How I Started Runnng iām not entirely sure what made me want to get into running. maybe it was seeing running āinfluencersā online running on trails all over the world, gorgeous scenes in the backdrop. some of them ran through forest trails, some on shorelines, some on winding desert roads. maybe it was seeing how much energy, joy, and focus runners had. maybe it was my desire to make promises to myself and keep themā and a newfound desire to stop playing small with those promises. i was done counting short, leisurely, 5-minute walks around the block as āaccomplishments.ā i was finished patting myself on the back for stretching and drinking 8 glasses of water per day. those things had grounded me in the habit of practicing self care, but they came naturally to me now. it was time for me to feel challenged. yes, reader; i was ready to do something big. something difficult, grueling. something others look at and say, āgod, i could never do thatā instead of āpfft. i could do that.ā running had the added challenge of being a form of exercise iād tried, haphazardly, many a timeā¦ and promptly given up on forever. every time i ran i pushed my limits as though i were in gym class doing the mile run all over again. red in the face, gasping for air, legs feeling like they were made of stone and inches from sitting on the side of the road until i stopped being nauseousā¦. no matter what i did, this was how i ended up. i never built endurance and each run created injury and unnecessary wear and tear. iād found solace in pilates, HIIT, long distance walks/hiking, and incline treadmill walks. these were greatā i figured i was just meant to be a low impact cardio girl. it wasnāt until recently when i saw a social media creator talk about how to pace when you first start outā¦ she said itās all about target heart rate, so your ārunā might be almost as slow as a fast walking pace at first. iād never been exposed to the idea. this same creator also had videos about doing interval running. this appealed to me because it reminded me of HIITā i figured the breaks could be a useful way to dial up the intensity. soā¦ after about 6 months of walking and HIIT, i tried an interval run. itās the same run/walk circuit i posted today. iāve been doing it many times a week. sometimes i make it shorter, sometimes i make it longer, but itās always a minimum of 30 minutes. doing this consistently has actually made running easier for me for the first time in my life. i feel strong, capable, and fast. i am still only at the beginning of my running journey but iām so happy iāve finally found a way to start that really pushes and challenges me without getting me to the point that i get sick or too worn out to recover. iām so excited to be sharing stuff with you guys. i think i might post about my favorite running gear soon. through a lot of trial and error, iāve found some great things that work well for me and solve a lot of common issues i tend to have with activewear and running gear. thanks for reading. let me know if you have any questions. let me know, also, if there are any fellow runners in the replies because ily all xoxo Read more
