20 things I wish I’d known about running when I started

Options
1235

Replies

  • cecrossley
    cecrossley Posts: 46
    Options
    i loathe the first 10 minutes! Great advice on everything!
  • skinnyb450
    skinnyb450 Posts: 288
    Options
    Awesome post - So motivating - Some really great tips - Thankyou for sharing :):flowerforyou:
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Options
    Thank you all so much for an amazing response and such positive feedback. I'd got into a bit of a rut myself and reading your words got me out pounding the pavement!

    Oddly enough, some folk posted it on Facebook and it got back to me via a completely unrelated forum. As one MFP friend said, teh interwebs is a small place!

    I've now blogged it up here:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/BerryH/view/20-things-i-wish-i-d-known-about-running-when-i-started-103936

    And I might work it up into a full-blown article. I already have some ideas for my next 20 things :smile:

    Thanks again lovely MFP folk!
  • Hotlanta123
    Hotlanta123 Posts: 12
    Options
    Great post. About 20 years ago, running got me from 275 to 155. I will second Berry's wisdom about forgetting things like speed, pace, and all that. Just get out there and run. Sometimes the slowest runs are the most enjoyable.

    I'll also throw it out there that if you live near the woods, then try a trail run. Easier on your body and with all the bounding over rocks and streams and what not - not to mention running up and down the hills - you'll get a a higher octane and more full body workout. If you are a pavement runner, you will definitely be sore after your first trail run.

    Oh one more thing. This from a city boy. If you live in a big city and are running through crowded streets and traffic - ditch the ipod. You will be a lot more aware of your surroundings and that makes for a safer run.
  • Beth720
    Beth720 Posts: 661 Member
    Options
    Only two things I can think of to add...

    * Regarding taking ibuprofen...DO NOT TAKE IT WHILE (OR BEFORE) YOUR RUN! You can do irreparable damage to your kidneys that way. The only thing to take if you're taking anything (personally I say if it hurts too much to run without pain meds, don't run), it should be Tylenol at the most. Besides the potential for kidney damage, if you're running on pain meds, you very likely could to too much and do real damage to yourself. Better to take a couple of days off than run on pain meds, do more damage, and be out of it for much longer.

    * Get a RoadID and wear it religiously. I wear mine all the time, even when I'm not running. This little tag ~ which can be a bracelet, an ankle wrap, a shoe tag, or a dog tag-style. You put your information on there, an emergency contact, any allergies, etc. Basically it will speak for you if you can't speak for yourself. I personally have an interactive one where the tag has my info and my emergency contact as well as a phone number and a website with a serial number and PIN that an EMT or ER worker can access for ALL my medical info - what meds I'm on, other emergency contacts, my allergies, even my health insurance information. I have a friend whose father had a medical emergency while on a bike trip in the mountains with non-family friends and his RoadID literally saved his life by giving the emergency responders the information they needed to know (in this case a medication he was on that would have had a fatal interaction with something that normally would have been given to someone in his condition). They're not that expensive and yet they provide infinite peace of mind.
  • froglegjack
    froglegjack Posts: 388 Member
    Options
    Great post thanks!
    I just ran my first 5k and I can not even describe the feeling of crossing the finish line.

    :drinker: :flowerforyou:
  • TakeOne
    TakeOne Posts: 345 Member
    Options
    *Bump* Thanks so much for sharing :)
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    Options
    Brilliant post.
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
    Options
    Bleh. I hate running. i feel like I'm dying, and yet I hardly burn any calories.

    Great tips though. If I ever try running again, I'll keep these in mind.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    Options
    Bleh. I hate hate running. i feel like I'm dying, and yet I hardly burn any calories.

    Great tips though. If I ever try running again, I'll keep these in mind.

    I felt like that when I started, but I went out with my husband and he kept saying "slower, take smaller steps, breathe, you shouldn't be going any faster than you walk" and once the hideous first 10 minutes was past I actually enjoyed it. That first run took nearly 2 hours. I did it again 3 weeks ago in 45 mins.
  • nessieslc
    nessieslc Posts: 34
    Options
    Thank you, I hope more people get out there and run, it is awesome!!!
  • ChaliBahli
    ChaliBahli Posts: 39 Member
    Options
    This is key for me- just popped on and wanted to see what exercise forums have going and its helped already
  • natashaamee
    natashaamee Posts: 17 Member
    Options
    Awesome advice!!!!
  • AllyS7
    AllyS7 Posts: 480 Member
    Options
    Love all of this. Great post!
  • broadsword7
    broadsword7 Posts: 411 Member
    Options
    14. Low-tech is great… Once in a while ditch EVERYTHING – even your watch – and just run. It feels great!

    Great post, love all your points and especially #14. I've been using Cardio Trainer on my Android phone, which tracks my miles, speed, etc., announces how far you have gone at intervals, and plays motivating music from a playlist. While that app has helped me, I have found that I do like it, when the mood strikes me, ditching the phone and the earphones and just going out and running and listening to my own breathing and everything else around me.
  • nsciambi
    nsciambi Posts: 70 Member
    Options
    Fabulous post!

    It's great to hear that I'm not the only one who suffers through the first 10 minutes. A lot of the time I'm thinking, "Seriously? If running one mile is this hard, how in the heck am I going to do the 3, 4 or 5 that I plan on running?" Then once that first mile is out of the way, I'm good to go.
  • MtnKat
    MtnKat Posts: 714
    Options
    Thanks so much for the post. I really enjoyed it and learned much!
  • alsnipes
    alsnipes Posts: 34 Member
    Options
    Great post!!!!! I'm running a 1/2 marathon in November and am nervous about training. (I haven't run in a few years) Thanks for the tips and motivation!!!!!!
  • inatay7
    inatay7 Posts: 141
    Options
    Love this, thanks heaps!!
  • philiphirons
    philiphirons Posts: 34 Member
    Options
    Agree witheverything, I run long distance and

    10. Beware the “toxic 10 minutes”. When you build up to running over 10 minutes at a time, that first 10 minutes will feel like living hell. It gets better! Your body moves on to a different energy release process after this time and you will get second wind soon after, I promise!

    Is more a toxic 30 minutes for me! But push on through and you'll be fine :)

Categories