Runner: A beginner's guide

Maybe you are into the wind blowing in your hair, or maybe it's the feeling of fat burning that gets your heart pumping, or maybe you are just plain masochistic. Whatever the reason, you decide to suffer the stares and whispered exchanges, and decide to become a runner. Congrats to those who take the first step, too bad for those who quit before the next.

Anyway, many of my friends are all gung ho about running in the beginning, and they bombard me with all sorts of questions, like what shoes to buy, how to run and the like. And once they get started, they will be eager to swap war stories with me. Which is all fine and good. Except that most of them probably quit one week in.

Unusually for my usually cold heart, this fact bothers me, probably because I miss swapping war stories. They kinda remind of when I started out. What can I say, I am a sentimental guy ;). But honestly, I really am reminded of when I started out. So I want to give a guide on how to start running, speed demon style of course.

Ok where do I start? Ah yes,the equipment. Basically you need none, but for those of you not into nude running and do not have thick soles, you need a T-shirt, shorts and shoes. For the attire, just wear whatever you are comfortable with, because you will be more inclined to stick with your run if you don't have a constant urge to rip off your shirt or shorts. Same goes for shoes, they have to be comfortable, everything else is secondary. That's why there's no hard or fast rule when it comes to shoe choosing, nor is there any 'good' brand or shoe. It's good if it fits you well, and lets you run in them without getting hurt, that's all there is to it. As to foot types and the accompany type of shoes, I have to admit it's not my area of specialty, so my advice will be limited to the above.

So now you are all kitted out and ready to roll, but where? If you are in less than decent shape, it would probably be wise to start out on more forgiving surfaces, namely trails and fields. Roads would be okay once you get used to the impact. Nevertheless, even seasoned runners do not do all their running on roads. As for location, obviously it must be familiar, lest you end up in the papers as one of those lost hikers.

You are running along your favourite route, or maybe labouring would be more suitable to describe it, and everything seemed to be so different from what you planned, you are beginning to hate it and this is definitely not what you signed up for. What I am talking about is the mental aspect. The physical aspect will take care of itself once you get to a certain level, but getting there will depend a lot on your will. In this area, I can consider myself to be quite proficient, simply because I am such a darn good liar to myself (read my previous post on how I do this). Bluntly speaking, when the going gets tough, you have to use whatever thoughts possible to motivate an unwilling body. The easiest way is to dangle a carrot, think of the good things that will happen if you complete your run. The other more nefarious way is to trick the body into completing it, an example of which is the "just one more corner to go" thought. Once you survived this "battle", you have to think about surviving the "war", since things do get boring in the long run. To do that, you can set yourself
some targets, like a certain level of fitness, or lose a certain amount of weight. Another way to break out of a rut is to vary the location of your runs.

Basically, I covered most of the initial mental aspects of running, but here are some extras. Many of my beginner friends are unwilling to run with me and they back it up with a multitude of excuses, like how they can't keep up with me or I will be too fast for them. I understand that they might not want to come off as arrogant, but believe me, to be a good runner you need a certain amount of arrogance and daring. Runners must not be cowards, and no matter how good your rival appears to be, you still need to believe in your own ability. This is especially true if you want to progress to racing. You might be overmatched, but it's not a sin to hope. The moment you stopped believing that you can be better than your rival, your progress stops.