Some people think that being a runner is in your genetic make-up, but this is not true! I was definitely no runner when I started out. I took it one day at a time and set small goals for myself. My first goal was to be able to run one mile without stopping. The trick was that I would run and if I felt winded, or tired, I wouldn't walk, rather I would take it to an extremely slow jog. Once I caught my breath, I would pick up the pace again. The key is to not walk when your tired or else you will never train your body to run without stopping. When you do slow down your pace to a very light jog you want to take in nice, deep breaths. In through your nose... out through your mouth. Breathing properly is extremely important!!! Although we breathe without thinking, breathing the "correct" way takes effort and doesn't come naturally for most people. So starting out you want to
1. Run at a comfortable pace
2. When you feel tired, take it down to a slow jog
3. Make sure you are always breathing in through your nose, out through your mouth! Nice, deep breaths
4. Pick your pace back up
I did this until I hit the one mile goal. After my goal of a mile, I made a two mile goal and so on. Once I was able to run 3-4 miles without stopping I started to truly feel like a runner. I didn't need to take the breaks of going into a really slow jog, I could just keep running until my goal was met. The first ever group run I participated in was the Big House Big Heart 6k on 10/04/09 in Ann Arbor, Mi. My time was 1:03:15.4 I started running in October of 2008. After one year I ran my first 10k in a little over an hour! I was very proud of myself, needless to say. Today I run full marathons and I run about 5-6 days a week. With patience comes progress and results!
1. Run at a comfortable pace
2. When you feel tired, take it down to a slow jog
3. Make sure you are always breathing in through your nose, out through your mouth! Nice, deep breaths
4. Pick your pace back up
I did this until I hit the one mile goal. After my goal of a mile, I made a two mile goal and so on. Once I was able to run 3-4 miles without stopping I started to truly feel like a runner. I didn't need to take the breaks of going into a really slow jog, I could just keep running until my goal was met. The first ever group run I participated in was the Big House Big Heart 6k on 10/04/09 in Ann Arbor, Mi. My time was 1:03:15.4 I started running in October of 2008. After one year I ran my first 10k in a little over an hour! I was very proud of myself, needless to say. Today I run full marathons and I run about 5-6 days a week. With patience comes progress and results!
I love that you are blogging about this! Where do you run around Ann Arbor? I'm kind of a beginner runner, I was doing really during the summer, I did do a 10k recently but totally fell off of it, trying to get back on track now. I want to do a half marathon in April but have no idea where to go for a good run!
ReplyDeleteVanessa, that's awesome that you've already completed a 10k! My first run was a 10k and my second was a half-marathon. I'm sure you're going to do great just make sure you keep up with your running throughout the week:)
DeleteI run all over the Ann Arbor/Ypsi area. If you are familiar with the area then you can choose a start point (I usually start at WCC gym or Starbucks) and then run down the roads that will take you in a circle back to your start point. It's best to use an app or any device that will track your run so you start to learn the distances of each route. I am always looking for new routes because it's nice to change the scenery so I experiment going up and down different roads. You can also drive around a route that you're thinking of running and you can map the distance and visualize where you will be running.
There are also a lot of parks in the area that have trails such as Washtenaw County Farm park, the Arboretum, and Gallup. These parks have maps at their entrances so you can see the trail/s and the distance of each.
I hope this helps! Good luck running!
I didn't think about driving a route first. Thanks for the advice!
ReplyDeleteAssalamu alaikum sis, I just discovered your page, I am NOT a runner but I recently took running so I can do the half marathon end of this year inshAllah, I am very fit and workout 6-7 days a week, do mix of cardio and strength training and run on Sundays and Monday 3 miles each day. What advice would you give to someone like myself? I do 10 mins a mile but there are days when it takes me longer than 10 mins. Any advice would be greatly appreciated :).
ReplyDelete