Running

Started .

Losing weight in 2012 gave me confidence to try running. I made the classic beginner mistake of aimlessly running at full speed. Abdominal pain, aching calves, and strange ankle pressure shredded my confidence. I gave up.

I avoided running for a year and a half before trying again. This time, I paced myself and ran indoors on a treadmill, aiming to run 1 mile without stopping. By the end of the year I had done it.

Running became my cheap outlet for having fun and exploring outside. Inside these notes you can find:

  1. Approach
  2. Metrics
  3. Timeline

Approach

Running is painful. When new runners lug their whole body around, they're out of breath, aching, and miserable even during recovery. It's easy to pick on running and dismiss it as terrible.

I decided early on to not buy into "running is awful." At worst, I'd be wrong and out of touch, but I'd still be running. I wanted to run.

This choice didn't stop the pain, but it did help me start thinking about how to deal with it. Weightlighting is ahead in this way. The pain of benchpressing and deadlifting are vocally accepted and celebrated. In running, pain is described as something we put up with or as a temporary challenge one can overcome.

Pain doesn't go away and, in my opinion, should be discussed in two forms. Bad pain in running would be tightness, an unfed stomach, dehydration, or an injury. None of those benefit us but because pain is lumped into one category during running discussions, a beginner would not mentally separate those pains from good pain.

When I started, good pain was outweighed by bad pain. I landed on the heels of my feet, ate poorly and didn't drink enough water. By reading and watching about running, I learned ways to reduce bad pain. Here is a nonexhaustive list:

  • Eating a light meal early enough beforehand
  • Warming up before the run
  • Drinking enough water before and during the run
  • Stretching before and after the run
  • Pacing oneself on longer runs to a good intensity (e.g. 75%)
  • Resting between runs
  • Running with good form

With bad pain reduced, I had found my stride. I hit farther distances with less soreness than I imagined. When I run now, the good pain accumulates in my legs and approaches an upper limit. I usually hit this maximum pain at 3.5 miles. Every mile after feels the same. It becomes about how long can I hold on to the pain, that determines the distance.

I revel in that mental challenge, and I pose that challenge to people new to running. I encourage them to reduce bad pain and find the good pain. Running does not have to be awful.

Metrics

Distance is my only metric. I use the PlanMyRoute app to figure out how far I run. I either map a route before I go or run randomly, noting mentally which streets I travelled.

Timeline

  • 2012:
    • Lost weight by swimming and changing food habits.
    • Tried running once.
    • Gave up.
  • 2014:
    • Started running on a treadmill.
    • First time running 1 mile.
  • 2015:
    • Ran outside, in the California heat, weekly.
    • First time running 3 miles.
  • 2016:
    • Ran on an indoor track to fit with busy college schedule.
    • First time running 4.5 miles.
  • 2017:
    • Ran outside weekly.
    • First time running 6 miles.
  • 2018:
    • Kept running outside.
    • First time running 8 miles.
  • 2019:
    • Ran on hills outside weekly.
    • First time running 13 miles.
  • 2020:
    • Stopped running to quarantine.
    • Finished school and moved to Seattle.
  • 2021:
    • Running outside again.
    • Learning how to deal with rain while running.