Dear new runner: An open letter

Dear new runner:

My very first 5K stuff

Congratulations on your decision to go on this uncomplicated yet complex journey of running. Lace up your sneakers and charge up your iPod, you're in for an exciting and challenging road ahead.

This is the letter that the runner I've become would've written to the "running hater" I once was.

Listen, I know it's hard at first.  That's why you rock. It's hard but you're gonna do it anyway. Others talk about it, but you're doing it. This already makes you a winner. You might have to walk/run, keep your distance short, take it slow and experiment with running on a treadmill/track or outside. In fact please concentrate on not over-doing it in the early days. The worst thing you can do is injure and burn yourself out. When in doubt, it couldn't hurt to 'under-do' it even. I'd rather you come back from a five minute run feeling energized, accomplished and excited to do it again than do a 25 minute run feeling miserable and defeated.

Go sign up for a race. Seriously. Don't let it freak you out. Pick a 5K for 3 months from now (sooner or later based on your fitness level) plunk down your money and sign up. Right now. Go. I will still be here. Don't think about it - just do it.

Found one? Good. Now tell everyone about it. Go post it on Facebook, Tweet it. This is your "official" start to your running life. Congrats. Start your "5K" training program. There are several out there.  You see, there's something about setting a definite goal that makes your running moving forward and it helps keeps you motivated, "I have to run today, I'm training." To this day, I need to have a race on the schedule to help keep me progressing.

As a beginner, you might feel a little soreness in your back, your muscles or even your knees and ankles. I did. A little soreness (especially if you're carrying excess weight) isn't unusual. Do not confuse soreness with injury.  Follow the R.I.C.E method and if you suspect injury, see a doc.

You should go to a running store as soon as you can and get proper running shoes. Please believe me that this is not the place to cheap out. I literally tried to run in Payless "running sneakers" and learned very quickly that this was a BAD IDEA. If you don't live near a running store - you can learn here how to figure out a good running sneaker for you.

Please don't compare yourself to other runners. I started by running at a 4.0 on the treadmill and would eye people that were flying at unfathomable speeds. This is your training. It will be your race. Your journey. You'll always be slower than someone else and right now you are faster than the guy on the couch on his second bag of Doritos!

Running can support your weight loss journey but running does not give you a license to eat. Focus on fueling yourself with healthy foods, don't over-do extra calories or you won't see a loss if that's what you are looking for.

The running community is AWESOME. Support is EVERYWHERE. Go online and look for running bloggers, follow runners on twitter, Join running communities at places like DailyMile and Runners World. Connect, ask questions and join the club.

You are a real runner! Whether it takes you 15 minutes to run that mile or 6 minutes - you are a runner. Don't "weight" to get out there - who cares if you're not the fastest in the pack. Don't think you have to wait to be 20 pounds less to run. You can do it.  Here's a very inspirational story of someone who started at 349 pounds - a guest post on "Runs For Cookies." (Slim Katie has a pretty inspiring story herself.)

As John Bingham says, Whether you are the first or last across a finish line, it's the same finish line!!  Get out there and be proud of you! You have to be your own biggest cheerleader. You are a rockstar. Believe it.

Finally, you might not love it today. You might not love it tomorrow but someday you're going to wake up and crave running. Your life will be changed. You will find fitness, what 'runners high' is all about, confidence and passion. You will find out that you can go further than you thought. You will learn that you're tougher than you ever gave yourself credit for. Your world's of "I cant's will change to I cans."

You will find the indescribable joy of setting goals and accomplishing them. The thrill of the finish line.

I'm so happy for you. Enjoy your journey and see you out there.

"Everyone is an athlete. But some of us are training, and some of us are not." -Dr. George Sheehan

XO
Jen

A tale and some tips from a formerly fat, "I'll never run" chick

So, if the mere thought of running initially gives you hives and you have a pretty good feeling that those in your life will chuckle at the idea of "Who you? Running? Nah... Come on..." then you've come to the right place.

I was in those shoes a year ago at this time. Running seemed so foreign and out of my league that I think I threw down the gauntlet and started telling people that I was going to take up running out of boredom and a need to cause a little stir of shock. Yes. It was actually shocking to my friends, family and most of all me - to say I was going to run and not just run - I was to run a half marathon. I might as well have said I was going to the moon. It was that unbelievable and farfetched.

