Tuesday's Training Tip: Get over yourself

Runners come in all shapes, sizes, and abilities. 

So you think you want to be a runner?  Well, all runners know this little secret. You are going to have to get over yourself! Before you get offended, please read on …

I was once a non-runner. At the tender age of 47 (you read that right) I became a runner.  Runners run.  That’s all there is to it.  Non-runners who wish they were runners tend to come up with all kinds of excuses why they can’t, shouldn’t, or won’t run. I know.  I found several.

“I’m too old to start.”  Yep, I said that.

“I don’t like to run.”  I said that one a lot!

“It hurts to run.”  Uh-huh.

And then there is this one …

“I don’t want anybody to see me trying to run.”

Well, for those of you who are hanging onto this excuse, I have some news for you. NOBODY is looking at a runner and thinking this …

“Boy, that runner sure does look stupid.”

Nor this …

“That runner shouldn’t be running. She’s too big, old, fat, short, weak …”

In fact, those non-runners driving by in their cars with their car snacks by their side are most surely thinking something like this …

“I wish I were a runner. I wish I was strong enough, brave enough, in shape enough … to run.”

I know. I was once one of them.  And the runners that happen to be in a car while you are running are thinking …

“Look! There is a runner!  Maybe we could be running buddies!”

“I’m jealous. I wish I was running right now.”

“Wow. I hope I can still run when I’m as old as that guy!”

“I am so proud of that runner out there getting in shape!  Way to go, Runner!”

When I first began running my running buddy and I would search for the most hidden routes we could find to avoid being seen, but I got over that. I have learned that if I admire other runners when I am inside a car, then surely others are not judging me while I am on the run. 

It doesn’t matter if you have great running form or a cute outfit. The car riders cannot tell what your pace is and they don’t care.  They only know that you are out there putting one foot in front of the other.They respect that, especially if they, too, are a runner. So get over yourself and just run!

Tell me what is keeping you from switching from a non-runner to a runner?

Tune in every Tuesday for more training tips and visit my Training Tips page to find all the tips you may have missed or find them all in my book, Run at Any Age: A Beginners Guide for Adults. Available on Amazon and Kindle.

Happy Running!
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I'm still running ...

Boy!  Time slips by when you have a lot of projects underway!  It’s time for a Running Granny update.  Yes, I have been running, but I am in that lull between Cross Country season and Race Season.  Cold weather can be a deterrent, but that’s not my excuse.  I usually don more clothes and brave the cold.  It’s all the other distractions that make me struggle.  The Christmas season is always a distraction – busy, busy, busy!  I kept running, mostly out of fear that I would expand like a balloon what with all the reasons to celebrate with food!  I’ve been writing and editing and publishing.  Finally!  I took a little trip to the tropics.  You can get a brief overview with photos HERE.  While in Maui I found time for two runs.  I even used MapMyRun just to prove I was there.  We also managed to work in a nice hike to this waterfall.  Beautiful! 

Now I am back in the saddle again, as the old cowboy sang - still running, hoping to be skiing, marketing this new book, and gearing up to write the next one.  Readers of this blog might look forward to it.  I haven’t determined a title yet, but runners will be able to relate and I hope that non-runners will enjoy it, too.  I am hoping that it will inspire folks to push through pain a little more and learn from the uncomfortable experiences they have already endured.  I will keep you all posted on the progress. 

In the meantime, Happy Running!

What's in a word?

I had a conversation yesterday with a non-running friend about participating in an upcoming local 5K.  This One. Her goal is to walk the route and that is always a worthy goal.  We don't all have to run, but we should all attempt to move!  I was reminded once again how runners have our own vocabulary. 
She asked, "Now, there is a five and a three?"
"No, just a 5K,"  I answered.
"So ... a 5K is how far?"
"Three miles."  (I thought everyone knew that. Yet, I didn't know that before I began running.)
She looked at me sideways, but seemed to accept that information as fact.  I didn't include that last .1 mile.
I am sure it's all very confusing.  We measure our races in kilometers and our pace time by the mile. We use terms like tempo and tapering, throwing them at non-runners the way educators throw acronyms (AYP, LEP, SAT) at parents. 
Maybe it isn't the running that scares them off.  Maybe it is the confusing lingo.  Running is hard enough without the challenge of learning a new language!  For the non-running reader out there, here is a short glossary.

K - Kilometer or 1000 Meters.   A 5K is equal to 3.1 miles.  A 10K is 6.2, and so forth.
Carbo Load - Eating lots of carbohydrates prior to a race for race day fuel.
Race Pace - How fast can you go for at least 3 miles or 5000 meters?
Tempo Run - A workout done just under Race Pace.
Tapering - Taking it easy at the end of your training plan in an attempt to have fresh legs on race day.
PR - Personal Record. Your fastest time at a given distance.(I once had a sibling thinking I had been interviewed about my race!  Public Relations???  I'm really not that fast!)
Refueling - Just what it says. Eat up!  You earned it by racing!

This is a SHORT glossary, but it might help next time you try to communicate with a runner.  We sometimes forget that not everyone is interested enough in running to try it.  Fewer still have mastered the language!

Non-runners Just Don't Understand!

New running shoes!

My non-running friends and family do not understand my obsession with running shoes.  I suppose neither do yours.  Ahh, the comfort of the perfect shoe!  We don't care about the color, or what world class athletes wear, or if the shoe looks fast.  It's all about the fit and performance.  Once we find The Shoe we don't ever want to stray.

If you are like me, you study the tread of your favorite shoes like a meteorologist studies a radar map, checking often for the first signs of wear.  You can almost predict the number of miles left in the shoe. You begin shopping for sales in a panic that you might not find The Shoe before it's too late!  When nagging pains begin to develop in your knees or ankles, you know you are pushing the limits and it's time to bite the bullet and go shopping.  I even brought out a retired pair of runners recently while awaiting the purchase of a new pair.

My husband and sons took me shopping for Mother's Day.

"Those look fast!"  One commented.

"Yes, but they don't have the exact size."  (I run in an 8.5 while I wear a 7.5 dress shoe.) "I will lose toenails if I get an 8 and a 9 might make me trip!"  It's all very scientific and proven by personal experience.

"I like the color of those."  Wrong brand.

"These look comfortable."  Not enough stability.

My shoe of choice?  Asics Gel- Kayano. They don't match any of my running shirts, but I don't care.  My feet are happy and I even feel faster in them!

Unfortunately, The Shoe was not on sale.  Well, last year's model was on sale, but all out of my 8.5's.  Fortunately, it WAS Mother's Day, so I was pampered and got the more expensive shoe.  At least, I think I was pampered.  I'm pretty sure I got stuck paying for them!