Running without excuses: tips for those struggling to get started

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

What's the hardest part of any workout? No, not working hard to the limit and not fighting fatigue and pain. The hardest part of any workout, be it jogging or strength training, is the journey from your usual place (sofa, bed, chair) to the place where physical activity starts (park, stadium, gym). The hardest part about training is getting started and not quitting.

"Everything! Basta! I start a new life on Monday! From the first day! Happy New Year! " Many of you are familiar with these emotions. And even if you managed to start running, then you were enough for a maximum of two months. Because it was getting hard, urgent matters arose, laziness rolled over, and in general, you decided that running was not yours. But why did this happen? Most likely, because you made several mistakes at the start. Basically, in order to start and not quit running, you need to solve two problems: motivate yourself, which will allow you to start and not miss, and train correctly, which will help to avoid injury and progress. Everything. In this article, we'll cover task number one - how to get started.

What prevents us from starting

The fact is that at the subconscious level we remember well how it was at school or institute, when without normal training we periodically had to pass the standards - to run 1, 5 or 3 kilometers at a time. Moreover, time directly influenced the assessment we received. And what did we do? We rushed in our only sneakers on the asphalt, scattering passers-by and dogs and frightening them with red faces, loud breathing and bulging eyes.

It is good that the young organism digested such a sudden surge of activity and recovered relatively easily and quickly, but at the subconscious level the information was recorded: “It was a run. Running is hard. " And even if in your youth you did not pass the standards for physical education, you still have a logical chain in your subconscious: “Running is a sport. Sport is hard. " Where? Yes, even from the TV! And be sure that now, just at the mention of the word "running", your subconscious mind, out of the best intentions, trying to save you from overload, gives you a thousand quite objective reasons why running is not about you at all.

Forewarned is forearmed

Well, there is great news: the settings described above are incorrect and this can be fixed. It will be correct: “Running is a sport. Reasonable sports are fun. For everyone and everyone, without exceptions and contraindications. Ask any amateur runner - no one will tell you that they regret their hobby. And also no one will tell you that at the beginning of the journey it was easy for him and everything worked out at once.

The main idea, which should be hooked on in order to convince your subconscious mind, sounds something like this: “I'm a beginner. I have nowhere to rush. And I don't have to pass the time trial standards. I do jogging regularly for personal hygiene of my mind and body."

Well, everything seems to be clear with the body, you say, but what does the soul have to do with it? You will certainly understand this over time, when you run through the crowd of passers-by walking in the park or on the embankment, but you will no longer feel like a part of this mass.

I absolutely need this hour and a half of daily running: I can shut up and be alone with myself - that is, observe one of the most important rules of mental hygiene.

Haruki Murakami

How to force yourself

Don't faint. This is again your subconscious mind trying to save you. You will not need to run for an hour and a half every day. Comrade Murakami has been running for over 20 years, so he can afford it. You will need to start with just two or three runs a week for 20-30 minutes. And hold out for two months, very smoothly increasing the running volume to the level of three or four runs a week for 40-50 minutes. And the most important thing in this is not speed or distance. The most important thing is consistency: run as planned, without interruptions and indulgences. Within two months, you are guaranteed to develop the habit of running. Just agree with yourself that then, if you want, quit, but these two months do not miss a single planned run.

You probably already have a lot of questions prepared. Where to run? When to run? How to run? How to breathe?

Fuck perfectionism! Get started! The most important thing in a journey is to take the first step and hit the road. There are a lot of articles and disputes on the Internet that will not give an unambiguous answer to all your questions. On the street or on a treadmill? In the morning or evening? On the heel or on the toe? Mouth or nose? This is all secondary, and we will cover the most important details in the next article. The main question, which you yourself must answer right now, is: “Why?”.

Why do you want to run regularly? To run a marathon next year? To lose 10 kilograms by summer? To tidy up your health and strengthen your heart? Or maybe you need to do something to get rid of the addiction to alcohol? These are all correct answers, but you must decide for yourself what your main goal is and remember it. Then it will be much easier to lift yourself off the couch and kick yourself out for a run in almost any weather.

Where to find the time

Of course, if you weren't so busy, you would already have broken all running records at least at the local level. But, alas, the day is not rubber, and you absolutely do not have this 25th hour for training, so let the running community somehow manage without you.

Another excuse. Just imagine that the journey from home to your work now takes half an hour longer. The office has moved, or you yourself have changed jobs, but now it’s just like that. So what? Will you quit? Wouldn't you agree to travel further for a good salary? No. You will simply perceive the changed circumstances as inevitable and quickly learn to wake up a little earlier in the morning, go into the house a little later in the evening and have time for everything.

Treat running the same way. Think of running regularly as an investment in yourself, in your health, in your children, and there will be time of its own. Everything is in your head. Such is the trick.

Another secret

In general, in order to start running, you do not need anything special, except for running sneakers. To keep statistics, you can put any running application on your smartphone and enjoy the life and likes of your friends on social networks. It is desirable to have a heart rate monitor, but at first it is quite possible to do without it. I'm not talking about multisport watches and fashionable compression clothing - this is the lot of serious training amateurs and professionals. If you are just starting out, do not rush, you do not need all this for now.

So when is the best time to start? According to statistics, most of the undertakings that people associate with Monday, the first day or the new year do not work. I don’t know what exactly the reason is, but it’s much safer not to be tied to any specific dates or events. A start that is planned simply for tomorrow, Saturday, December 18, has a much better chance of success compared to the postponed until January 1, because there is a new year, a new life and all that.

Just make up your mind and start. Tomorrow. Or today.

Do you still just want to but can't get started? Then remember the words of one famous friend, this is my last argument, which should definitely work:

How to motivate yourself to do something? No way. Stay asshole.

Artemy Lebedev

In fact, I do not know who is more: those who cannot start, or those who start and quit. Therefore, in the next article we will tell you how to run so as not to quit after a month.