"Run a Marathon" always found its way onto my lifelong "to do" lists. I'm not sure why. As a former chain smokin', tequila swillin and fast food eatin' mess - I don't think I ever really believed I would run one - it just seemed something to add to the bucket list. But, one day, on a spur of the moment whim (or via demonic possession) I found a half marathon scheduled in May and signed up.  And then I panicked.

What had I just done? RUN 13 MILES? My ADD barely allows me to be comfortable in a car for 13 miles, what the heck was I thinking? It didn't matter what I was thinking - once in, I'm in. So I decided to take it one step at a time. Literally.

My first "training" consisted of running for one minute. And I use the word "running" loosely. I'm pretty sure that three legged turtles could WALK faster than my run but, none-the-less it was "run like" and not easy. I huffed and puffed but I continually found a way to put one foot in front of another. There wasn't always running, sometimes there was lots more walking/crawling/bitching and moaning than running but I stuck in there.

Slow but steadily, I began to see myself get better. Manage a minute longer, go a bit faster, struggle a little less and I began actually enjoying it. 

My 1st half with a nice fellow runner I met along the way

It's almost a year later and here I am - able to run 13 miles without walking - and training to run a full 26.2 in June - (for the record, I've walked during my previous two half's and there's no shame in that) and while my pace is still a little slow for my liking, I think I could take a three legged turtle. So what have I learned? 

1.  Goals + Accountability - The only thing that kept me motivated to do this was that I committed to a huge goal and started telling everyone about it. I started this blog, which made me not only checkin with myself everyday but I knew others were watching. It kept me responsible in those moments of wanting to back out. The race fee was over $100, people had faith in me, I felt a certain (real or imagined) obligation to keep plugging away in those early days.

2. Perseverance - You don't have to run fast, you don't have to run far, you just have to commit to yourself to never give up. My last half I practically crawled the last 3 miles - but I didn't give up. Don't you give up. Weather too bad outside to run? Do you have a friend with a treadmill you could hit up? Or a kitchen table to run around or an old Sweating To the Oldies workout DVD? While those alternative workouts might not quite match - making something happen instead of using it as an excuse to skip a train day, not only works to keep you physically on track but mentally makes you feel accomplished. You've gone from being a victim of things out of your hands to taking control and making it happen - that pays off in ways you can't even describe.

3. Follow a Program - I find I need structure. There are plenty of programs to get a newbie from the couch to the road, not only is it easier to 'lean on' a program to tell you what to do rather than guess - a good program will guide you along at a rate that's not too fast (as to cause injury) or too slow (to stunt your running growth.) There are many great programs out there that can get you going - drop me a note if you'd like suggestions.

4. Birds of a Feather - Most of my friends and family still don't fully get what I'm doing - by reaching out to other runners, mainly through running blogs - I've made some good friends, gotten some excellent tips and have found an amazing community of support, cheerleading and ass kickin' as needed. Without my new found running buds, I don't know how this journey would've panned out but it certainly wouldn't have been as rewarding.

5. You will LOVE it - I was never prepared for the transformation that happened to me. I started doing this for a little weight loss, maybe a little shock value but never did I expect to find a whole new life.  If you hang in there through some of the tough parts, on the other side you'll find that not only does runner's high exist you can expect: a healthier body, a sense of accomplishment, newfound belief in yourself, pride, passion, less depression and a list of a million other life changing things. As someone who has never seen herself as an athlete, this accomplishment has filled a void like nothing else could come close to. Setting small goals and continually crossing mental (and physical finish lines) becomes building blocks of personal growth that you'll never know if you don't try. Small victories - "Wow I ran for 2 straight minutes!" Or the first time you can run a mile - these small but HUGE moments add up to make you different than you were before. Each finish line is a gift, each mile is a lesson learned, each step is a path to this new person, a YOU, you never knew existed. 

So, if you've been sitting on the fence, feeling a little "possessed" to do something crazy and run - I'm going to tell you in the most cliched way I can think of... Just do it. You'll never have a run you regret. You might have to drag yourself out there, you might question your reasons for being out there during the run but after - you'll always feel better than you did before.

XO

Jen

PS: New runners check out RunnersAddict site that invited me to write this New Year's special blog for more tips, motivation and advice from real runners everywhere.