I Know you have 5 minutes

Dear Running Man,

‘You know…I am NOT a runner!! But I need to get in better shape, and your recent post has me thinking maybe it would help me. Do you have any pointers on how to begin from a bad place.’

Great Question.  I’ll answer it twice.  Once with my head, once with my heart.

Head first.

I once sprained my ankle so badly I needed crutches to get around.  Healing was slow; it was so weak I kept re-spraining it (missing a stair or rolling it on uneven ground was all it took).  It didn’t improve for months.

The Pain was constant.  Swelling occurred daily.

This was my bad place.  Before when I felt down or depressed I could run to feel better.  The injury robbed me of that relief.  I was helpless.

I just couldn’t get well.  I thought of quitting.

But then I saw a good Doctor and things took a turn.  I stopped re-spraining my ankle and slowly got well enough to run.

Thankfully I realized that overtraining had gotten me hurt in the first place.  I was cautious on my return.

I started on January 3rd, 1999.  My Sister’s B-day.  I know the date because I kept a journal.

Thankfully the Computer I used in College was fried by a water balloon and no one can read the embarrassing stuff I stuck in there.  Goals, victories, Break ups, Crushes, Call outs.

I was unaware at the time but what I was really doing was writing my story.  The first entry it was right there.  ‘I am starting at nothing and ending a champion’.  First sentence, first entry.

I wrote with the end in mind.

Tip 1: Start a journal.  Somedays it will be a workout summary, other days it will turn into a confessional.  It is your story.  It will take twists and turns but you write the ending.

I began small: a 5 minute run on the treadmill.  I’m not a huge fan of the treadmill, but this way if my ankle hurt I didn’t have to walk home in the cold.

Tip 2: Start small.

5 minutes will get you in shape to run 10 minutes but won’t get you in shape to change your life.  It’s a start.  Don’t stop until you see the change.

Increase mileage by 10% every other week.  I somehow missed the word other in that sentence and increased too rapidly.  I was 20 and my running age was high enough that I got away with a lot, but by April problems arose.  Sidestep the problems.

Tip 3: Build slow.  Increase mileage by 10% every OTHER week.

Another lesson I missed lead me to some painful deep tissue massages and nagging pains.  That lesson is that you need adequate rest and recovery.  Low mileage/rest weeks will keep you mentally fresh and allow for some much needed physical recovery.

You can’t improve without recovering.

Tip 4: Take a low mileage week once a month.  Cross train.

Runners run long once a week.  Long is a term that is relative to your weekly mileage.

If you want to transform yourself through running nothing is more important than the long run.  Don’t skip it.

Tip 5: Your long run should be equal to 1/4 of your weekly mileage.

That is how ANY ONE can become a runner.  Start small, build slowly, do a long run, recover adequately, and write your story.  That is my clinical/scientific Head answer.

Here’s my Heart‘s:

Four years ago I was about to sign up for yoga teacher training.  Did my research, filled out my application, entered my Credit card information and everything. I slid the mouse down towards the purchase button and stopped.  I let it hover…

Self doubt stopped me cold.

Wait.  I’m barely good enough to finish a class, let alone good enough to teach yoga.  I’m not even flexible.  A single class is tough for me, How the hell can I finish a course filled with 12 hour days?   And who the hell will take a class from me should I finish?

The mouse arrow fled to the top left corner of the screen to X out.  Then a thought popped into my head:

‘Someone with less talent has done it.’

There are few people with less talent for yoga than me… but if they can do it then I’m not going to live in fear.

Champions can be inspiring.

But people with no natural ability who are courageous enough to try; They show us what’s truly possible.

I clicked on the pay link.  My life has become immeasurably better for it.

I know you have 5 minutes.  Show me what’s possible.