What I've learned so far...

So today is a rest day. I've decided to move my run days to Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. This move was made to fit into my work/school/baby schedule. Since it's a rest day and I just have an urge to write a blog entry I've decided to write down what I've been able to learn from this past month. Hopefully those who read my blog and are either interested in running or are just beginning to run will be able to learn from my experience and be able to avoid some of the earlier mistakes that I have made.

1. Shoes, Shoes, Shoes - Never underestimate the value of running shoes. Don't just go to a clearance or outlet store to buy them. These are the most important equipment that you can buy for running. I unfortunately ignored this fact and just assumed that the 4 year old running shoes that I had bought from a Nike outlet would be all that I needed. I couldn't have been more wrong. After just a week of running, I was hit with a barrage if ailments. First my right middle to started to rub against my shoe. This caused me to over compensate with my left leg. It wasn't too much later that my toenail turned black. Which I'm sure in the weeks to come will fall off. In addition to my toenail, I injured my left knee pretty badly. It was a combination of overcompensating for my injured toenail and a shoe that didn't support my style of running. I'm am flat footed and severely overpronate. Needless to say this injury put my out for about 2 weeks. So here I was 1 month into running and now I've ran 2 weeks and had to rest for 2 weeks. So my best advice is that once you've decided to make a commitment to running, go to a shoe store that specializes in running shoes, not footlocker, and let them assist you in selecting the most appropriate running shoe for you. The will watch you run and walk and determine what shoe style will compliment your running form.

2. Run - Sounds kinda simple but I cannot stress this enough. Just run. The sun doesn't need to be shining bright. It's okay if it's raining outside. Who cares if your running outfit is dirty. Get rid of the excuses and go jogging. I found that I needed structure workouts and there are many of them out there. Runner's World magazine has helpful run schedules, you can also find many websites that have running programs listed on them for free. I decided to go with Coolrunning.com's "Couch to 5K" program. It's a program that takes you from a couch potato to a beginner runner in 9 weeks.

3. Set goals - I made a commitment to run a 5K race. Once I found one that allowed me to train for at least 4-5 months, I signed up and handed over my money. That helps motivate me when I don't feel like running. If I don't run, the 25 dollar entry fee is wasted.

4. Don't listen to your mind, listen to your body - I can tell you right now that your mind is your worst enemy when it comes to running. There have been numerous times that during that last interval, during those last 2 laps around the track that my mind was shouting at me to stop. You can't do it. You're going to hurt yourself. It hurts too bad. Just walk. These thoughts would constantly jump into my head as the workout came to an end. But I soon discovered that if you listen to your body, your body will tell you when you have to stop.

These are just a few of the things that I have learned. I'm sure there are dozens others that I could write on, but I leave those for my next "What I've learned so far..."

See you on the road tomorrow!!!