I Was Not a Runner, Until I Was

I’ve never been a runner. The mile in high school used to be a source of anxiety, and it’d leave me wheezing once I finished it. It didn’t matter how often I ran. It was always a struggle to finish. As someone who nurtured her GPA like a child, running for a grade was quite literally my nightmare.

Once I graduated, I swore my cardio days were behind me. For six months, the only running I did was to catch the bus and back from the bathroom once the Hulu ads were done. I just didn’t like running, and as long as I remained somewhat active, I didn’t feel like I had to suffer by forcing myself on the treadmill.

To be honest, I had a valid point. I’ve always enjoyed hiking, weight training, and recreational sports. Running isn’t necessarily needed for a healthy lifestyle or to lose weight.

My freshman year of college, I started to get bored of my routine. I was under a great amount of stress and wanted a serious change. My inspiration wasn’t health based. I felt a need to do something outside my comfort zone, and there was nothing that made me more uncomfortable than running.

My first run was miserable. I was a sweat, out of breath mess who wore ill-fitting running shoes. While I stood in the shower afterwards, I thought to myself that maybe it wasn’t for me. There were more enjoyable ways to workout, and they didn’t make me dread going to the gym.

My biggest mistake was probably going into it blind. For starters, my pace was too fast. I felt like I couldn’t breathe a minute into my run, but I felt like my run wasn’t worth it if I wasn’t running an eight minute per mile pace. However, I could only run a mile or two before I had to stop. Once I slowed down to a conversational pace, my breathing improved tenfold. I could jog much farther at a twelve minute per mile pace, even though it wasn’t fast enough by my previous standards.

Slowing down completely changed my attitude, which helped me find the desire to continue. Even sticking to a much slower pace, my speed continued to increase while maintaining my distance. Nothing was instantaneous, but pushing yourself too far too fast is the easiest way to injure yourself.

After running started to become part of my routine, I decided to invest in a better pair of running shoes. My old ones were old and worn out, and a new pair were definitely overdue. I had my shoe size professionally fitted, and it turned out that I was wearing a shoe size too big. They recommended one of the Nike Pegasus, which I hesitantly bought. I don’t regret a thing though because my running improved. My joints felt so much better afterwards, furthering my excitement to run. There seemed to be less excuses to skip a run because there was less pain than before.

Not only did a new pair of shoes physically help me, but it was exciting just to have something new. Every few months or so, I will buy a new shirt or pants if I’m experiencing a lull in motivation.

Another major game changer was not a physical change at all. It was how I thought of my progress. It is so easy to compare your abilities to others, especially when there are running forums and accounts everywhere on the internet. I have experienced so much encouragement from those forums.While they have the opportunity to be helpful, they can also be damaging when you don’t keep things in perspective.

That being said, the internet can be a wild card. Even if a hundred people sing your praises, there will always be one to disagree. If someone hasn’t experienced your struggle, they might not be as impressed with your progress. Of course I wasn’t going to be as fast as someone who had been running for years or was naturally more athletic. It doesn’t make sense to hold myself to other people’s ability.

At the end of the day, I am running because I want to. I am proud of my achievements, and I know I can continue to get better. Hopefully if you are struggling, these tips can help you. If these things seem obvious to you, remember that they are not to everyone. Everyone is at their own point in their journey.