How to Get Into Running? The story of my 30-day challenge.

First of all, you should know that I’m not a beginner at running. In the past, it was my way to escape troubles and to calm down myself. However, I wasn’t a professional in this field. So my evening “races” were more like walks with a little bit of running between.

So a few months before I decided to improve my races. And I decided to make it to be my habit. To describe my way through this challenge, I’m gonna describe my changes every week.

Week 1.

I thought that the best time for running is in the evening. Mostly because my face turns red after my first kilometer. So I didn’t want anybody to see me like this.

The first 3 days I was able to run 1 kilometer nonstop. On average my pace was 6.35 (I used the Nike Run Club app). I tried to run more but I couldn’t because of a headache (because of high pressure).

So far, here is my №1 tip:

DO NOT expect fantastic results after the first 3-5 days. Your body needs time to get used to this everyday physical activity. One kilometer is great for a start, you must understand this.

On the 7th day I actually forgot to start my app, only turned on the music. I got pretty used that the voice from NRC would tell me how much I ran. After quite some time I stopped to check the app. Of course, here I realized that I forgot to start it, but I wanted to know how many kilometers I ran. So I started the app and turned back home walking. I was really surprised to see that I was able to make almost 2 kilometers that evening!

Week 2.

To be honest, I wasn’t feeling great. I felt pain in my legs and every evening my brain was creating new excuses. But I forced myself because I knew that it is normal behavior when you’re trying to create a new habit.

Because of my evening exercises, I couldn’t fall asleep until 1 am. So I changed my schedule and decided to run in the morning. The next morning I pulled the muscles in my calf.

My tip №2:

Please, DO the warm-up before running as well as cool down (stretching) afterward. Especially if you’re like me running in the morning.

Fortunately, it wasn’t that bad and my calf was alright after 3 days. I continued my challenge, however, I ran only 1 km to make sure that my leg is fine.

Week 3.

In my 3rd week, I challenged myself to run 4-5km. And here is a thing: the longer distance the more thirsted you become.

So now I needed to take my water bottle with me. And that is the tip №3.

However,

tip №4: do not drink too much, just wash your mouse for a bit. In this case, you’ll be able to run comfortably without the baubles in your stomach :)

Week 4.

On average my morning run lasted +- 30 minutes. It’s absolutely up to you whether you want to run more or less every day. Personally, I wanted to make it last for an hour or so. But this is a lot of time, especially if you have a lot on your plate during the day. Plus, by that time it started to be boring for me to run every day. I wasn’t so enthusiastic as I was at the beginning. And I realized that I can combine my running with reading a book. I’m sorry, listening to the book. And this is

Tip №5: take this running routine as a possibility to spend time with yourself. Listen to the book or let your mind wandering, even meditate. It is important that your new habit had some reasons. Not only the weight loss or to be healthier… You got it.

That’s my story. This can be taken as an example of how to make any habit you want. Do not make excuses, find opportunities in your new habit, take care of yourself. So go on and start your self-improvement today!