What advice would you
give to someone looking into running?
When I first wanted to
get into running I talked to a few friends and they each had the same advice
for me “Stick with It”.
I was 250 pounds when
I started running and believe me being 250 pounds I wanted to be doing anything
but running. I looked horrid in running clothes and some people would make fun
of me when I said I started running but you know what I quickly realized these
people were not my friends and my friends were the supportive ones. Having a
good support system when adventuring out on a new endeavor is crucial, it will
be those people who you can call up when you are having a bad day or when you
need a push or when you need a buddy to run with.
There are going to be days
you are going to want to quit. Even now, I have days when I want to give up on
running but really I don’t it is just the weakness creeping in. You will find
the love for running and you will have days you hate running. In the words of
the amazing Gabby Douglas “Hard days are the best because that is when
champions are made. If you can push through the hard days you can push through
anything.” Even now as I train for my second marathon I have hard days when I
really just want to stay in bed but it is getting out of bed and forcing myself
to train that put a smile on my face. You never really know good training days
if you have never experienced bad training days.
Stick with it and you
will begin to love it, I promise.
Listen to your body is
the second word of advice I could give to someone looking into running.
Listening to your body is so important. It is how you stay injury free and
running long term. I didn’t always listen to my body sometimes I thought I knew
best, but guess what your body isn’t going to lead you astray. You learn
through the weeks/months/years when your body is telling you that it is pain
and when it is telling you that it is just tired. If you listen to your body
and treat it right, your body will be happy and you will run for years to come.
Remember you take your
car into the shop for constant tune up’s and maintenance you should do the same
with your body. You only have one.
I love acupuncture and
massage to keep my legs in top shape and get me through run after run. Also
change out you shoes often, my rule of thumb is never run on the same pair of
shoes two days in a row. The cushioning needs 24/hrs to be effective, I like to purchase two
pairs of shoes and rotate through them. You will get more mileage on your shoes
that way and your legs will be happier.
What advice do you
have for new/old runners?
