Monday, October 14, 2013

Running Like a Girl

I want to run.  For fun.  For exercise.  For me.  I used to run all the time when I played soccer because that's part of the game.  I never really got into running long distances around the track as training in the off-season, like so many of my friend did, but that didn't mean I wasn't jealous.  Fast forward nearly ten years, two undergraduate degrees and one, almost two, masters degrees, and I would kill to be running as a way of losing the grad school weight.

I mean, really, I would love myself a lot more if I were doing ANYTHING to be losing the grad school weight.

So I search the best way I know how--books.  I read books upon books about losing weight.  Both sides of it--how to stop eating a ton of shit and how to get off my ass.

I've found books on clean eating, on eating healthy on a budget--both financial budget and time budget, on skinny Italian food, on eating six meals a day to lose weight--even when you aren't hungry.  I've read books on being a vegan--but I love bacon and steak and chicken too much.  I've read books on how to be a yogi--both from the diet and the exercise standpoint.  But I've never read a book on running.

I love yoga, but I think that yoga is more of a "me" thing--I do it (or, rather, want to do it--let's be honest, I'm not DOING much of anything lately) because it makes me feel good.  So I need and want to find something else to shed the pounds (a dear friend of mine runs to lose weight and does Zumba to feel good).  I like that philosophy.  This way yoga won't become my make it or break it thing.  It will be my calming down thing.

This post had some bookish point...



I recently found Running Like a Girl:  Notes on Learning to Run by Alexandra Heminsley, which is part memoir and part guide.  Heminsley shares with readers her journey to become a runner from being not a runner in her 30s, then she creates the guide that she wished she had had when she first started out.

Confession--I've only just started reading it, so I can't review it yet.  But I wanted to call everyone's attention to the book in case, like me, you are wanting to soak up the nice fall weather and start running before it becomes all icky and winter-y.  You can totally expect a review and a status report next month.

Do any of you have any good guides for getting started running?

5 comments:

  1. I didn't read any guides when I started running - I just downloaded Couch to 5K and got started. I did read around a few internet forums and blogs, but for the most part the only prep I did was to get new shoes.
    Good luck! I can't say that I love running, but I do like the feeling when I'm done.

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  2. I am the same as Blush and Barbells. I found a starting to run website and followed it. I used to subscribe to Runner's World and found it helpful. I think you can read most of their articles for free on their website. I found the best motivator for running was signing up for a race.

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  3. Ah I love to run, I read some books/magazines and I loved learning how to breathe, my stride, and I even went to a running store and got some new shoes specifically for how I run. :)♥ Good Luck!

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  4. I agree with Pamela about finding a race. For me, accountability is the most important thing - get me up and out, and I'll work out, but I won't choose it on my own. If I know someone is waiting for me to run/lift, whatever, I'll make it. I don't actually like running with people, though, because I have a hard time finding someone that is at my pace and much prefer the "let's start together, and wait for me at the end, but you're on your own for the actual running." I have never tried but I know there is a running club in my town, and I think most med to large sized towns have them so that might be something to check out - some of them actually involve teaching about technique, plus companionship and accountability once they are used to you showing up.

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  5. I did the Couch to 5K program which is great. I also did it with a friend which was extra motivation. I saw some other people suggest signing up for a race, I did that while doing Couch to 5K and it gave me something to look forward to. After I finished the Couch to 5K i did a bunch more 5Ks, a 10 mile race, and even a half marathon before I decided running wasn't for me and moved on to other workouts that I enjoy more at this point in my life. Sometimes I do want to get back into running though.

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