A couple of bloggers I read borderline obsessively have recently mentioned taking up running, and I found myself in both cases rather pushily encouraging them to do so. Yes! YES! I run, therefore EVERYONE ELSE MUST RUN! If it is right for me, then it must be right for all!
God, what an asshole. I don't want to be that person, that person who goes around proselytizing about every damn thing I do, telling people they HAVE to go to MY favorite restaurants (and by the way, be SURE to get the potato puree, it is just DIVINE) and they HAVE to stay at this WONderful little hotel in Rome and blah blah BLAH me me I am fabulous blah.
However! (Yes, this is the second post in a row to start a paragraph with "however." Thank you.) I have gotten a few direct requests for advice/encouragement from others who are in the early stages of (or maybe just contemplating) joining the wonderful world of running. And so I feel it is my duty, really, to share my ever-so-relevant experience. (Ok, no. Not really. But it gives me something to blather on about.)
(Insert legalese warning here about not beginning any exercise program without consulting your doctor first, which: does anyone actually do that? Seriously?)
I have a lot of runners in my family. My dad runs, my uncle runs (he's more into cycling now, but he has finished marathons in under 3 hours, which makes him officially a badassss), my aunt runs, my aunt's boyfriend runs, my cousin runs. You get the idea. My dad's side of the family seems, if you'll pardon the phrase, born to run. Tall, lanky, long-limbed, sturdy joints -- we are a pasty lot and lack appreciable lips, but we can run.
Although I inherited my dad's body type, for years I figured the running gene had passed me by. As a dancer, I developed all the wrong muscles for running, and none of the lung capacity the sport requires, so going for a brief jog would leave me crumpled somewhere alongside the road, gasping for air and clutching my burning thighs.
Then I ditched the pointe shoes and, sophomore year of college, I joined the rowing team. The novice women's coach was something of a running fiend. She had us sprinting the stairs of the stadium, running hill repeats on mountainous side streets, doing suicides on the football field and racing wind sprints around the track. My God, that woman loved to make us run. And, OH, how I hated it. I was slow as all hell, and yet I hadn't figured out how to modulate my speed such that I could actually take in oxygen during a workout; even if we were going out for five miles, I hit the pavement as though we were doing the fifty yard dash. More than once, I collapsed from hyperventilation. It was a rather pathetic display. I eventually had to quit rowing due to a back injury, and I went back to ballet as soon as I could.
When I got to law school, in addition to going to dance classes I took up recreational running to avoid studying, stay in shape and, uh, avoid studying. I'd jog down to Central Park, go as far as I could around the loop, then run back. When I started out, I could basically make it to the entrance to the park and then I'd have to turn around. But I kept at it, kept chipping away at it, and by the time first semester exams rolled around, I could do a loop (6 miles). Then, during exams, it became two loops -- again, the motivation of running versus studying cannot be overstated. The longer I was out there, the more time I was not reading about adhesion contracts and interpleader.
Back then, of course (in the Dark Ages), there were no MP3 players, and I ran with a Walkman the size of a chaise longue attached to the waistband of my shorts. And, by the way, since I was a poor student, I wore those baggy mesh basketball shorts that every college kid buys at some point, or (SHUDDER) Spandex bike shorts I'd bought at KMart for $5.99 a pop. I did invest in decent running shoes, which is key to the whole operation -- more on that later.
(Well, I have nicely managed to turn this around to be ALL ABOUT ME, haven't I? God.)
I lost my point somewhere along the way, but suffice it to say that, aside from the lapses of reason that led to me running the marathon twice, I run because I like the way it makes me feel. I still don't love every second of the running itself (it is exercise after all, and effort -- fleh); but afterward, I am always glad I did it. I sleep better, I have more energy, and I manage stress much, much better when I run. (When the familiar chokehold of anxiety starts creeping up on me, I know I haven't been getting in enough mileage.) When I run -- whether it's three or six times a week -- I have a regular appetite and I don't feel like shoveling food into my craw at random (or if I do, it doesn't matter as much, because I will run it off). And, of course, I look and feel more toned, yadda yadda.
And -- AND! -- it is important to note that, when I started training for the marathon the first time, I was in effect a beginning runner, as it had been years since law school and I'd become a gym-goer, elliptical machine, uh, doer. When I started training, I could BARELY run three miles on a treadmill. So, for real. You can do this. And Lord knows, no one has to do a marathon -- I'm just saying, if I can go from three (slow) miles to 26.2 (slow) miles, then anyone can go from zero to three or whatever your goal.
