I’ve learned a few things over the years about running. Nothing Olympic athlete worthy, but I believe they might be helpful for the runner wanna-be like me.
1. Run so you love it. Sometimes this means walking five minutes and running one. Sometimes this means taking it slow. Let’s face it, I will NEVER win any races. And frankly, I really don’t care to. The goal is to have the physical fitness to do an exercise no matter where I am, who I’m with or how little money I have.
2. Run consistently. I’m not good at this, which is why I’m always starting off slow. :)
3. Buy good shoes. It’s worth the investment and cheaper than a gym membership. It’s important to have your running gait evaluated at some place like Super Jock ‘n Jill or RoadRunner. If you pronate (roll your ankles inward while running) you need a really supportive shoe. If your gait is neutral, buying an overly supportive shoe is just as damaging as too little support. Good shoes are worth the investment. You should replace them every 300 miles or so.
4. Perfect the snot rocket. If you are like me, your nose will run more than a prisoner on a jailbreak.
5. Pretend you are holding batons in your hands OR pretend you are holding a potato chip in between your thumb and finger. The idea is to keep your upper body quiet and avoid swinging your arms in front of your body. By keeping your upper body quiet you save energy for your legs. You also avoid unnecessary twisting which puts stress on your hips.
Try to run like my husband….aka the gazelle. I can only run like him for the first 4 minutes or so and then I spend the rest of the time looking like I’m swatting at bees. Ryan runs beautifully. Granted, he weighs about as much as my right leg. I guess it’s easy to run like a gazelle when you’re packing light.
In case you are confused, I am the one on the right. I know, we look virtually the same.
1. Run so you love it. Sometimes this means walking five minutes and running one. Sometimes this means taking it slow. Let’s face it, I will NEVER win any races. And frankly, I really don’t care to. The goal is to have the physical fitness to do an exercise no matter where I am, who I’m with or how little money I have.
2. Run consistently. I’m not good at this, which is why I’m always starting off slow. :)
3. Buy good shoes. It’s worth the investment and cheaper than a gym membership. It’s important to have your running gait evaluated at some place like Super Jock ‘n Jill or RoadRunner. If you pronate (roll your ankles inward while running) you need a really supportive shoe. If your gait is neutral, buying an overly supportive shoe is just as damaging as too little support. Good shoes are worth the investment. You should replace them every 300 miles or so.
4. Perfect the snot rocket. If you are like me, your nose will run more than a prisoner on a jailbreak.
5. Pretend you are holding batons in your hands OR pretend you are holding a potato chip in between your thumb and finger. The idea is to keep your upper body quiet and avoid swinging your arms in front of your body. By keeping your upper body quiet you save energy for your legs. You also avoid unnecessary twisting which puts stress on your hips.
Try to run like my husband….aka the gazelle. I can only run like him for the first 4 minutes or so and then I spend the rest of the time looking like I’m swatting at bees. Ryan runs beautifully. Granted, he weighs about as much as my right leg. I guess it’s easy to run like a gazelle when you’re packing light.
In case you are confused, I am the one on the right. I know, we look virtually the same.
6. Inhale for three steps and exhale for two. When you exhale while running you land harder on the first step. Alternating your breaths will alternate the pressure on each leg. This helps to prevent hip or knee injuries. It takes some practice, but over time it becomes natural.
7. Stretch on a regular basis. It also helps to prevent injury.
8. Do a body scan while running. When I’m tired and want to quit (which happens quite often) I do a body scan. How do my legs feel? Good. How is my breathing? Fair. Okay…I can keep going and don’t need to stop.
Always remember….YOUR MIND QUITS BEFORE YOUR BODY DOES. Often times, I have to tell my brain to ‘SHUT UP!’ It listens about as well as my kids do.
9. Maintain a variety of entertainment on your iPod, iPhone or Walkman (if you're over the age of 80). Sometimes I feel like listening to podcasts. Sometimes I feel like listening to an audio book. Most of the time I listen to my hip-hop, foul-mouthed playlist.
10. Waist bands are the best. With a waist band you don’t have to buy a new phone holder every time you upgrade. My waist band stretches around any size phone, my keys, some cash and a maybe a small snack like Sports Beans, Chomps, etc. I’d love one that held a burger and fries; especially if it kept the food warm, but I don’t think Shark Tank has invested in anything like that as of yet.
11. Earbuds rock! I love my earbuds. They are the only headphones that don’t fall out of my ears.
12. A minute can be a long time. If you don't think a minute is a long stretch of time, you should try running on a treadmill.
13. It’s better to run on an empty stomach than a full one…Unless, of course, you like the feeling of a heavy stomach and/or tasting your last meal for the entirety of the run.
14. Only purchase padded sports bras. Today I returned from my run and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I’m so thankful my neighbors did not come too close or one of my girls could have poked their eyes out.
15. Every serious runner has crapped their pants at least once. By those standards, I will admit, I’m not yet a serious runner (in case there was any question.)
I may or may not let you know if/when that status changes.
7. Stretch on a regular basis. It also helps to prevent injury.
8. Do a body scan while running. When I’m tired and want to quit (which happens quite often) I do a body scan. How do my legs feel? Good. How is my breathing? Fair. Okay…I can keep going and don’t need to stop.
Always remember….YOUR MIND QUITS BEFORE YOUR BODY DOES. Often times, I have to tell my brain to ‘SHUT UP!’ It listens about as well as my kids do.
9. Maintain a variety of entertainment on your iPod, iPhone or Walkman (if you're over the age of 80). Sometimes I feel like listening to podcasts. Sometimes I feel like listening to an audio book. Most of the time I listen to my hip-hop, foul-mouthed playlist.
10. Waist bands are the best. With a waist band you don’t have to buy a new phone holder every time you upgrade. My waist band stretches around any size phone, my keys, some cash and a maybe a small snack like Sports Beans, Chomps, etc. I’d love one that held a burger and fries; especially if it kept the food warm, but I don’t think Shark Tank has invested in anything like that as of yet.
11. Earbuds rock! I love my earbuds. They are the only headphones that don’t fall out of my ears.
12. A minute can be a long time. If you don't think a minute is a long stretch of time, you should try running on a treadmill.
13. It’s better to run on an empty stomach than a full one…Unless, of course, you like the feeling of a heavy stomach and/or tasting your last meal for the entirety of the run.
14. Only purchase padded sports bras. Today I returned from my run and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I’m so thankful my neighbors did not come too close or one of my girls could have poked their eyes out.
15. Every serious runner has crapped their pants at least once. By those standards, I will admit, I’m not yet a serious runner (in case there was any question.)
I may or may not let you know if/when that status changes.
RSS Feed