High on Life: How to Start Running ( It's not that hard)

You see all the runners out there.  The crazy people that enjoy being out of breath and having joint pain.  Some people love it, but a lot of people hate it.  I never understood why someone would not enjoy running.  But then again, a lot of people are not like me.  I am the type of person who has so much energy, sometimes I do not know what to do with it.  So, I run.

My joy of running started in my last couple of years of high school.  I had dreams of becoming a Navy SEAL or an Air Force Combat Controller.  In their training, they do massive amounts of running.  They also do a ton of swimming, but running was what injured most guys during training.  Their legs were not prepared for it, and they probably did not run enough to prepare for the demands of miles of running everyday.

A lot of people hate running.  But why?  It feels so awesome.

I think my love of running is from the intense high I get during and after my runs, but I have a solid base from years of running.  After the military, I never stopped.  I took short breaks, but I always missed the clarity and mood boost from simply running.

When I talk about running with other people who hate running, they all tell me the same reasons why they do not do it.  I understand some people have extremely flat feet, their feet pronate, or they have hip and joint issues, but vast majority of people can run, even with some of those issues.  Our bodies were designed for it.

I do not know many people that would not like to do something that boosts their mood, helps them lose weight, improves their health, and overall makes them healthier and feel better.

I love running so much, I want to convince everyone to give it a shot because it radically improves my life.  Here are a few of the reasons people say they hate running.

Excuse #1 My legs hurt or I have other pains while I am running.  

Like anything, if you have never given running an honest effort, you will not get better. When you first start running, you must start slow and gradually build the distance.  The first few times you run, your  body probably will not let you experience the runner's high.   Your body will working extra hard just to adjust to the new workload you placed on it.  You WILL be sore, and the experience will be challenging.  It is okay to run a while and walk in between.  You can take it slow. 

Any amount of running is better than none at all.  I know it has been said a million times, but NO PAIN NO GAIN.  At the end of the day, if nothing else, at the end of the day, you moved your body a few miles across the Earth.

After a few weeks, you will be surprised at the progress you make.  The key is to be consistent, and patient as your body adjusts.

When you become more efficient at running, the physical pains subsides, and you can enjoy the good feelings from the rush of endorphins.

Excuse #2 When I was younger, I got painful shin splints every time I tried running.

If you run too far, too often when you start running, there is an excellent chance you will get shin splints or even a stress fracture.  The first time I started running I got both.  Two times beginning running, I was on crutches from shin splints, which turned into stress fractures.  I learned the hard way, but you don't have to go through this!

When I was in high school, I wanted to join the military and go into special operations training.  I knew I needed to run, so I joined the high school cross country team.  I could finally be involved in sports, and become a long distance runner.

The first few days were awesome.  I ran and kept up with the pack running 7 to 10 miles each day.  It was hard to keep up at first, feeling nauseous and my my sides burning.  After a 2 weeks, I felt on top of the world after the long runs.

At about the third week I felt pain below my knee on the top portion of my shin, the beginning of shin splints.Without giving the ligaments and muscles time to prepare for new demands, the muscles actually pull away from the bone.   It was annoying, but I was still able to run.  After a few more days, the pain became almost unbearable, but I kept running.

After a month, I could not even walk without a nagging pain in my shin.  After a few X rays, I found out a had a stress fracture.  A stress fracture is actually a hairline fracture in the bone, and it takes you out of running, even walking, for a few months.

A lot of people start running without a plan.  They start running and do not let their legs adjust to the extra work load.  Without a plan, you are asking for shin splints.  No wonder so many people say they stopped because of the pain that results from poor planning.

Don't let shin splints stop you from enjoying the benefits of running.  

One of beauties of running is the simplicity.  All you need is a good pair of shoes and a plan.  The next time I tried running again, I followed the BUD/S warning order.  It was a simple plan designed to take someone who does not run, and get them to run 30 miles per week, in a short amount of time to prepare men for one of the toughest military programs in the world.  Combat Control and Pararescue, in the Air Force, had an identical plan, but they have since replaced it with a more advanced version.

Regardless of the source you get a plan, find one that builds you up gradually. The plan I used was simple and effective, building you up from six miles per week,  In the third week, you do not run, instead you do swimming to replace your cardio,  The Navy knows that during the third week of a new running plan, people are the most vulnerable to shin splints, and looking back, it was the case for me.

Once you build your legs and endurance properly, you can enjoy the runner's high.

The runner's high is amazing.  Research has recently shown, the the high from running has an effect like marijuana on the brain.  Older research suggested the endorphins released from running had an opiate like effect on the brain and even attached to the same receptors,  On a study conducted on rats after vigorous exercise, the opiate and THC receptors were blocked in the rat's brains.  The study concluded that when the rats ran on a wheel, it affected the THC receptors.

The feeling from running gives me the reduced anxiety, positive feelings, and clear focus of marijuana without the fog and lack of motivation. I doubt I am the only one who feels this way.

