Friday Favorites: What I’ve Learned So Far
Over the past few months, I’ve learned a lot — about myself, about fitness, and about the idiosyncrasies of putting those two together. So in honor of Runner’s Lounge “If I Knew Then What I Know Now” Take It and Run Thursday (a day late), here are some of the lessons I’ve learned:
1. Dark running tights are my friend. Aforementioned Mizuno running capris? They’re comfortable, don’t ride up anywhere they shouldn’t, keep me cool. Unfortunately, the light-gray color shows off just how much I’m sweating. Needless to say, when I finished my miles last night it might have looked like I’d peed in my pants.
2. The first mile is always hard. I read this “Natural Law of Running” at Runner’s Lounge and wholeheartedly agree. I might modify it a bit, though, to say, “Beginning is always hard.” Eating healthy? It’s tricky when you’re first starting out, but it gets easier and eventually it becomes downright fun. Just starting to exercise? Those first few weeks (and months) are tough. I think everybody can attest to this, whether you’re just starting out or getting back into peak shape after a long hiatus. But after getting past that initial hump, you start to feel the positive changes, momentum builds and it gets easier.
3. Make sure your workout clothes fit before you take them for a run/workout. I had this one pair of pants, and they fit just fine when I was walking around the house. When I ran in them, however, I was pulling them up from my ankles every five seconds (OK, I may be exaggerating a bit, but it was pretty bad). Now I test run all my clothes inside and carry a safety pin with me just in case.
4. Change your workout music/route/routine regularly. If I run the same loop over and over again, my body will start to automatically get tired at the same place I’ve gotten tired during previous runs. The same goes for music — hearing certain songs will trigger physical responses. To get around these mental blocks I need variety to keep my mind and body guessing.
5. Don’t go it alone. During the first months of my life overhaul, I felt pretty isolated. Honestly, it seemed like I was sooo far behind everyone else that I would just embarrass myself it I reached out for support or advice. I didn’t want to join a running club because I was convinced that I would be too slow/fat/inexperienced. I didn’t want to talk about the changes I was making because that would mean owning up to the, in my mind shameful, fact that I was incredibly unhealthy. Thank God I’ve gotten over that. Now, I love having the support of my running club (and friends and family and coworkers), and I talk about my successes, challenges and setbacks a lot. Incessantly, even.
6. Shin splints aren’t inevitable. Neither is pain. For a long time I thought that pain is just part of running. Turns out that the right shoes make a huge difference. So does building up your mileage and speed slowly. Now when I feel pain, I pay attention, make the necessary adjustments and take time off if I need too. I’ve also started to recognize the difference between the DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness) and pain related to my running biomechanics.
7. Dieting is for chumps. Maybe it works for some people, but I definitely couldn’t maintain a restricted eating regimen for the long haul. Why diet when, instead, you can eat an abundant amount of delicious, satisfying food? When my focus was on eliminating foods from my diet, I was miserable. These days, I focus on how much I’ve added to my cooking repertoire and don’t waste time counting calories. Like I said here, your body does a perfectly good job of adjusting to your caloric intake if you’re fueling it with fresh, whole foods.
These are just a few of the things I can think of off the top of my head, and I’m sure there are many more lessons to be learned down the road. When you look back at where you’ve been, what have you learned? What would you do differently?
Tags: lessons learned, no more dieting, shin splints, the first mile is hard, weight loss support, workout clothes, workout music