Two years ago I signed up to a 10K run. It was painful. Now I’m three weeks away from a half marathon – and I couldn’t be more terrified. At school, I was the girl that slunk back to avoid cross-country. I couldn’t run for more than ten minutes without feeling like I was about to die. My brother says I run with crazy abandon like Phoebe from Friends. I am not built to be a runner.
And yet here I am, dragging myself out of the house three times a week to pound the pavement, in the hope that I will just about make it over the finish line. 13 miles is a long way.
Clearly I am by no means an expert, but here are my survival tips learned from experience so far…
- Buy good running trainers. I thought trainers could last forever. It turns out you need a new pair every 300 miles because the cushioning wears down. As soon as the ache appears in your lower legs every time you run, it’s probably time to invest in a new pair. Buying a new pair of trainers totally revolutionised my running.
- Buy new kit. If I’ve got new brightly-coloured running kit, it motivates me to get out the door. I would highly recommend LuluLemon running pants, they wash well and last forever. Sweaty Betty has someflattering running tops that look great and this super lightweight running jacket for drizzly ‘grey dome’ days.
- Try compression socks. I get serious calf pain – everything from shin splints to muscle ache. A sceptical friend of mine actually says compression socks actually work – they are meant to increase the blood circulation in your legs, reducing pain after running. Sweaty Betty has some compression leggingwhich I’m dying to give a try.
- Regulate your breathing. This again was something I didn’t realise before I started, but regulating your breathing to a rhythm helps a lot. Some people find running without music makes this easier.
- Change up your music. However if you do run with music (like me) changing up your playlist is a real lifesaver. I have songs I now associate with difficult hills. Delete them and whack Survivor by Destiny’s Child on there. It’s saved me in moments of despair and actually made running, erm, fun.
- Don’t worry about training schedules. According to these online running schedules, I should just quit now. It’s great to stick to a schedule but I’ve got personal aims – running three to four times a week, completing at least nine miles before the big day – and then just making it to the finish line. Which follows nicely onto the next point…
- There’s no shame in walk/run. I thought you had to run the whole thing to be considered a ‘true runner’. Now the more I’m reading, the more I realise the walk/run technique is nothing to be ashamed of. Hills destroy me but it doesn’t matter. If I power walk to the top and still run a further five miles afterwards, that’s pretty good going.
Have you got any tips that help your running? Do jot them down in the comments below.
Photo via. hannasroom.com and Sweaty Betty