I never ran under a coach. Never. Well, unless you count when I “ran” the mile in PE and the coach was yelling at me the whole time to stop walking and chatting with my friends and finish already. But that was, truly, the extent of my running supervision. I hated running, I hated sweating (unless it was in a dance studio – not sure why that was different) and was THAT girl that all the runners find incredibly annoying. The whiny one who would much rather have been reading a book in the library then out on a dusty track or kicking a ball.

I went from a non-athlete to this person. She’s not the fastest or the best but she’s STRONG and I like her!

I honestly wish I could go back and give my younger athlete a chance. Because now I really like running, and I even really like the occasional sand volleyball game. So I might have actually been good at it.

But like a lot of teenagers, I hid the fact that I was sure I’d suck behind an attitude that said “what a horrible way to spend your time.”

So the irony of now being a 3 time marathoner, maintaining a blog about running and enjoying reading books like Marathon Woman, Running and Being and The Complete Book of Running is not lost on me. Not even a little bit. But the down side has been that, in the beginning, my coach was the internet. Although she has mostly been beneficial, she’s a little all over the place, contradicts herself quite a bit, and refuses to give specific advice. Oh, and she does quite a bit of hating of which I am not a fan.

I was left to my own devices and was confused quite a bit on what to do. So here we go – the top five things I wish someone had told me when I first started running:

1. When you first start, run as slow as you can. And then slow down a little bit more. Those first few running sessions (maybe the first few dozen) were relatively miserable. I’m actually not completely sure how I kept doing it other than I felt great afterwards, but the DURING was miserable. Finally I came across a Jeff Galloway book and although I didn’t do intervals I did follow his advice about going very very slowly at first to build up stamina. Once I slowed down, I found I enjoyed it quite a bit. Remember, you’re not doing this to impress anyone. You’re doing it for YOU. So let the other runners pass you and don’t think anything of it. Every runner starts somewhere and while you think they may be thinking “wow, she’s slow” what they’re really thinking is “wow, it’s so great to see somebody else out running.” End of sentence. Runners are an amazingly welcoming and kind group of people and we are all FOR each other. The gazelles and the turtles, the elites and the first timers, we are all in it together. It may be my favorite thing about the sport. And remember my favorite running saying “no matter how slow you are, you’re still lapping everybody on the couch.”
2. Don’t worry about what you look like. Again, other runners are not noticing your clothing, your compression shorts, or your mismatched socks. And they’re not judging you because of your wonky running style or your frequent walk breaks. Nobody cares. Get over it. I talk to people all the time who won’t go out IN THEIR OWN NEIGHBORHOODS and run because they are worried about what they look like. To be blunt? What will you look like in a hospital bed if you don’t take care of yourself? I’d rather look a little foolish now and be healthy and strong and there for my grandchildren. Get over it.
3. If you don’t put you on the calendar, it won’t happen. This is particularly true in our technology crazed, over-worked, over stimulated culture. There will always be something that feels more urgent then taking care of yourself. You MUST make it a priority or it won’t happen. Plain and simple. Get up at 5 if you have to, but make it happen.
4. Make running friends as soon as possible. They say runners are either dog runners (like to run in packs) or cat runners (like to run alone) and I’m kind of a hybrid. But even if you enjoy running alone (which is all I do in training) you need a network of folks who can encourage you, support you, and tell you when there’s a sale on running bras at REI. My running friends (most of whom I met online by the way) are a huge source of laughter and encouragement. I would have given up long ago if not for them. You can come join us on the FB page if you’re looking for instant community – we’d love to help, encourage and cheer you on!!
5. KEEP MOVING FORWARD. My Disney friends will appreciate this as it’s a very famous Walt Disney quote (and used quite liberally in Meet The Robinsons which I watched last night;). You are going to make mistakes, you are going to get sick or injured, your kids are going to get sick and derail you, your work is going to get stressful and get you off track . . . you name it, it will happen. Sometimes seemingly all in the same week! But never mind that. Just keep moving forward. Resilience is my favorite human characteristic and we are tough. Way tougher than we give ourselves credit for. So figure out how to keep moving forward and NEVER beat yourself up for a setback. Anybody who has been running for longer than 6 months (including the gold medalists and the Kenyans) has had a set back or 20;). What distinguishes good runners from lifetime runners is the ability to re-route, reconfigure and keep going when it seems impossible.

Go look in the mirror right now and look at that fabulous, miraculous body that God gave you. First, say thank you. And then figure out how you’re going to take care of it. Because it’s the only one you get on this earth and you’re the ONLY one who can decide if you will take the first step out the door to health.

Happy Running!!

Jen