The importance of taking good care of yourself through running.

PS: I’m not a professional runner nor a podium finisher. I’m a hobby jogger and a stranger giving advice based on my running experiences on the internet. If you want more clarification, better hire a running coach or watch running videos from another stranger on YouTube.

Running is really an easy sport to begin with, all you need to do is grab an old pair of shoes. Is that really easy? Just kidding, it’s kind of complicated when you think of it. It goes beyond running, and it’s more than just running.

Do you really think that running only revolves around lacing a shoe? Nope. It’s not. Does it involve a decent? (nope) it involves a big amount of discipline, dedication and willpower to get you going every single day. The hardest part of running is really getting up, silencing that inner voice in your head and starting to do what you need to do, to run as far as you can and till your lungs give up. (Please don’t take this advice till your lungs give up, you’ll get a sprain before your lungs give up on you lol)

I started running exactly 1 year ago. My main purpose was to really lose a good amount of weight, and I was overweight back then. I couldn’t even climb stairs without gasping for air 1 floor to another. I started with a pair of old trainers I had and it was a PUMA RS-X shoe, which is a PUMA’s dedicated lifestyle shoe. But who cares, right? I need to run. I need to go out. I need to change myself for the better.

The first few weeks were brutal, I couldn’t even do a slow jog for 5 seconds. I was lost, I couldn't find what my purpose was for running. Was it really to lose weight? To build discipline? To silence the voices inside my head? Who knows? I don’t even know what the answer was when I started. All I cared about was to run, as long, and as far as I could. 

But it was really hard, harder than I could ever imagine. It was harder because I’m overweight, everything I did f*cking sucked, it really f*cking sucked. The voice inside my head messes up with me, every second, minute, hour of the day. It tells me that I couldn’t hold and sustain this for a long time, that I was just as good when I started. After that, I would be back on my old ways. I couldn’t think straight, I want to lose that weight but someone holds me back. I was afraid. I’m confused. I even doubted myself whether I could do it or not. Guess what?

The thing that was really holding me back was my own self, my own excuses. My own reasons for not getting up, not getting the work done because I was afraid that everyone I would encounter would judge me. But in reality, no one really cares about what you do and most of all, no one really cares about you. Take it from me, it took me 26 years to figure that out. 

I was just really sabotaging myself through creating perceptions that were way beyond my reality. I was just wasting my time thinking about things that were really just existent inside my mind. All of us are busy minding our own business and have no time to really dig deep about other people’s problems and struggles.

Enough of the reminiscing, I was really messed up back then. I had my own fair share of my problems but I wouldn’t even dare to tell the internet what the hell I went through. Back to the topic, how to start running (literally) away from your problems.

You want to build discipline and habits, right? So the first thing you really need to do is grab an old pair of shoes. Basketball, volleyball, tennis, running and whatever sport shoes you have. Just make sure you don’t run in your leather shoes. I also forgot to mention that the first thing you need to do is prepare your mind for the roller coaster ride you'll encounter in your whole life. This doesn’t come easy. Nothing in life comes easy. Running is hard, being unhealthy is hard, being overweight is hard. Think of it as a blessing, YOU GET TO RUN, instead of YOU NEED TO RUN.

But, the good thing about this life is that you get to choose your own kind of hardship, and that decision really depends on what hard you are choosing.

Okay, given now that you are already running. Where do you even start right? Don’t worry, I don't even know what advice I would give you (lol). Jokes aside, just start running. Really, just run. Go tie your shoes, and run outside. Don’t think about running watches, running shoes, how fast your pace would be in your first kilometer. 

Before I forget, one last thing, don’t you ever ever compare your first run to someone else’s 1000th run. Every runner starts with just running until they get tired and gassed out, and don't have any idea what the hell they are doing.

After you’ve successfully built a habit, developed that consistency, and forged that discipline of getting that first step into running. I suggest a time-based approach to running. You don’t mind the distance. You don’t mind the heart rate like what Instagram and TikTok told you so. Our bodies don't know you’ve already run 5 kilometers, that you’re having a 145 beats per minute heart rate. The longer duration you run, the more your muscles get tired and the more lactate your muscles produce.

