this post was submitted on 15 Oct 2023
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There must be a hundred valid ways to get better. For me I really took my time and stayed pretty low milage for my first year. I made it through four seasons, learned how to stick with it in every kind of weather, and found myself committed to continuing long before challenging myself to do more.
Once I did feel ready to up the mileage just a little bit I signed up for a 10k and used that as my motivation to go harder. A few months later I signed up for a 10 Miler race. The next big goal was a half marathon about six months after that. I've been signing up for races ever since, and still get a thrill from every one of them.
Beyond signing up for races, other tips include: find people to run with, look online for beginner level training plans for each race, and always go easy on yourself. Make it a long term hobby by avoiding injury as much as possible. That means remembering to run slow more often than not, listen to your body when it starts to hurt, eat well, and get lots of rest.
Oh and smile! Apparently research shows you'll enjoy your run more if you smile. Haha. (I've no idea if that's legit. But do whatever you have to do to keep it fun.)
I'm in the Midwest USA so winter is coming and I'm not really sure how to get through it. I don't want to stop so I'm just dealing with the cold, but I know it will get colder soon. Are there any tips on the cold besides dress warmer? It gets more difficult to get out of bed and run early in the morning when it's cold and dark.
A race does sound exciting! I think signing up will be a good motivator for me. I can't quit if I spent money on this race.
I would like this to become a long term hobby. I am learning how important it is to stretch, cool down, and take a break some days when I really want to go hard every day. My body tells me to slow down which I am getting better at listening to.
This might be a noob question, but do you run every day? Right now, I'm running 5k every other day and walking the distance the other day to force myself into that routine. Some weeks, I feel more sore than others so I don't know if that's overdoing it or my body adjusting to this new lifestyle.
Good to know about smiling. I am happy being outside so I guess I'll try to make sure I show it outwardly.
Slowing down is key. There are a lot of videos and articles about Zone 2 running that explain the mechanics of it. And as a new runner it's critical to just go easy on yourself, increase mileage slowly, and don't worry about breaking any land speed records yet.
As your skill and fitness increase over time you'll find that you might be able to run easy on days that you used to have to recover at home. Or you might get 3 hard runs in a week where you used to only get 1 or 2. But these changes might take years to emerge, and there's no point in rushing it if you really want to go long term and stay injury free.
At this point I'm a moderately fast runner for my age group. I'm in my late forties and can usually place in the top 3 for other guys my age in the races I run. I was 108th overall out of ~10,000 runners in a recent 10k. I train an average of about 30 miles per week with 2 days off, 2 fast days, 2 short and easy, and 1 long and easy. I've built up to this over 7 years, and have been getting steadily faster and stronger the whole time.
One key is that bit about running through the winter. I know about Midwestern winters and I don't envy you. But there is great gear out there for keeping you warm and dry. With the right clothes I can comfortably run down to about 0-5°F. That includes good socks, warm leggings, layers on top, gloves, neck gaiters, and hats. It's too much to explain in one comment, but if you live near even a mid size city you should be able to find a local running store where they can help you figure out what you need.
How do you handle the ice?
It depends on how bad it is. If it's like an ice rink I don't go out. I hate treadmills, but i hate falling more. If it's isolated patches of ice then I have a pair of Yaktrax There are other strap-on cleats out there that might be better. I might try out the Uline Gription this year. They look pretty tough. For slush I have a pair of trail shoes with rubber cleats that do the trick.