A year of running

About a year ago I first put on my Nike running shoes with Nike+ adapter for iPod and went running. While this was not my first run of the summer, I can say right now that buying proper running shoes and that 30 dollar gadget was probably the biggest reason why I managed to properly start and continue running thought the year.

The way I remember starting to run it’s pretty simple: it hurts. A lot. You run a bit, you walk and you wonder why are even doing this. But with every day, you can run a bit farther and soon you can run 3km at slow pace, yet without stopping! And the feeling is incredible enough that you keep returning to that field and you continue running.

After a while, I figured out that I actually feel refreshed and full of energy after a good run. So as the summer ended, I did more night runs on the street and in the light rain and it still felt great. With it, came also the many benefits of regular running, which was that I felt much better and that I kept a better look at the way I eat as I couldn’t compensate heavy food with coffee anymore. No matter how much you try, you can’t go running for hours after a pizza and if you do, it’s a really bad experience.

Being able to run, I noticed two interesting things on totally different levels:

• There are runners everywhere and they love to talk about running, go to running events and even organize them. If after saying that you work “with teh Internets”, you get a blank look or one of the “oh, yet another geek”, just mention that you’re also a runner and you’ve probably made a new friend. Arrange a running date you’re all set.
• It really takes a few months for the body to change to accommodate for the running. When you read all those training guides that start with “only try this after 6+ months of running”, they actually mean it. Body does change and it gets easier with every month.

On the topic of running community. I’ve been lucky to be accepted into the Koornk running group from my beginnings, and even though I’m not a very active member, they’re are a great support group and I really enjoyed the times I actually went to events with them. Big thanks guys and girls!

There are a couple of lessons I learned in the process:

• Having a regular rhythm that has a time slot for running is the easiest way to ensure that you go running. Having said that, just traveling around with your running shoes in the suitcase, is also rewarding enough.
• While the distance and speed are important, it’s mostly about going out, enjoying your run and having some quality time for yourself.
• Running is the best place to discover new things in your neighborhood and get a feeling for the place as you move somewhere.

A few things I’d like to work on in my next year of running:

• Being more social in running. Learning how to run in pairs and groups and going to more events. While I truly enjoy running alone, I’m sure there’s an additional perspective to running in a group.
• Extend my regular running distance to ~10km per run. I’m at about 5-6km at the moment and I feel I can make some progress in this regard.
• Get some proper running training, to see if I’m running correctly and to ensure I don’t get hurt in the future.

There’s also an idea of running a half-marathon and a full marathon sometime in the future, but it’s not an important goal as I’d much rather just enjoy running for now.