Getting Started

In June of 2010, I decided to make a life-changing decision.  Aside from the occasional leisurely walk with my family, I was getting no exercise whatsoever.  I woke up one morning and decided that I was going to start running.  Yes, me, the person who had never run more than a mile in her life.  I was planning to get healthy and I was pumped!    

I knew that the first thing I needed to do was buy a pair of good running shoes.  I started researching various brands and styles.  Neutral?  Stability?  8mm drop?  12mm drop?  What the heck does that mean?  I definitely needed a crash course in running shoe jargon.  I visited the local running store for advice and to get “fitted.”  They watched me walk and informed me that a neutral shoe would work best for me.  I was a little nervous, being amongst such “elite” runners.  Yikes… so many shoes to choose from!  I thanked them politely and went on my way.  I went straight to the local sporting goods store and picked up my first pair of running shoes.

For my first attempt at a run, I decided to keep it simple.  I planned out a route through my neighborhood that was about a mile and a half long.  I started out slowly and was feeling pretty good until I got to my first real hill.  Hills?  What happened to the flat ground?  I didn’t sign up for hills.  Nevertheless, I decided to give it a go.  I ran as far up the hill as I could handle (which wasn’t much) and walked the rest of the way.  I resumed my run at the top and managed to make it home in one piece. 

Believe it or not, I decided to do it again the next day, and the next, and the next.  Pretty soon, I was running the same route nearly every day.  I took the hill slowly, driveway by driveway.  By the end of the summer, I was able to run the entire route, including the hill, without stopping.  In November of that year, I ran my first 5K.  By Christmas, I was hooked.  I bought a Garmin so I could start plotting out different routes to change things up a bit, and I subscribed to Runner’s World magazine.  

My pace for that first run was somewhere around 11 minutes/mile.  These days, I average about 8:30/mile, although some days are faster and some are slower.  Certainly not fast by running standards, but not bad for a girl who didn’t take up running until her mid 30’s.  I enjoy exploring new routes and love the challenge of conquering hills, as hard as it may be sometimes.  I’ve completed several 5Ks, a 10K, a couple of half-marathons, and am currently training for my 2013 races.  At some point there will be a marathon on the horizon…

I have come a long way since June of 2010.  I’ve learned a lot and am still learning – about shoes, training, nutrition and more.  It doesn’t matter how slow you run or how far you go – the point is that you make up your mind to start.  Once you lace up those shoes and get out the door, why turn back?  You’ve made it that far!  Some days I jump up out of bed ready to run and other days it’s a struggle, but never once have I said, boy, I wish I’d never gone for that run. 

You’ve made the decision to get healthy, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.  Now what?  Visit a running store, invest in a good pair of shoes, walk if and when you have to, but most importantly, get up and run!