Oct 26, 2012

Running Series - My Story

*Image borrowed from gorunstayfit.co

This post will begin my Running Series. 
I get so many messages questioning my running routine. How do you run? How often? How fast? When do you find the time? What do you need? How do you start?

I will try and answer all these questions over the duration of this series. 

Keep in mind I am not a professional runner. My running education stems from my own personal research and trial and error. It's what works for ME, it might not be for everyone. This series will be just some ideas for you to keep in your mind. 

I started running at the age of 18. Before then I actively avoided being outside at all. Sweat was not something that was in my teenage vocabulary. I danced ballet and tap growing up and loved that. But the idea of "working out" was lost on me. Of course I was a teenager with a great metabolism who could eat a Twinkie and drink a coke for lunch every day. I avoided gym class like the plague, there was always some reason that I could not participate. Sadly, if I had actually tried I might have known early that I had a love for running. I probably would have run track in high school. I also would have had a gym teacher or coach who would have laid he groundwork of guidance for a good running foundation. 

My dad was a runner. He was in great shape and he found the time to run when we were very little. He would run with some kid's down the street at our local park. One of those kid's would be my future husband. I remember seeing my dad in his super cool running short shorts and those super cool two stripe knee length tube socks. It was the 80s.  

At 18 my future husband and I dated for the first time. LOL, that sounds funny. Yes the first time. He was a runner and I started to tag along. I took my dad's running partner (my husband is older than me, not the same age as my dad mind you.)  I could not even run ten feet. He would run the entire track at the park four or five times. I had no idea what a mile was. Slowly he coached me on pace, breathing, stride, he taught me how to run. Now we broke up for some years. Hey, I was 18. But I knew even then that he was the man I would marry. I needed to grow up though. 

I kept running. Nothing great or anything. Just building on what he taught me. I started to be able to run half of the track, then slowly the entire track and then two times around the track. Little by little I built up my distance and worked on my speed. At 22 I dated my husband for the second time and we were married by the time I was 23. Working out together was just something we did daily. 

I had my daughter when I was 25. THAT is when I went into workout overdrive. I had baby weight to get rid of. Running did that for me. I started to notice my leg tone change, my quads popped, my calves slimmed down. I started to feel strong. I equate feeling strong with both becoming a mother and knowing what I am capable of as a human being and real physical strength. 


*Image is borrowed from ifitshereitship.blogspot.com

Then right before I got pregnant with my son at the age of 28 my running stamina went through the roof and peaked again after my son's birth when I was losing the baby weight again. Since then and right now I am on fire!! I also do Turbofire by Beachbody to cross train. 

I just run. I love it. My energy throughout the day is awesome.  I can keep up with my kids. It gives me a high and it keeps me in shape. It gives me great looking legs, keeps my belly flat and I can eat whatever I want too if I run. That's the bottom line. 

I have always been more concerned about being physically fit and feeling strong than with actual weight. I feel that if you try to become your strongest and fittest weight falls off as a factor. 

As for finding time, 

I MAKE it. One of Chalene's sayings in the Turbofire videos is about making a date with yourself. This is so true. Schedule it. Tell yourself that you are going to work out that day and do it. I workout at home while my kid's play. I run outside or on my treadmill. You do not need a gym to work out. I am fortunate enough to have a treadmill, but you can easily just open your front door or go to the local park and run. 

In fact I would waste more time going to a gym - making sure my kid's are watched, getting in and out of the car, driving to the gym, collecting my kid's - than I do just working out at home. AND I can have dinner in the oven or slightly cooking the entire time. Plus a load of laundry going and my daughter doing her homework. Multi tasking all while working out. 

Now there are a lot of components to running and I will touch on those in the upcoming posts. For now get yourself ready and empowered. Decide that you want to make a change and become the best you that you can be. It is easy to sit around and think about doing it. Get up and actually do it. You will grow to LOVE it!! 

Do it for yourself. 

You are worth it.

You will feel amazing, I promise!!

P.S. To quote one of my favorite movies, Legally Blonde:
 "Exercise gives you endorphins--endorphins make people happy and happy people just don't shoot their husbands... they just don't."

XX ~ E 

This is my part 1. Part 2 - Getting Clearance.




3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the inspiration! I would love to begin running!

    ReplyDelete
  2. WOW! You make it sound so easy... I have a hard time starting things; but once I get going. I'm going to try to take what you've written and just get moving.

    ReplyDelete

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