Start Me Up

This article originally appeared in the March 2010 issue of Northwest Runner.

I’m standing in the rain in front of my house getting ready to set out on a nice five mile run around the neighborhood. I’ve laced and re-laced by shoes a few times. I have spent a few minutes fiddling with my GPS watch. Haven’t moved a step. It isn’t until Nosy Neighbor starts staring at me from his front porch that I finally push “Start” on the watch and shuffle my feet on down the road.

For me, running gets more enjoyable as the miles disappear behind me. Once I get going, no problem.  And that got me thinking about the topic for this month’s edition of “Real Running.” Why not start at the obvious place? Getting started.

Starting from Scratch
For those of you wanting to start running for the first time, there are some absolute rules for you to follow.

1.     Reconsider your decision to start running. You’re about to start something you might not be able to stop. Give it some serious thought. If after some deliberation you are still committed to becoming a runner, move on to #2.

2.     Start SLOWLY. Your first run should be less than two miles and it should feel like you are going too slow. Kids with training wheel bikes should pass you. Sure, you can probably run faster and farther than that. But don’t. If you go out and run to exhaustion on day one, no part of your body is going to be happy lacing up the shoes and going out again the next day. And the next day you should run just a little farther.

3.     Track every step. This is something I learned when I took up (and quickly abandoned) golf in college. The best thing you can do when you start is to count every stroke. You’re going to post a high score, but you can only improve from there. Your first runs should be slow and short so you have a chance of improving as you go.

4.     Just run. If you’re just starting out, don’t forget that running is a very simple endeavor. You don’t need a complicated plan or calendar. Just put on some shoes and run somewhere.

Starting a Race Plan
Some people actually run “just for fun.” Honest. But training for a race might be the ultimate motivator to get started and to keep going.

I paid for a training plan from a well-known running coach when I was preparing for my second marathon. When I opened the file and started reading my eyes went crossed and I started getting the same nervous shakes I used to have before my statistics finals. So complex! According to this plan, I had to give up my job and my girlfriend in favor of training for a marathon that I merely hoped to finish, not compete in.

After training for five marathons with varying degrees of success I have developed Greg’s Commonsense Race Training Plan. It works for any distance and you can keep your $30 to spend on beer after the race. I’ll meet you at the bar.

1.     Run consistently. Never take more than one day off in a row.

2.     Mix it up. Do at least one “long run” a week and get one true rest day a week. Run slow sometimes. Run at your planned race pace once a week.

3.     Don’t get hurt. This means don’t push it. There is no reason to run race distance and race pace at the same time in your training. (I am terrible at this, by the way, and almost always hit the starting line with a nagging injury.)

4.     Have fun. I mean, come on. Are you really going to win? Set a realistic goal, train with it in mind, and enjoy yourself. Don’t make this into work. If you can’t smile while you’re running, you are working too hard.

Starting a Run

The warm-up phase of a run is the worst. If it’s actually cold out, it is even worse than that. I’m weak-minded enough that I can talk myself out of running before I ever take a step, so I’m not a great role model here. I do know one thing that works well for me:

Public shaming. I find that if I post “going for a run!” on my Twitter or Facebook pages, I am pretty much committed to it at that point, because someone is going to ask how it went.

Which reminds me, you can follow me on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/realrunning

Don’t forget to bookmark this blog, which will feature expanded versions of my monthly columns and weekly updates as well.