How I Taught Myself To Run

When my teaching career began in 1999, my fitness activities went out the window. I put on a lot of weight and got really out of shape. In terms of showing my students how to live a healthy and active life, I was a failure.

Then, about four years ago, Pam and I decided to buy a treadmill. I was still fat and out of shape, but something needed to be done. I had to turn my life around before my kids got old enough to realize that their daddy was not living a healthy life. Not only did I decide that I needed to lose a bunch of weight, I also decided it was high time to teach myself how to run. Here’s how I did it:

Start Slow

Running is a tough sport. It’s hard on your body, especially your joints. Many people start out too fast. They shock their cardiovascular system as well as their connective tissues. Their muscles are constantly sore and they often give up because they are expecting too much of themselves.

When I first started running again after a 5-year hiatus, I absolutely hated it. I would force myself to run one or two miles at a time, only three days a week. Those two miles took me about 24 or 25 minutes and they were pure hell. I disliked it so much that I would often skip two or three days between runs instead of just the initially planned one day. Then, in order to meet my goal of three runs per week, I would have to run on back to back days. It was not a very good plan.

If I were starting over again, I would force myself to run 20 minutes at whatever pace I could manage. Then I’d finish by walking for 10 minutes to round out the half-hour.

After a few weeks, I’d gradually increase the run time by one or two minutes each week until I was able to run for the full 30 minutes. And I’d leave the speed exactly where I started.

I’d run a full month at a slow jog to get my body used to the motion of running before starting to increase the speed.

Even this plan may be a little bit ambitious for some people. If you are extremely overweight and/or sedentary, I’d start even slower. You may want to check out the couch to 5K training program that has become so popular. It incorporates running with walk breaks and gets you ready for a 5K run in eight weeks. People love it and you should check it out.

Cross Train

30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise three days per week is not really enough to get you in good shape. If you’re completely sedentary, then it’s a great start. But you should try and get that much exercise each and every day–at least!

So what should you do on the days you’re not running? The simplest thing is get outside and go for a walk. Take the kids to the park and play with them. Ride a bike. Do some yard work. My definition of cross training is anything that gets your heart rate up and requires your muscles to push, pull, bend, stretch, or lift. It can basically be anything. The more sedentary you are, then the more enjoyable it should be–I’d stay out of the gym unless it’s something you like to do.

If exercise isn’t fun, then you won’t continue to do it. You’ve got to change the mindset that says exercise sucks and it has to be hard–that’s a totally false statement that only sets you up for failure.

Train For An Event

I ran my first organized race in May of 2008. Until I signed up for that event, I had always told myself that I wasn’t interested in running organized events. I didn’t yet consider myself a runner and I was a little bit embarrassed about running in front of other runners. But let me tell you, that fear of failure really motivates you to train and get yourself as prepared as possible.

For the first time, I had goals for myself. I knew how fast I wanted to run the race and I made those goals public. Letting everyone know what you’re doing is a great tool for keeping yourself accountable. If you’re anything like me, you won’t fail if your goals are public.

But keep your goals simple! Your first goal should probably be just to finish the race. Don’t worry about time, or age group placings, or beating your friend to the finish line. Just get yourself to the end no matter what it takes. You’ll be so proud of yourself when you cross that line. In fact, it may be the day that changes your life forever. It changed mine.

Get A Partner

Everything is more fun when you’re doing it with someone else. Getting a training partner was the best thing that I have ever done to help me get fit. We depend on each other. We motivate each other when it’s dark, cold, and rainy outside. We talk to each other about how our bodies are feeling and we provide insight and feedback for each other that is more relevant because we know what the other is going through.

But best of all, when we are running together, the time passes much more quickly. On every run, we traverse mental (as well as actual) peaks and valleys. Just being out there with another person, knowing that they are experiencing similar thoughts and feelings helps me to get through the difficult times that I experience on each and every run.

If you only listen to one piece of advice in this entire post, it should be this one. If you really want to become a runner, then find yourself a training partner of similar ability. Push each other, or pull each other to new training and racing heights. You will get better faster if you have someone to do it with. It worked for me.

I started running again in January of 2008 and I’ve come a long way since then. I’m lighter, leaner, fitter, and faster than I’ve ever been in my life and it’s all because I taught myself how to run and eat better. Sure, there are other ways to accomplish these things but there aren’t any that are simpler. Lace up your sneakers and hit the road and you’ll pave the way to other successful fitness endeavors.

This post was inspired by a comment from John who asked for advice on learning to run. I’d love to write posts for people who have specific questions about diets, exercise, or other aspects relating to fitness. If you have something that you’d like me to write about, post a comment or send an email to: get fit slowly at get fit slowly dot com.

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