National Running Day is a national initiative of the major organizations within the running industry to join forces in an unprecedented unified effort to nationally promote running as a healthy, easy, and accessible form of exercise. The second annual National Running Day will be Wednesday, June 2.
Events are being held throughout the US, so click here to find an event near you.
I'm a runner. Up until about 4 years ago, I never thought I would be. Running was something that they made us do every year for the President's Fitness Tests and I hated it.
Then, I had a meeting with a personal trainer and she mentioned that it really would be a good way for me to lose weight and increase my fitness. She mentioned trying to take it slow - run a minute, walk a minute, run a minute, walk a minute. It sounded crazy, but I gave it a try. It worked. It was hard, the minute running felt endless, but eventually I was running for 30 minutes or more. The fitness came pretty quickly - my brain might question every run, might say, "Hey, I don't really want to do this," but my body loves it.
I have found that I do better when I break my run into smaller increments, loops around an area that is smallish. Or I make it seem like play - run in the rain, run down a hill - anything that reminds me of being a kid and running while playing tag or hide & go seek.
I've gone through some running breaks over the years. I let emotional hurdles and my schedule get in the way, but really those are the times when I actually could use a run the most. I'm recently back, after a longish break, and in less than 2 months I've lost 20 lbs, so I'm a firm believer in how running can transform my body. It doesn't have to be fast running. I'm slloooooow, but steady. I have a set mileage amount and every week I carve out those miles and log them in at Daily Mile.com. (Had to take a break when I was sick - yesterday was my first day running again). My goal is 20 miles a week.
If you'd like to find a good running program for beginners, the internet is full of them. I say read about a plan and then adapt it to something that will work for you. That's the only way you are going to be able to make running a permanent part of your life. Here are a few things that I've found to help me:
*Wear a very supportive bra. I wear two, because I'm a busty girl. I cannot relax and have a good run if I'm focusing on uncomfortable bounce.
*Get your hair off your neck, if possible. I have to have a ponytail. Running is hard work and if you get too hot, you are going to want to cut your run short. If you hair is short, then tuck it up in a light cap.
*Get a good pair of running shoes. If you have a local Fleet Feet, go in an have them help you. They will look at your stride, your gait, and then suggest your perfect shoe. If you run for any length of time you will get blisters. Good-fitting shoes are the best defense against blisters.
*Keep track of your mileage. I used to use a notebook, but now I use DailyMile.com. It's a bit like Facebook for runners. You can build a community of friends, support each other, post pictures. Really a fun tool.
*Find a local running event and use that as a training goal. Many communities have periodic 5Ks or 10K, even half marathons.
Training for a 5K is really pretty easy and when you are done, you've got both bragging rights and a cool t-shirt. This is a great way to get kids involved in exercise, too. My youngest daughter and I have run a bunch of events together - the annual Run For Hunger (Chico, CA Jesus Center event to raise money for the homeless, run on Thanksgiving) and a run for our local Humane Society are only a couple. The run for the Humane Society was especially fun for my daughter because we got to borrow a dog for the run. You can see Sarah running with her new friend, Darla, below.
Happy National Running Day to you!!
Image credit: Michelle Hamor Smith,
No comments:
Post a Comment