The non-runner's guide to running

When I tell people I get up at 5:15 in the morning and run 4-5 times a week, I get two common responses: "Oh, I hate runnning," or "Oh, I could never get up that early, I'm so not a morning person." But let me tell you a little bit about myself prior to this year...

Growing up, I was always a night owl and a late sleeper. I always missed out on breakfast, and my brother and sister usually left me either no milk or no cereal or both by the time I woke up. In my teen years, I often slept until 1 or 2 in the afternoon on the weekends, and would wake up as late as humanly possible on school mornings. I've lost jobs before because I couldn't get up early in the morning, and I've almost flunked classes that were the first classes in the morning. Let's just say I am not a morning person. However, when I decided I wanted to start exercising, I discovered that the only time I would have to do it would be before my kids woke up in the morning. Jeremy goes to school during the day and works at night, so there is rarely any time during the day when I don't have the kids with me. I could go running at night, when Darian is home, but I'm usually too tired by the end of the day to want to go exercise, so I know I would never get out there and get it done. So, my only option left was to go before anyone woke up. That is 5:15. Yes, it hurts to get up that early in the morning. But the feeling I get for the rest of the day because I started the day off with a little good honest work is almost worth it.

As far as running itself goes, prior to age 30, I had run 1 mile exactly once in my entire life. I hated PE with a passion, and it was because of my poor performance in running the mile (as well as other fitness tests) that I got placed in remedial PE for one semester. You read that right: remedial PE. That is, PE for the fat and lazy kids who couldn't even pass off the minimum fitness levels. (I actually enjoyed that class because instead of having minimum fitness goals, the only requirement was to do the best you could do.) Anyway, after that semester, I ran the mile once to pass it off, and vowed never to run again, and I didn't run again until I was 30. That year, I tried out for a half-triathlon (I know, quite a leap), and practiced running between 1-2 miles while training. In the race itself, though, I still did not run the distance. That was about 3 months of running a few times a week, and I had not run since.

When I started working out at the gym last December, I still remembered my hatred of running, and instead just worked on weight training. I did that for about 6 months, and was not losing any weight, so I started to get discouraged. And I realized that if I was serious about losing weight, I would need to put some aerobic activity in there somewhere. I hate aerobics class, or any class for that matter, because I don't like feeling scrutinized. At the beginning of the summer, I bought a bike and a bike trailer, with the intention of pulling the kids around town and getting exercise that way. Unfortunately, within a couple of weeks of having bought the trailer, it got stolen. I had to face the music: running was my best option for exercise. And to be honest, I finally got to the point in my life where I hated being fat worse than I hated running.

When I started running, I just ran around the block. I wanted to start small so I could feel competent at what I was doing, and because I just wasn't sure what I could do. I ran around the block a few times and soon realized that it seemed too easy! My confidence was bolstered by that feeling, and I started running a little bit further every day. I still didn't know how far I had been running, I just kept running until I couldn't keep going. Then I found the website MapMyRun.com. I went back and mapped the routes I had already run, and found out, much to my delight, that the block runs had been a little over a mile long, and my longer runs had been around 2 miles. I couldn't believe that I had been running the exact distance that I couldn't run when I was younger and skinnier, and it was EASIER. I still wasn't losing any significant amount of weight, but I was clearly getting skinnier, because my clothes just kept getting bigger and bigger on me. I began to get discouraged again, until I saw my after picture on the Body After Baby challenge, and realized that it had been making a difference. I started paying more attention to what I was eating (Although I cook most everything from scratch and eat plenty of produce, I was being sabotaged by white flour, cooking fats, and semi-monthly "dollar menu" runs.) and stepped up my running schedule to 4-5 days a week, and walks during the day with my girls, instead of the 2-3 times a week, or whenever it was convenient.

I don't know how much weight I've lost in the last two weeks, but I know if I lose another 5 pounds I will have to buy new clothes. Nearly everything I own is starting to look baggy, and if I lose any more weight, I will look like I'm playing dress-up. I have about 50 more pounds to go to hit my healthy target weight range, and the funny thing is, I will be even healthier, stronger, and more athletic than I was in high school. If any of my readers are thinking about trying to take up running, I want to share a few tips from a non-runner's perspective on how to maximize your chances of starting something you will want to finish. (And some of these might be repeated from my last post on tips to getting healthier.)

1. DON'T try to do a lot of exercise all at once. You can't expect to run a marathon when you can't even walk a mile. If you can't run yet, then just walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk around the block when you get home, or when you wake up. You might not have a lot of strength or endurance now, but I promise it will come with practice.

2. DON'T pay attention to the numbers, the times, or the distances. It doesn't matter how far or how fast you run, unless you are in a race. If it's just you, just do what you feel comfortable doing, and when you feel like you are ready, do a little more. Fitness isn't defined by numbers as much as it is defined by healthy habits and a desire for change.

3. DON'T put too much pressure on yourself to do an exercise a certain way, or in a certain amount of time. Remember, it's not a race! You can slow down, stop, or take a break whenever you like. Just remember to keep going.

4. DO some kind of activity every day. It doesn't matter if you run, walk, swim, bike, anything. Just keep moving. I found out that by only running 2-3 days a week, I tended to be more sore and "rusty" on the days I did run, which made the whole experience considerably less enjoyable. When I started running every day, it almost seems easier to run because I don't have to shake off any cobwebs or deal with much soreness from sitting around the day before. Also, when you get in the habit of doing something every day, it becomes a part of your life and routine, instead of just an occasional hobby. And when it becomes a part of your life, you miss it when it's gone, and you want to keep doing it.

5. DO make and print a schedule. When you book time for exercise, you are more likely to do it, because you have time set aside. If you don't feel like you have time for exercise, find time.

6. DO try to see yourself as a healthy person. I know it's hard, after years of poor habits and bad body image to imagine yourself as healthy, thin, or athletic. But try to imagine it anyway. Call yourself a runner. Visit running websites and blogs. Buy running equipment (or biking, or swimming, or whatever activity you choose.) Try to see yourself as belonging to that group of people who care about their bodies and who work hard to get the results they want. You can have anything you want, as long as you work hard enough!