So, without further YAMMERING, here are a few bits of advice for ye who wish to run:
1. Even if you're going to be running on a treadmill or indoor track, you've got to have shoes that are right for you. I'd recommend going to a specialty runners' store (and NOT any place that rhymes with Put Shocker -- AVOID! AVOID!), where they can evaluate your stride and body type before recommending a shoe. Barring that, if you at least know whether you have flat, medium or high arches you can go online to places like Road Runner Sports and use their handy-dandy shoe finder dealio to narrow the choices. (And if you're still baffled -- because, LORD, there are a lot of choices -- call the 800 number on the Road Runner site; you will get to speak with someone who actually uses and knows about the products they sell.)
2. If you have any pre-existing injuries or conditions like knee problems or asthma, you really should talk to a doctor -- but try to see a sports medicine person if you can, as they're less likely to summarily tell you not to run. Sports doctors will work with you to figure out how to run healthily within whatever limitations you have.
3. Run on asphalt or a rubbery track, not on concrete if at all possible. Better yet, if there's a trail near you that's covered in wood chips, run on that. The idea is to minimize the jarring and pounding.
4. Keep a running log. Even if you're not planning on doing any races or have no specific goal in mind, it's great to keep a record of your mileage. You can get all fancy and throw in stuff like the weather, your route and how you felt; but at the very least, write in your day planner or put in your Treo how many miles you did each day -- you'll be very impressed with yourself at how you started out doing less than half a mile, and just a couple of months later you're doing five miles.
5. Start slowly. I mean speed-wise. S-L-O-W-L-Y. I still run at a snail's pace, relatively speaking, but I can run distances I would have NEVER thought possible back when I was in college. It turns out I do have the running gene; mine simply happens to be a slow gene. (Of course, you don't need the gene to run. You're not going to get out of this that easily. Runners come in ALL shapes and sizes.) One of the biggest beginner's mistakes is going out too fast. If you go out too fast, you will HATE running, because you will go ten feet and want to impale yourself on the nearest sharp object. If you feel desperately winded and/or your legs threaten to secede from your body? You're going too fast. Dial it back. Even if you're running slowly, you're still running.
6. Figure out what motivates you and stick with it. If you want to run with other people, there are running groups of all levels EVERYwhere. If, like me, you'd rather be ripped apart by rabid wombats than run with a group of people, stay solo (which doesn't rule out races, by the way; I don't mind running AROUND other people, just not WITH them). Except! I will break my own rule and run with others under very narrow conditions: I will run with close family or friends (my husband, my dad, my aunt) IF I can set the pace (again: SLOW). That is, mostly I will run with people who are willing to go at my crawling tempo, and who won't judge me for it. This probably means that I don't push myself enough and I don't ever improve, but I'm fine with that.
7. An organized race is a great motivator -- most local road races are set up to raise money for something and are open to people of all levels, so you don't have to worry that everyone else in the race is going to be smoking past you or that they'll have to keep the finish line open for eight hours until you come staggering down the chute. A 5K is a terrific distance to start out with. The whole event of it will get your adrenaline flowing, and there are few more satisfying moments than pushing it out at the end of a race course, a crowd (however small) cheering around you, and collecting your commemorative t-shirt afterward. Good times.
8. You can run in almost any conditions if you have the right gear. For warm weather running, all you need is running shorts (YES, running shorts, because otherwise there will be chafing, and chafing is bad -- although even with running shorts, Body Glide or similar anti-chafing products are good to ward off the dreaded chafe) and a wicking singlet (and, dear God, a sports bra -- DO NOT run in a regular old bra; also, even with my small endowment I find that built-in bra/shelf bra tanks aren't enough support).
In cold/wet conditions, layer. Layering is key. Tights or snug pants (sweats flap around too much), a long-sleeve wicking shirt, a running fleece, and a shell should do it, and you can unzip the layers halfway (you lose lots of heat through your sternum) as you get warm. Throw on a hat or earband and gloves if it's below freezing. You'll warm up quicker than you think, but in order to stay with it past those first few chilly moments, it's better to overdress than underdress.
Have I rambled on long enough? Is this completely obvious or lame advice? I'm going to file this under "Way More Than You Bargained For." Good Lord. I'll stop here, and if you have not slipped in a coma from the boredom and/or have specific questions, lemme know in the comments. Or feel free to leave your own tips, as I certainly have not covered everything.
Don't forget about freaking icing! ICE your injury. Good lord, I hear that all the time. Because I get a lot of injuries from walking around.
Also, you also like to run with David, right? You and Captain America both, right?
Posted by: Allison | February 05, 2007 at 09:54 PM
Perhaps in the spring I will be able to think about running, but right now when it is NEGATIVE SIXTEEN degrees outside, I cannot even think about running.
I feel like I have heard of adhesion contracts and interpleader, but I have no recollection of what those things are. OMG.