It makes sense why our bodies to feel reduced pain, and a relaxed elevated mood, after running.  You get some of the positive effects of marijuana, without any negative ones.  The body quickly breaks down the endorphins released while exercising, so there in never a harmful build up.

This may explain why I enjoy running so much.  I like to use long runs for solving problems or just thinking about things.   It is amazing how many times I have stopped running to put notes in my phone about a book idea, or a phone call I need to make.  My mind feels more creative while I am running.

Excuse #3 I can't catch my breath while I run

As you get used to running, you find different paces.  I have been running a long time, so I know what an easy pace feels like.  It won't take long for you to find out what an easy pace feels like.  

The majority of your runs should be at an easy pace to avoid injury and burnout.

My all out sprint is probably the pace of an Olympic marathon runner's easy pace.  It is different for every person and stage of running.  Once you find your easy pace, run that pace on most of your runs.

An easy pace is one that you feel you could run forever.  You could have a conversation with your running partner at an easy pace.  Olympic distance runners follow this strategy and you should too.  If you run easy, you should not have much of a problem breathing.

This pace may feel like a crawl at first, but you should not have trouble breathing running an easy pace, if you are breathing too heavy, slow down.  As you become more comfortable with running, you can be more specific on the purpose of your runs. 

Once you get past the initial stage of becoming a runner, you may want to improve your speed.  If you want to run a 5K or even a marathon, you may want to get your best time possible, which means incorporating a little speed work.  

You will see some speed improvement from just getting out and running, but after that, you will need to do some form of speed building exercises once or twice per week. The rest of the week should be at an easy pace. 

When you go out for a run, you can do fartlek, tempo, and interval training. These will work different systems in your body as you run at faster paces.  You will breath heavy and it will be hard.  You will see big improvements of your times doing these consistently.

If you do more than one speed session per week, spread them out between easy runs. I do not recommend more than two per week, because over training and injury risk. 

When you run easy, you are adjusting your legs for running.  You will become more efficient, and your easy runs will be almost effortless.  You may begin to see that running 40 miles per week is not really a big deal.  It can be a time in the morning to gather yourself for the day, listen to music, or enjoy more blood flow to your brain.  You may become addicted to running, like I have.  

You can lose weight and become lean without running, but it is a lot easier to keep weight off by making it a daily habit.

My slow pace is just under 9 minutes per mile. I know this because of the runkeeper app on my phone.  I recommend an app like this because it tracks your distance, pace, and time for you.  It also stores your past runs, which helps you improve over time.  It also allows you to go out and run wherever you are, and you can do different routes everyday if you want, keeping track of everything for you.  This allows you to explore and not get stuck with the same boring route everyday.

When I tell people I run 40 miles per week, they scoff, and say they don't have time for that.  I do, and here is an example:  

If a run 7 miles 6 days per week, I hate math, but that equals 42 miles.  Most of that time is spent at a pace I could have a conversation at.  At my easy pace, it takes right about an hour to run 7 miles.  I get up early enough, giving myself about an hour, throwing on my shorts, shoes, and grabbing my phone, and head out the door.  

I spend time in the morning getting high on endorphins, listening to music, and calmly thinking about issues or problems in my life.  I do all this while logging 40 miles in a week.  I am also burning around 800 calories.  I can't think of a better way to start my day.

If you have put off trying to get into a running routine, encourage you to give it a shot.  Once you adjust your body, the feeling you get after a daily run will be hard to replicate.  It feels amazing.

Many people site problems with their feet when they talk about running.  If you have never had your foot checked for the proper shoe fit, it is vital you do so.  I had my foot fitted for a shoe while I trained to be a combat controller back in 2005, and I have worn the same shoe ever since.  Everyone has different ways their foot hits the ground, and there is a shoe out there that fits your specific style of running.

You MUST find the correct shoe fit to be successful.  

You also must keep track of the miles on your shoes.  Shoes have a mileage limit like cars, and they will cause injury when they are worn out.  The run keeper app even tracks the mileage on your shoes.  Every shoe is different, but 400 to 500 miles seems to be the average life of most shoes.

The wrong shoe fir your foot can also create injuries.  If you pronate inward, there is a shoe made for you.  If your foot is flat, there are shoes with high arches to help supplement the lack of your arch.  My foot is neutral, so I have a normal shoe that is comfortable to me.  You can get an analysis of your foot at many places that sell high quality running shoes.

The only money you need to really put out to start a routine of running is a good pair of running shoes, shorts, and if you want, a good pair of headphones.  That's it.  You can run anywhere, the side of the road, sidewalks, in state parks, and anywhere else you can think of.

Running gives you a natural high, improves your cardiovascular health, lifts your mood, lowers stress, and just makes you feel better.  You can start your day ahead of whatever you may face by taking some time for yourself, and doing what humans have been doing for centuries.

Get out the door and do what your body was made to do. Don't buy into all the excuses not to.  You can run and enjoy the massive benefits associated with physically pushing your body everyday.  Get your body moving, and watch your life improve.