How to Start Running

People have recently asked me about how I started running. Below are the first few steps I found to help me get moving.

1. A Couch to 5K Program. Supposedly they help people get started. I did it wrong and jumped into 2-3 mile runs before I was ready and dealt with a lot of injuries, but that's also because I have a bad back from a weak core, which made my form shit. Check out some "C25K" programs and focus on the time you're moving (running and walking=total time you're working out) rather than your mileage to start. It gets you to form a habit of moving and exercising instead of focusing on stats like how far and fast you're going. 

2. Then set some goals--sign up for a 5k in a few months and tell everyone you know about it. This will make you follow through on it. Also, fundraising for my races helped me because it makes the working out less about me and more about the agency I'm fundraising for. And while I'm likely to let myself slide and slip up, I'm less likely to fail (ie, give up fundraising or losing money for) an agency I support, so it holds me accountable to more than just myself. 

3. Third, learn to say yes to your health, commit to self-care, and prioritize it over other things. This means you have to determine what you're willing to lose to gain. I started working out a few times per week before running, so I had a good groundwork of regular working out, but once I started running, I also had physical therapy AND working out. I had to make a decision to take care of myself in the immediate so I could have long-term health, happiness, sanity, and stability. For me, I stopped going out on weeknights except maybe once a week. I cut back on going out to eat, but I also had less tie to cook all night. Which meant I had to figure out what I could make quickly that wasn't just cheese, crackers, or ice cream. I also learned to commit to running so much that if I leave work late, I run when I get home, and sometimes eat dinner late (like 9-10pm). Not ideal, but surprisingly enough, getting into work earlier ended up being a result since I didn't want to run so late!

4. Also, learn to say no. No to friends who will try to talk you out of working out or running, who will try to get you to have one more beer before you leave the bar early for an early morning run, and who will try to tell you any of the myriad things about their immediate need being more important than your long-term goal. By keeping up your non-physically present communication (ie, calling, texting, e-mailing, and FBing), you can still let these people know you care about them, but you can't go out for all-night ragers anymore.

5. Hold yourself accountable to yourself and your goals. I used to think people who checked in at gyms and updated online were bragging... until I realized that it was their way of making a commitment, and then following through on personal accountability by broadcasting it to people they've told. People WILL check in on you and encourage you to do what you committed too. If you can, track your training online--I really like MapMyRun. It's really rewarding to see how I improve week to week and how far I've run cumulatively.  Little milestones are pretty fantastic too. The app takes the guesswork out of things like mileage and speed, once you get into the swing of running or walking.

6. Last step--get moving and actually do what you say you'll do and train and do the 5k. As you train and hit mini milestones (1 mile walk/run, 2-mile walk/run, 1 mile jog without stopping, etc), you'll find you're more emotionally and physically capable than you previously thought! It's amazing what this running has done for my self-esteem!

One last thing, please remember that if you're ever in PAIN, not just SORE, go see a doctor! Also, it's really important that you learn that a setback is not a failure. Stepping back is sometimes necessary to move forward. Someone famous said it's just the cha-cha. :)