(When we exercise, we break down glucose (carbohydrates) to create energy. Lactate and hydrogen ions are produced as a part of this process and enter the bloodstream. When you run or move at slower paces, your body clears these by-products (known as buffering) with ease and uses lactate as an energy source. Source: Google. I don’t even know the technicalities of this lmao)

The first step would be just an interval of walking and doing a slow jog. If you’re really a beginner with no background of physical activity, I suggest 30-second intervals of walking and slow jogging. You walk for 30 seconds, and you jog for 30 seconds. But if this is still really hard, adjust it to your pace, maybe do some 5, 10, 15 or 20 second intervals. You choose, you always get to choose and that’s the beauty of running. You don’t really get to follow specific programs when you’re just starting out. The most important thing is that you RUN, and that’s the only thing that REALLY matters.

Also, don’t confuse yourself with running and sprinting. Sprinting is a pace you can just sustain for 10-30 seconds. Think of sprinting as if someone is chasing you with a lethal injection and the only way you could get out is to run as fast as you can. If you also tried sprinting this early, there is a 100% you’ll injure yourself and you won’t even like running after. 

The most optimal pace for running when starting is doing the “talk-test”. Talk test means that you could sustain a conversation with other people while running, but your breathing is controlled. The other indicator of a good running pace is that you can do nasal breathing, breathing purely in and out through your nose while running. Most runners in the community call this “Zone 2 Running”. 

Your first main goal here is to run 45 mins straight without stopping, the moment you go out to run until the time 45 mins has come you’re really running with a “conversational pace”. One tip, if you don’t have any smartwatch I recommend you to download Strava for proper tracking of your runs. Strava is free, but does have a premium plan but you don’t even have the need to subscribe this early into your running journey. But, Strava gives you a 1-month free trial to entice you to subscribe to their plans lol. (Hey Strava, give me a year's worth of Strava Premium. I’m doing you a favor here!)

But all good things must come to an end, after you can already sustain longer durations of running 1 to 3 hours of non stop punishing yourself because nobody has ever told you to run in the first place. You must now incorporate speed sessions. This is also important if you want to run faster, it doesn’t matter if you don’t want a podium finish but you know, running gets a little bit competitive within yourself. You have the need to beat your previous PR (Personal Record), or PB (Personal Best) or whatever you like calling it.

But, that speed work gets to see another article. I need to have a closing remark to end this long article I’ve made.

To summarize my experience, running was really the best decision I’ve made last year, I lost weight, I got off my asthma and allergy medications. Oh, I forgot to mention I’m asthmatic since I was a kid, I was fragile, had too many allergies, and I was really weak, weaker than a fifth grader. 

Since I started running I really forgot how small my problems were. I now complain less, and do every single thing no matter how hard it is as long as it’s doable. I’m really sure I could do it. Every problem I had was just a figment of my imagination, I was just suffering inside my mind, and most of the time, none of it was true. None of it was existent. It was just really my brain f*cking things up for me.

Running may also give you a real shot of dopamine through experiencing runner’s high. I’ve experienced this a couple of times, it’s really a euphoric experience. I couldn’t even explain what I felt through this article. Pro tip: the best way to experience runner’s high is to get started running. Trust me, you can’t even stop once you start loving the process and pain throughout this journey you’ve set yourself on. 

Read more about runner’s high: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-truth-behind-runners-high-and-other-mental-benefits-of-running

Running has given me too much muscle pain, soreness, real time suffering mentally and physically to add, I’ve wasted so much money purchasing ointments, muscle patches and running gears. Then think of it, I’ll just complain to a minor inconvenience life throws at me? Bro, I’ve suffered way too much running (literally) everyday. Don't let me even get started. To bid my farewell to you stranger, always remember to beat yourself yesterday, because there is no tomorrow.

Let’s follow each other on Strava, let’s give kudos to our daily suffering through running. https://www.strava.com/athletes/130011361