All the gear, no idea!
I have to admit that when lockdown part trois was announced I felt a bit like a deflated balloon and I’m usually a pumped up kind of gal. Last week’s boot camp was such a beautiful morning against a backdrop of fabulous surroundings and I was looking forward to many more over the coming weeks. During the Christmas holidays I’d planned out all of January’s boot camps. Sadly, like everything else right now, they’re on hold for the foreseeable future. However, the good news for me and my fitness family is that we can carry on regardless thanks to Zoom sessions. It’s not quite the same but at least we can still feel like a group and support each other and yesterday's online session was no exception. They're still smiling and it was the end of the session!
Sorry, I’ve digressed somewhat from what I was going to talk about so I’ll get back on track. The thought process behind this week’s blog started with me reading something that riled me - quelle surprise!! It was a letter in one of the weekend papers and was from a lady who was thinking about starting yoga and running, which immediately grabbed my attention. She was asking what accessories she would need to make it easier. Although the response provided some fairly decent advice, it also recommended a yoga mat costing £65 (yikes!!).
As much as I love and appreciate my rather snazzy running gear and Fitbit these days, well a gal has to move with the times, even a dinosaur like me, but the best piece of running advice I’ve ever been given is …. 'listen to your body, understand it and run according to how you feel'. This advice came from a guy who was a complete inspiration to me when I first started running. He'd been there, got the t-shirt, done everything when it came to running. Sadly, he passed away from sudden cardiac arrest a number of years ago which was a huge shock, but he's still a massive part of my running life and how I approach things.
Understanding your own body is especially important when you first start out. Build a strong foundation and then you can start adding on the extras. One thing I’m really good at during races is pacing myself, I know when to ease back, when to push to my limit and it’s a skill I’ve honed over many years by understanding my body. Even to this day, I never look at my watch during the actual race, I simply run to how I feel.
It makes me sad when all someone cares about is having the right gear before they’ve even started something. Having the most expensive gear is not going to make you a better runner, cyclist, artist, musician, writer or whatever it is you want to do. Gadgets can absolutely enhance your skills but you don’t need these things in the first place. Wait until you’re into a good routine and then you can start adding on the extras.
So, how should you go about starting a new hobby such as running? Here’s a few tips:
Be consistent - forget about how far, for how long, how fast, just get into the habit of getting out the door in the first place.
Listen to your body - record how you feel after each run, doesn’t have to be ‘War and Peace’, just a few brief sentences. Don’t record any times, just purely how you feel.
Don't distract yourself on every run - there's nothing I enjoy more than listening to some banging toons when I'm out on my long runs but every once in a while I leave my phone, Fitbit and earphones at home. It's an opportunity to re-connect with my body and how I feel. As I run, I do a complete head-to-toe body scan - what's my mindset like today, do I need to relax my shoulders more, am I engaging my abs and glutes, how am I striking the floor with my feet?
Set yourself some consistency goals - for example, if you run 3 times a week for a month then treat yourself to some new running socks, then if you consistently run 3 times a week for a further month then treat yourself to new new running leggings and so on and so on. Use the incentive of a treat to keep you focused and you'll build up a stock of some great new gear!
Consider yourself to be 'a runner' from your first run - the sooner you get into the mindset that you’re a runner, the easier it will be. I hear loads of people say 'well, I wouldn't really call myself a runner'. If you run, then you're a runner!
Do you actually enjoy running? - if enjoyment and happiness isn't at the core of why you run (or any other hobby for that matter), then you'll find it so much harder to be consistent. I run because above everything else, I absolutely love it. It's that feeling of freedom, time to myself and being outdoors in beautiful surroundings. Keeping my weight down and increasing my fitness levels are fabulous by-products but are not the main reasons I run.
What are you waiting for, get out there, build up some consistency and look forward to earning those little treats along the way!!
#2021
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