I have been working with my coworker for a couple of years now. He’s tried every diet and every exercise habit you should, and should not, try.
A few times he tried to run .. and failed. He did the couch to 5k plan and, like most people, freaked out at week 5 day 3 and stopped.
He’s a contractor and lately has been working remotely from home until last week. When he came in we were playing ‘catch up’ on how things have been. He mentions that he’s been running and has found a bit of enjoyment out of it.
WHAT?
WHAT?
What did he do? He learned that running did not mean running. It instead meant to find *your* pace above a walk and go with it.
So, today he walks up to me and mentions that he’s mad that no one ever told him that running did not mean running (I’m sure I said it to him a few times, but he never listens to me!). Finally he’s found something that he can do, that’s exercise, and that’s not a voluntary form of torture.
Nice!
So … if you’re scratching your head on all of this, let me explain.
If you’re trying out running for the first time these are your Dos and Don’ts …
- Don’t think you should walk out the door and run like a Nigerian. My sister did this .. she started the Couch to 5k program and on the first day, at every interval she bolted like someone was trying to rob her. Silly rabbit was sore for days. Go slow .. there is no need to rush. Remember your legs and body are not conditioned for running.
- Don’t have any expectations and don’t be in a hurry. The goal and the key is no pressure. Remember that it just needs to be better than what you do now. That’s it.
- Do give yourself recovery time after running. Again, your body is new to this. Even if you run slowly those muscles are getting a new workout and need time to repair.
- Take it slow, keep an open mind, and give it time. Take the expectations, pressure, and pace away .. try it xx amount of times and see how it goes. One time is not enough to decide on much of anything, I promise.
Years ago I used to run and was OBSESSED with my pace. I was always racing EVERYONE, especially myself. Running turned into disappointment and torture at one time until I through those out the window and decided to find the fun. Now, it’s something I love.
Will my pace every be as fast as before? Probably not. Do I enjoy the miles more than I did? Absolutely.
Happy day and thanks for reading!
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Christina
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