Do you think you could run a half marathon? HA, me neither; except for the fact that I did. Whenever I hear someone comment, “My body isn’t built to run,” I think, “Well, duh, but you can build it to.” If you have two legs and don’t have any diagnosed muscle disabilities, you can learn to run. Running is something that involves the right mentality, lifestyle, and values, and it is so worth it.
I was on the dance team in high school and we were strongly discouraged to run. The art of dancing and the art of running use two different muscle groups, so running would have degraded my dancer muscles. Think about it: if you were shown two different legs, you could easily pick out which one is the dancer and which one is the runner. Runners have much leaner looking muscles while dancers have tight and compact leg muscles. Anyways, my point is that my muscles were always meant to dance, not to run.
When I came to college, I stopped dancing. I figured that I would be way too busy injecting IVs to be doing pirouettes. I decided that since I was done with dancing, I would pick up running. I feel like I wanted to teach my body how to run just because my dance instructors forbade me to do it. What makes you want to do something more than someone telling you that you can’t do it? All I knew about running was that I had a lot of work to do.
The best way to start running is to just dive into it; you have to accept the challenge and throw yourself into the unknown. I didn’t know proper running technique, so I just kind of did what seemed right and what my body was capable of. Of course I started off slow, maybe running/walking about 2 miles a day, but I stuck with it and got better. I bought myself a sweet Nike armband that could hold my phone while I listened to some upbeat, inspirational music, which really helped me get lost in the art of running.
I wasn’t even trying to train for anything; I was just falling in love with running. But soon enough, I was running 2 miles consistently, then 4 miles, then 6 miles and so on. About a couple of months into my new relationship with running, one of my friends asked, “Want to run a half marathon with me?” At this point I was running 10 miles just for fun, so I told her, “Why the hell not?” and decided to splurge $50 to do something that would empower me for the rest of my life AND get me a t-shirt.
The most important concept that I have for running, or really any kind of exercising that you engage in, is to listen to your body. Taking rest days is essential for allowing time for your muscles to break down and repair. You cannot run every single day and expect to get better. A cool acronym that I found on Pinterest (sue me) is K.I.S.S., which stands for “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” If you overthink running, you will only get stuck. There is no such thing as perfect running time, pace, stride, etc. Don’t try to perfect your runs; rather, try to perfect your relationship with running. Trust me, you will be so much happier with yourself when you realize that your attitude towards running is a lot more important than your performance.
Honestly, I am a terrible runner. My friends make fun of me when they see pictures of me running marathons, 5ks, etc. But the important thing to me is that I love running and that I am able to acquire the benefits of it. When I am running in my free time, I notice that my entire day is better and that I am able to clear my mind, have a better mood and concentrate more. Running has become a lifestyle, not a workout.
With dedication, the right attitude and some free time, you can also engage in this lifestyle and participate in a better life. Don’t wait for your next year’s resolution, do it tomorrow. The sooner you start, the faster you will start living a healthier and more rewarding life.