Posted by: -R- | February 05, 2007 at 10:27 PM
Ooh, thanks for this! I've been "thinking about running" for quite some time now, and this is one of the best bits of advice I've gotten. I would add, though, that if you are excessively well-endowed like me, there is no shame in layering extra sports bras. Yeah, I don't even remember a time when I could wear a shirt with a built-in bra and be decent in public.
Posted by: orangepeacock | February 05, 2007 at 11:18 PM
My question relates to mileage and how to know when to up the ante. About 2 years ago, I took up running and after years of bitching about it and I surprised myself by actually loving it. A little too much in fact; I injured myself from doing too much to fast. Since then I've fallen off the bandwagon hardcore, but am looking to start up again. So, how do you know when your body is strong enough to go longer distances? Or is there a recommended mileage/per week thing out there?
Posted by: margot | February 05, 2007 at 11:36 PM
I also HATED running, mostly because I'm constitutionally unable to participate in activities I'm not automatically good at. But when ye olde boyfriend kept leaving me at home to go out training for his triathlons, I decided I'd at least give it a try. So I ran. And then I died. And then I discovered jogging. S-L-O-W jogging. And then I died of embarrassment. And then I learned to get over feeling like an idiot because old ladies with tiny dogs were walking faster than I was "running." And then it stopped being quite so bad.
That said, I envy people like you who not only CAN run but enjoy it too. I'm not quite there yet.
BTW, the correct term is "ellipticizinator."
Posted by: Leah | February 06, 2007 at 12:29 AM
I think we are the same runner only I am still a few years away from running a marathon...
Posted by: Lisa Guzik | February 06, 2007 at 01:29 AM
I started running and hiking when we moved here but I have been avoiding the running lately because I feel like I suck. I'm slow. I don't last very long before I have to stop and walk for a bit. I get cramps in my side. AARGH. I WANT to RUN.
Posted by: Jurgen Nation | February 06, 2007 at 04:13 AM
I was on the cross-country team in high school and I effectively ruined my knees. Well, to be honest I had pretty bad knees anyway because of basketball and softball, but anyway. I don't run anymore, and I don't miss it anymore, but I loved it when I was a teenager. Just remember when you're running downhill go slow, because that's the worst on your knees.
Posted by: Lacey | February 06, 2007 at 02:14 PM
Sometimes i dream about being the kind of person who runs. But that's usually as far as i go. I wish i had the drive (and constitution) to actually run on a regular basis because i really think i could learn to love it after all the pain (oh, the pain) stops.
Maybe knowing that marathon runners have to start somewhere is good inspiration.
Posted by: claire | February 06, 2007 at 03:05 PM
Yay! Lots of potential runners!
Re: embarrassment vis-a-vis running slowly? Yeah, I feel you, but in the end running's an individual thing and you know, even if you're slow there will always be someone slower than you. And you're still out there!
Allison - Of course we like running with David! I feel like I would improve running with him and getting his insider coaching advice.
R - Uh, yeah. The temperatures there are not so conducive to running. Here either, at the moment. Ten degrees? No thanks.
OP - Very good tip, the layered bras!!
Margot - I don't know if here's any formula for increasing mileage, but I would say if you start out doing, say, 2 miles? Once it feels comfortable, add half a mile. Probably that'll take a few weeks, so it will be a pretty gradual process. As you get to longer distances, you can go up by more, like from 4 to 6. Doing longer training runs for the marathon, I usually go something like 6 to 8 to 10 to 13.2 to 16 to 18 to 21.
Leah - I have the SAME thing about not wanting to do things I'm not instantly great at. But with running, for whatever reason I just kept at it. And I am FINE now with being slow and not a big winner. I have no idea why; I guess I have learned to love the thing itself and not just whatever goals I set within it. Imagine that!
LG - That's funny -- we could run together, then!
JN - Walking!! Walking is fine! The Galloway Method, in fact, is a training method that specifically incorporates walking into your runs. When I trained for the marathon the first time, I had to walk good chunks of my long runs when I started out. Gradually you'll be able to run more and walk less.
Lacey - Good point re: downhills. Thanks!
Claire - The pain will stop, and indeed everyone has to start somewhere!
Posted by: lawyerish | February 06, 2007 at 08:59 PM
I think you have delivered "the sign from God" that I have been waiting for. Thanks. I guess it'll be running for me for the next few months while I decide if I picked up on the correct omen.
:)
Posted by: Em | February 07, 2007 at 07:11 AM
I appreciate the encouraging words of wisdom, but I still think I shall never, ever be a runner. I love the "Say Anything" reference in the subject line, though. Of course, since I am never going to be a runner, the next line would have to be, "No tips! There won't be any tips of any kind!"
Posted by: stefanie | February 07, 2007 at 12:33 PM