Being an old, new runner; basically starting from scratch, I'm reading a lot of running blogs. When I was running 10 years ago I didn't read any blogs at all and I don't really know if they even existed.
These blogs are good and bad. There is a ton of knowledge to be learned as it is so generously shared by great runners. But the flip-side is that there isn't always an abundance of beginning running info unless you want to go digging into archives and even then it isn't always there.
So here's what I'm learning as a new runner:
- Running is hard. If it wasn't, I suppose everyone would be doing it.
- Your legs are going to burn. My calves catch on fire as my runs progress.
- It's OK that your legs burn. There's a difference between pain from an injury and your muscles getting a workout.
- Rest days are really important; especially in the beginning. That's the time when your muscle fibers knit themselves back together which makes them stronger and in turn makes your next run a tiny bit easier.
- There's plenty of time for building up to running everyday. This was my biggest mistake when I was running 10 years ago and probably why I dealt with injuries.
- Yoga and stretching are really important. So are weights and cross training. Skipping these were other mistakes I made 10 years ago.
- There is nothing wrong with going slow. There's always time for going faster. But if you get hurt from too much/too fast, you definitely won't be going faster for awhile.
I'm moving on to week 4 of my 10k Runner program. It's going well! I've gotten nervous about a few of the workouts but each time I've done just fine. I'm quickly becoming a big believer in this program. Tomorrow I begin the workouts where there is more running than walking. In a way that's scary but most of the time I'm excited to see what I can do.
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