My Running Secrets

Isn't that the funniest title of any post I've ever written? I mean, honestly! The nerve! Like I have any secrets? And like I should be giving any advice on running?

However...

I have some friends who have recently put on the running shoes, and since it hasn't been all that long since I started my running (ahem...my father would say "Are you really running? Or is it more like jogging?") passion, I thought I might share some of what I've learned on the trail. Or on the pavement. Or around the park. Or wherever.

1. Get your running shoes from a running store. I love Salt Lake Running Company. They helped me find the right shoes and insoles to avoid the shin splints that plagued me every other time I'd tried running in earnest. And they have never laughed at me. I love that in a store.

2. Choose a race and train for it. It's too easy to get bogged down in how bad the first couple of months feels. Honestly, hitting my first 2 miles straight both exhilarated me and made me want to puke. Having a race to train for helped me look past the pain and misery and torment and have a goal.

3. Find friends and convince them that you'd be a good running partner because of your sparkling wit and the fact that you make good chocolate cookies. Or whatever your talents might be. Then let the pressure of friends waiting on the corner for you help get your rear out of bed at whatever dark and crazy hour you decide you'll run together. You'll discover the joy of running therapy. There's nothing better than working out all of life's problems on a 10 miler with good friends

4. Keep track of your time running and your mileage. It makes you feel so virtuous. And awesome. I love adding my months' totals on the calendar. It doesn't sound exciting, does it? But it is...

5. Running clothes? Yes. Do it. Don't feel silly in running shorts. Even if you get a comment like I did from a passing car: "You really should get a tan." All my comebacks came to me when I reached the next street. Like, "You really should get some manners." Or "Because I really care about impressing you?" Oh, yeah, but back to running shorts. They're good. But maybe I'll look for some longer ones this year, because, you know, I really should get a tan.

6. Look at Runner's World. It's fun. It makes you feel like part of a brotherhood or sisterhood, even if you're slow.

7. Oh, and about being slow. Slow is relative. Slow for you is what you did last month. Fast for you is what you do next month. Don't compare yourself to anyone else. That's part of the joy of it for me. I judge so much of my life based on how close I am to perfection. I'll never win a race. But I'm in it to be better than I was last year, to push myself farther than I thought I could go. And that is freeing in a way I've never experienced. Don't get me started on the life metaphors...I have so many life/running metaphors that I scare myself a little.

8. Wear sunscreen. And if you're a mom, get a good stroller. And learn to tolerate Gatorade before downing it on your first half marathon. And get a Garmin. And have fun. And don't ignore the twingey pains that show up. And figure out how to stretch. And be super proud of yourself for being more in shape than you've ever been in your life. It's all good. Oh, except for the Gatorade experience. That's not good. Not At All. But knowing not to do it? You'll be grateful. Really. That advice alone is worth your time reading this post.

So there. My running secrets. I have more, but I am laughing again at the idea of passing out running advice.