My relationship with running is complicated. I really hate running when I'm not running, but once I'm outside running with the fresh air and shining sun, it's amazing. Last December, I forced myself to sign up for the Statesman 10K and challenged myself to train for the event. At the time when I started, I was used to running around two miles and somehow had to increase my endurance and length of running by four more miles. Although the entire process was long, tedious and annoying at times, I love that I made myself do this and feel like I really accomplished something amazing. Here are the top 10 things that really helped me and made the entire experience so much easier.
1. Do this for the right reasons.
Running a 10K for the average human is no joke. It takes many hours of running, cross training and preparing yourself for the race day. Don't do this because you want to impress someone else, do this because you want to accomplish something. Although at first I thought of signing up because two of my friends signed up and I had major FOMO, I decided to sign up for the Statesman 10K because my 20th birthday was three days before the race day and this was something that I've always wanted to achieve. I did this as a birthday gift to myself, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do this before (or a couple of days after) I turned 20.
2. Have a good support system of friends and family.
Guys, this is probably one of the most important tips in this list. I'm not saying that the others aren't important, but this is definitely the most impactful and influential. I trained for this 10K with three of my best friends. We supported each other throughout the entire process. Even if you want to do this alone, tell your friends and family about this so that they can encourage you and cheer you on throughout the process. My parents were so supportive and encouraging, and my roommates would always make sure that I ran on long run days. Having a really supportive environment is absolutely key, and will definitely make the process a whole lot easier and fun.
3. There are a ton of amazing free resources out there to help you.
If you look on the Apple or Google app store and search "running," I guarantee you dozens of free apps will pop up in seconds to make the process a whole lot easier. I used the Nike running app, which is awesome because it tracks your heart rate, speed, distance, time and other useful things. It even has a wonderful two-month training program for anyone who wants to run a 10K, and has programs for 5Ks, half-marathons and full marathons. I was training on my own before a friend of mine showed me this feature on the app, and after I started with the Nike training program, my time, endurance and motivation improved dramatically. The way the app is set up allows for the whole training process to be really engaging. I'm the type of person who gets bored for something very easily, so this was really cool because there is a lot of variety in the program so that you lose focus.
4. Give yourself little rewards along the way.
I'm not saying a new pair of shoes every week (that would be nice, though), but small little rewards to encourage you to keep training. For me, as a frugal college student, I mainly rewarded myself with little experiences or dedicating time to things I wanted to do for myself. Common rewards were usually letting myself watch movies I had really wanted to watch, trying out a new recipe (because I love to cook) or setting aside time to learn (or try to learn) certain YouTube dance routines that I had wanted to learn for a long time. Even when you're in college and have no money, there are still so many ways you can reward yourself for your progress without breaking the bank.
5. Don't beat yourself up for missing a day or two.
Life happens, friends. Somedays you have two exams on one day and the last thing you want to do when you get home is go on a 4.5 mile run (true story). You deserve a break every now and then, so don't beat yourself up or get discouraged for missing one or two days. That being said, make sure that you never lose focus and motivation.
6. At the same time, never miss a Monday.
Monday is the day that sets the mood and attitude for the rest of the week. Never miss running on a Monday, because then the laziness exponentially gets larger as you go through the week and you've skipped a Monday.
7. Always run outside.
Nature is wonderful. It's great. And I can't explain the impact running outside in the sun with dogs and birds and the fresh air did to me. It's extremely motivating, and no treadmill experience will ever compare to that. Find a good trail in your area if you don't want to run on the road and run in that area. For me, I live two minutes away from a nice trail with a little lake and dog park, so when I would run, I would run to the trail and train over there. It was really nice and I enjoyed it. If you want to add more variety, you can visit a different trail each week. Speaking from experience, it was the running on the roads and trails that really helped when it came to race day. No amount of treadmill incline can compare to running up a hill on the side of the road.
8. Always stretch before and after.
I am probably one of the laziest runners you will ever meet. Whenever I would come home from long runs, I would be so exhausted that the last thing I would want to do is stretch. But the times I did stretch, my muscles felt a lot better after, and I would generally be in a better mood because I wasn't as sore. Stretching definitely helps and the power of stretching is often times overlooked.
9. The day of, wear something that makes you feel confident.
Confident does a lot to anyone. It's like how we're told to dress for success on the day of the race, wear something that makes you feel beautiful and confident. It's a really little thing that has a huge impact on how your race will turn out.
10. Never give up.
This last one is cheesy, stupid and just plain common sense, but never, never, never give up. There are so many times during this whole process and during race day that I wanted to just quit. The race path went through some residential areas, and I remember thinking what would happen if I took a detour and ran back to my car. Finishing the race was definitely worth it though. The sense of accomplishment you get when you're done is absolutely amazing, and can't be mirrored with anything else. Make sure you never give up, because the reward for finishing what you started is amazing.
I wanted to give one more shout out to my amazing family, roommates and of course my wonderful friends for being with me throughout this whole process. I love y'all so much and can't wait to do our next 10K! Also a big thanks to all the volunteers that helped out with the event. It's the small things like handing out water and smiling while encouraging us that had the biggest impact on race day.
