes vs neutral shoes, which sucks because neutral shoes are way cuter.
C. More than one pair is ideal. They last longer. Aim for 300-400 miles max before you retire them.
2. Don't over-train, especially in the beginning. Just because your Instagram runner friends can run 63 miles in a week, 5 times a week, etc, doesn't mean you have to. Start out with a couple miles a few days a week. Increase as your body tells you to. Just because an online training program you find starts you out at 3 miles doesn't mean that's right for you.
3. Pain vs soreness. This one is tough for someone new to working out or running. I've had to gradually learn the difference over the years. You can be sore and not be "injured". But you can also be in pain and need to rest up to prevent something much worse. You have to learn your body. You also will learn what shin splints feel like and when you can run through shin soreness vs stop and ice.
4. Cross training really helps. Building lean muscle and gaining strength helps with endurance. Don't have to do anything crazy, I didn't really "workout" other than running until 2017, but I did do some leg work like squats and lunges.
5. Hydrate and fuel properly. It will be extremely difficult (and dangerous) to run on a 1000-1200 calorie diet. Food is fuel, so eat up. When I first started running, I did South Beach, which is basically zero carb. But I ate a lot to sustain myself. I was able to lose weight while not passing out while running from lack of food.
6. You do not have to run your entire distance to be considered a runner. There are plenty of great programs out there (C25k, the Galloway method, etc) that encourage walk breaks in order to ease you into running. I STILL do a run/walk combo 9 years later. But I started out only running 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. Now I do 2 miles straight through with more frequent walks after that. Progress, not perfection.
7. YOUR PACE DOES NOT DEFINE YOU AS A RUNNER. Read that again and say it louder for the people in the back. My first 5k was 42:40. My PR is 32:52. Sure, I shaved off 10 minutes, but will I ever run one in 25 minutes? Likely not. And I'm ok with that. Some people are naturally fast runners. Others work hard to become faster through special training or coaching. Either way, YOU ARE A RUNNER. BE PROUD.
*ALL ADVICE IS SIMPLY FROM MY EXPERIENCE OF BECOMING A RUNNER, NOT FROM A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.*
Felt like I needed to add that part in. 😂
So in summary, if you've considered running and a 5k is something you've wanted to try, do it!! I promise you won't regret it. Do some research, ask questions, lace up, and get out there!
Hopefully 2021 will bring lots of races to choose from. And when you cross the finish line, no matter if it takes you 20 minutes or 50 minutes, you will be so proud of yourself. And if you're just starting out and need some support or someone to be at your finish line, I will gladly fly to where you are and take that first memorable finish line picture for you. Just give me some notice. 😁
