Well, the time has come for the quaRUNtine half marathon this weekend. This will be my second half marathon but this one will look a LOT different from the first. No crowds of runners, no cheering spectators, no water tables, no chip times. Just me and the road. Over the weekend I posted about my final long run on Instagram Stories and had quite a response. You guys seemed interested in hearing more about running and my experience with it so I’m sharing more with you ladies today.
7 Lessons I’ve Learned from Running
1. Running is 90% mental. It’s all in your head which is so hard. Especially if you don’t have a running buddy or accountability system, you have to motivate yourself to go running and to keep running. It’s hard but it makes you mentally tough.
2. You have to cross-train in order to avoid injuries. Running isn’t enough. I’ve fallen into this pothole more than once. You have to take time to strengthen smaller muscle groups so you don’t hurt or strain something. Last time I hurt my knee. This time around I wasn’t focusing enough on hip and glute strength so for a week mid-training I was out of the game entirely. I tweaked my tailbone in a way that made it painful to sit or walk. It healed up quickly but I could have totally avoided it if I had been more diligent on my strength training.
3. Always charge your headphones before you leave. Just a general life tip but I’ve had my headphones die on me mid-run and it’s always annoying. It has caused me to develop the habit of charging them overnight next to my phone no matter what.
4. Running in the rain smells amazing. I normally avoid running in the rain when I can help it. Sadly living in Seattle means that you’re just going to have to deal with the occasional wet run. Instead of being put off but the rain, this time around I just wore a baseball cap and focused on what I liked about rainy runs. Mainly that it smells amazing! The scent of the flowers gets amplified and the streets are quiet. It’s actually quite nice.
5. The last mile is always uphill. You can take that metaphorically but for me, it’s just reality. We live at the top of a hill. There isn’t a way to get home without going uphill at the end. Trust me, I’ve tried all the possible routes.
6. Getting up early is worth it. I used to never understand why people would get up to go running at 6 am until I became one of those people. It will be a struggle the first few times but trust me it’s worth it. The quiet morning watching the sun rise higher and higher into the sky is just beautiful. There’s also the practical side that says, it is coolest first thing in the morning so you won’t be as warm or have to wear as much sunscreen.
7. You can run a half marathon. Yes, you reading this right now. If I can do it, so can you. It just takes time to build up your cardiovascular endurance. Find a training plan that is on par with your fitness level and start. You don’t need fancy equipment or gear. You just have to eat the elephant one bite at a time. Start with small steps and you’ll get there eventually. You can do hard things!
