What is the point where you can officially call yourself a "runner?"
Is it your first blister? Your first "run" where you actually maintain a jogging pace the entire time (rather than break into walking here and there)? The first time you run somewhere that seems far away in day-to-day life?
Thanks in part to my college friend who is, as I put it, a "real-sized runner" like me; to the inspiration of friends on Strava, the tool I use to track my runs and bike rides; and to the thought of my grandma and my aunt, outdoor enthusiasts who are dear to me but far away for different reasons, I've been running more and more frequently. And this weekend, after running to the Golden Gate Bridge with nothing but my own two feet, I think I'm calling it: I'm a runner.
(Sure, I planned ahead of time to run one way and take the bus home. But that just gives me a goal to work towards!)
I'm having a lot of fun using Strava because it "gamifies" the act of running and helps me compare my own run times, monitors my heart rate, helps me set goals, shows me how I'm doing against other people who have run the same places, and so on.
As I see it, running is 3 things (and I'm still working on the first): consistency, technique, and diet. At this point, just setting a goal of 5 miles a week is enough to get me pounding pavement. But I have flat duck feet and I'm awful at stretching, so soon enough, I'll have to consider my gear and my non-running habits, lest my already-bad knees go kablooey.
Do you run? If so, do you use a tracker or other tool? What are your running / stretching / other habits? I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments!
11 comments:
Tight hips, bad knees, flat feet...no running for me.
i'm thinking about running...does that count? i've told a friend who happens to be a personal trainer that I want to train to run a 5k in Sept in San Luis Obispo (less hills than SF...) So she took me seriously and is making me record my exercise in a journal. my man-in-plaid (who was born running) says that it will be a very short journal. must get walking..
You can do it, Sue! If running pyschs you out, consider walking -- maybe even walking the 5K! Moving around in whatever way you can is key. Once you're consistently walking, you might find that the idea of running is more approachable.
I hear you on all 3 of those. I have Superfeet for my running shoes because of my flat feet, and I have to constantly stretch or else my hips, knees and back get out of whack. My current frustration is how quickly my hamstrings and quads (front and back of my upper legs) get tight!
I have superfeet inserts that I wear almost every day :) And GIRL you are speaking my language with the quads/hamstrings/hips being tight all the time. What kind of stretches do you like? I am just basically terrible at remembering/making time to stretch.
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do you have any tips for sore heels, and bad knees like arithritis,and didn't used to have flat feet. Now I do, it is quite painful.
Hmm ... not sure what you should consider for sore heels, perhaps socks with extra cushion? As for knees, I'm not familiar with what to do for arthritis, but I know I must stretch often or else my knees get painful. My knees, upper legs, hips, and lower back are all part of the same ecosystem and if one is tense or tight, they all are painful.
I like pigeon stretch, lying on my back and making a "4" with my legs, and sitting cross-legged. All good for my hips and upper legs. And for more, here's a photo of my friend & yoga teacher Annemaria doing a bunch of relevant-to-us stretches: http://ilovenamaste.com/yoga/happy-back-yoga-sequence
Thanks for the tip, I might put support in my heels, and maybe i try running
and see where that takes me. It might be fun>>>
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