Making running tolerable

I am certainly no expert on fitness. I know as much as I need to know as it pertains to me, and that knowledge is fairly recent. So is any kind of stamina. But I have taken up running, and its an experience I want to share.

I used to hate any kind of running. I was the chubby kid in gym class who struggled to finish the mile. I danced all through my youth, so I had some degree of fitness, but not the endurance for long distance. Plus I just had general a hatred of running (ahem, like MGBF). Four years of college marching band is what changed that. To do what I love, I had to get endurance. So I did. And I was able to keep my lowest weight. Until winter semester, when I got some back. Rinse and repeat. But now that I am out of school, I actually have time for exercise.

I didn't use that time for exercise for a long time, and I reached one of my highest weights (and temporarily lost my waist). So I tried running. Thanks to stamina, it wasn't as unbearable as I remembered. As as I've continued, here's what worked for me. As with any tips list, feel free to pick and choose, or totally ignore, as you will.

1. Music. Sometimes I run just to have some alone time with my music. Plus it has always been a motivator for me. Certain songs just help me keep pace, but mixed in are songs that really just motivate me to run. Or bust out dancing. Either way, I'm burning calories. Plus, on the fitness side, having a playlist of consistent tempo keeps your strides in an even rhythm, which benefits your workout.

2. Pick a route. I like my running route, which helps more than I thought it would. I run through a weird little road that doesn't have much traffic, and its mostly woodsy. So I get some time in nature, which is really motivating, now that its starting to act a little like spring. However, it also has regular streetlights -- another feature I didn't foresee as being useful. But it really helps me pace myself. I don't run constantly on my route, but i can time my running -- ie. I run for two lights, walk for two, etc. I also run whenever I reach a stoplight. Little goals like this help me push myself.

3. Be comfortable. There is a difference between discomfort and pain. Discomfort happens when you push yourself. Pain only succeeds in overshadowing all those wonderful endorphins. I did a lot of walking at first. I still do. But every time I run I run a little more. Even if I just cut a few seconds each time I run, that's still an acheivement. And its satisfying just to know I conquered high school gym.

Gold Star to the reformed chubby kids.