Beginning Running
Getting started on a running training regimen can seem daunting, but its a challenge that almost anyone is up to, regardless of your current level of fitness. Beginning running can be fun and gratifying, and if you do it right, you wont have trouble sticking with it.
I should know. Up until my 20s, I had barely exercised a day in my life. I thought exercise just wasnt my thing. This made me quite a black sheep in my family, since both my parents were marathon runners. They would strongly encourage me to run with them, or to start jogging on my own. But I would resist.
Once I got past my teen rebelliousness, it occurred to me that beginning running like my parents did might have its benefits. I was starting to gain weight, and I never had any energy. So I convinced my parents to buy me a treadmill, as a college graduation present. And I used it maybe twice. It would be generous to say three times. I just couldnt make myself incorporate running into my regular routine.
What I would find out later is that there is a trick to beginning running. I was making a very typical beginners mistake. I was trying to do too much, too fast and too soon. I would turn that treadmill up to a running pace, start running, and quickly tire out. I felt bad about myself that I couldnt run longer than a quarter or half a mile at a time. I dreaded getting on that machine.
Everything changed on day when I went out to watch my parents finish a marathon. They had hoped to finish in under four hours, so I stood by the finish line at around the three and a half hour mark, just in case they were even faster than expected. As I watched people cross that finish line, I saw runners of every shape and size. There were older runners, younger runners, heavyset runners, and all kinds of people you would never guess could finish a whole marathon in just over three and half hours. If they could do that, then beginning running on a regular basis shouldnt be so hard for me.
With that inspiration in mind, and decided to try beginning running again. And this time, I didnt make the same mistake. The real key to beginning running, I realized, is to take it slow. Really, really slow. I started running at the slowest pace I could, making no effort whatsoever to speed up. I set very small goals for myself. I began by running a quarter of a mile. Then I bumped that up to half a mile. I didnt push it, and I didnt struggle.
Before long, literally within three months, I was running three or four miles at a time. Without even trying, I had also increased my pace. The real secret to beginning running, I realized, was to go slow and take it one step at a time. You will not be able to run a marathon on your first day. But over time and with patience, almost anyone can build to that seemingly impossible goal.
