I probably shouldn't refer to myself as an "amateur", it might imply some level of professionalism or competitiveness - neither of which are present. Unless you count my drive to be better than myself.
Four years ago, I felt inspired and decided I was going to run a half marathon. A marathon is a little much, but a half seemed doable. I went and bought the fancy shoes so my feet wouldn't cramp; I learned I pronate (speaks to how your foot hits the ground when you step, it's often why people get shin splints). I followed the running plan, even though I found the whole run/walk situation confusing - shouldn't I just run? As if getting into running wasn't hard enough as is, June came and it got hot. I gave up.
Flash forward to deciding to start a healthier lifestyle by joining Weight Watchers in August 2012. After the initial big drop, I decided I needed to actually get physical. I joined a gym in February, probably didn't use it twice in the whole month. I wasn't about to waste money, so in March I stepped it up. Somewhere in my new-found ambition, I got the bright idea that I could run a 5K. I thought, in the unlikely event of a zombie apocalypse, I would like to be able to run for my life. Or if my purse got nabbed, I could not chase the person down. The reality was that I could not, and so that was the real-life logic behind my decision to take up running. Oh, and because it's good for you.
Enough prefacing.
In my journey over the last year from anticipating runs with dread to anticipating them with excitement, I've learned a lot. I feel like I went through this transformation of thinking that it just wasn't for me, but it was for other people, to being a runner. Here are some things I hope encourages anyone who might need it, to reconsider:
It's Going to Be Hard
I'll be honest: it's no walk in the park...unless you start by walking in the park. But eventually, you have to put aside your fears of struggle and just do it (Nike, I finally get you). Your body will literally fight against you and will gang up with your mind. It is mind over matter, and there's something incredibly satisfying, when you first start, in even the crappiest run. There are major psychological components to running, that I feel like so many people I talked to never acknowledged, or at least not clearly.
It's Bad-ass, and There's a Zone
Eventually, when you get past the initial, I daresay natural aversion to running, you may feel kind of like a bad-ass. There's not really a better way to say it. There is something ego-boosting when you finish a run, and you're both exhausted and exhilarated.
I've also found there's a point in some of my runs where it's make-or-break; I can psychologically ignore my body, and push through. It's this weird phenomenon that I love. It usually happens more on the treadmill, because that's where I listen to music (which I'll get to in my next point). I get to this point where I could slow down, but choose not to and it's like my body is just working. It sounds like a trip, and it kind of is. It feels like I'm floating. I think of this as The Zone. The body feels like a machine, and somehow it gives the mind clarity. This is why I find that it's incredibly cathartic, as well.
Your Ego Can Go Harder and Farther Than You Can
Often, this is what carries me to the Zone. Admittedly, my ego needs to know that I can press on, even though mentally I feel like I might break in half. While there is a point at which to slow down and you need to know that about yourself too, I think (unscientifically) that it's a lot farther than we think it is. You will feel like a bigshot, and that's okay; enjoy it quietly...until you feel sore later.
The Treadmill is Different
I started simple, by boosting my mile time in the gym on the treadmill. Then I hit the pavement, and it was hard. When you aren't forced to move based on the ground moving beneath you, it's harder to keep pace. Yet again, it's far more satisfying to have the control; to speed up when you want and slow down when you want, without seeing numbers which can make you feel incompetent. While I can up my speed on the treadmill to challenge myself, I found that when I started running outdoors I could cut my time because it was easier to change based on how I felt instead of what the numbers said. Another difference, for me, being that I don't have an iPod armband, so when I run outdoors it is me versus my mind in a whole other way.
Snow is a Gnarly Jerk
Running in snow is simultaneously awesome and terrible. It's like running in sloppy sand. Thus far, I've only really done it three times, the first of which wrecked my body despite being familiar with the distance. I could feel it challenging my muscles in a different way, and different ones. This is like BA Level Two. Even though my 5K time went up by eight minutes on the snowy trail versus the treadmill, when I finished I felt like a victor...over winter, over myself. Similarly but on the other hand, running in falling rain makes you feel like a freaking Navy Seal (while I know that is far more difficult, this is how I felt).
Research Helps
When I started, I wanted to do it well, so I did a lot of obsessive research. While I don't recommend this (the obsessive part), I do recommend looking into the questions you might have. It helped tremendously! I would get side-stitch all the time and thought it was just from being out of shape. Turns out I was breathing wrong. Can you breathe wrong? Yes, the answer is yes. I also learned form of how one should posture their body, and that static stretching (i.e. sitting down and doing specific stretches) is bad - you should warm up instead. Once I gave that up and left only a five minute warm-up, I didn't have cramps or twists. Research also helped me to find out a lot of things are opinion-based. Read up, but make it your own.
Really, No One Wants to Hear About It...
I still hold that when people brag about their runs, it's really annoying. It makes others who feel incapable of ever connecting to that exercise, feel like crap. If you get into running: don't do that. Also, don't be insincerely nonchalant about it. We all know false modesty is unattractive on anyone. It's okay to talk about, just don't make it a boastful lecture to the uninterested.
...But There's Company
On the flipside, there is a community and it will make you feel awesome! A few weeks ago, I braved Lake Calhoun's running trail on one of our 30+degree days. I was in front of two men who were chit-chatting while running, something I can't fathom, nor am I interested in. Though for a while I was determined not to let them pass me, I eventually needed to catch my breath and I slowed down to a walk. As they passed, the one shouted out to me, "Keep it up! You're doing great!" Needless to say, I was elated; I am one of them. How did this happen? Cliche as it is: by putting one foot in front of the other.
