Injury? Heaven Forbid!

I was surprised to read that most beginners get injured during the first 6 months of running. And guess what the two most common culprits for these minor injuries?

First is trying to do too much and second is wearing the wrong kind of shoes.

I can just totally relate to the first reason. When you finally decide to take up running, you get so fired up and want to do it everyday, hoping that you can make up for the lost time. Sometimes, you also want to increase your mileage immediately to have that sense of accomplishment. I have to caution you.... do not get tempted to fall into these temptations. Because if you do, you may suffer an injury that will make you unfit to run for months! That will definitely suck!

Here's how to avoid injury when you begin and I lift it right up the page of "Running for Fitness":

1) If you are new to running, walk for the first month;

2) Build up slowly; never increase your mileage by more than two miles or 10 percent, whichever is greater;

3) Get proper running shoes from a specialist running shop;

4) Run on grass or trails rather than roads and pavements if possible;

5) Get advice from experienced runners;

6) Ignore the feeling in your first three months that you could be doing more;

7) See a physiotherapist to get advice on how you might improve your running style

Another practical approach to knowing if you're running too fast is the TALK TEST. I was amazed that there is such a thing as a talk test... How does this work? Well, if you cannot talk in complete sentences during your training runs, you are running too fast.

I have trouble doing this test because I do not want to talk to anybody when I run. I get autistic and I am in a world of my own... there is such great freedom in having your own space, your own time and your own world during that 30-60 minutes work out.

Anyway, why all these advice to be very patient and to pace yourself properly? It's because your body needs to adapt to the regular impact of the ground against your feet. It will not take overnight for your ligaments to strengthen and your muscles to develop.

Below is a sample training program for a complete beginner which you may want to adapt if you are totally new to running. What I used was the training program from Podrunner. My husband chose the podrunner interval because it gives you a program of walking and running intervals just like the one shown below but the 10 week to 5-km program from podrunner seems shorter compared to that of the table. What I do is to closely "listen" to my body and assess how it responds to the training program so I know that I am not pushing myself too much. Just thinking of the months of rest due to injury keeps me very patient and gives me the temperance I need in order to avoid such an unfortunate incident.

Getting Started

I thought that the only thing that I would need to get into running is simply to make that decision that I am going to start running. It came as a surprise to read that there are basic things that you need to do before you start running.

If you are generally healthy, meaning no chest pains, difficulty of breathing on exertion, no other medical conditions, no previous injuries and you are not middle-aged nor older, then you could go ahead and move on and get started. Otherwise, you should see a doctor first and get medical clearance. I agree with this because recently I have heard of many incidents when someone just collapsed and died after getting into a sudden rigorous activity. What's more surprising, even young people (as young as late 20's) have heart attacks. It's not a fable. I am a doctor. These are facts and current observations. So just to be on the safe side, when in doubt, ask your doctor.

Now that you've had your medical clearance, you should have the basic running gear... meaning a good pair of running shoes. Running can be the cheapest sports that you can get involved in. Perhaps the most expensive thing that you need to buy in order to get into running is your running shoes. And for females, it is also important to wear sports bra especially if you're a size C or D. You do not want to look so trim and fit on your belly and have dangling you-know-whats up there. The rest of the running gears are just accessories that will help you run but may not necessarily be that essential for you. As for me, the MP4 player is a must because my running program is from podrunner. My husband downloaded the podrunner interval for 5-km in 10 weeks and this has really helped me to be consistent with the sports. You can get a very cheap MP4 player nowadays. An i-pod is not a must. However, some people wanted to track their running activity through other gadgets like pedometer and the like. As for me, the public oval track with its meter-markings suffices to monitor my distance. I only pay P5.00 to use the facility and I'm good to go. No need to make this new hobby a burden to the family budget. 'Less is more'. That's a favorite saying of my husband. Just keep it simple. The "lower the maintenance", the better.

Jogger, Racer or Runner?

Do you know the difference between a jogger, a racer and a runner? I do.

I know it not because I am a professional runner, which I am not and you know that. I know it because I read it in the book, "Running for Fitness".

The joggers are those who take up the sport because they want to lose weight. They are the ever health conscious advocates of running as a form of exercise. The racers are the evolved joggers who got into a race and suddenly realized there's a world of competition out there. They become conscious of their time and they log down their records diligently. The runners are those who love the sport for all its health benefits and join the race not to outdo anybody but themselves. They run for peace of mind. Who are you?

Would you believe that in just a month of religiously following a 5-km running program (check on the link to podrunner to know about the 5-km program), I have evolved from being a walker... not a jogger, not a racer... mind you, a walker (!)..... into a runner.

I particularly love this paragraph written by George Sheehan in his book Running to Win which makes clear distinction of the above terms: "Jogging, they say is competing against yourself. Racing is competing against others. Running is discovering that competing is only competing. It is essential and not essential. It is important and unimportant. Running is finally seeing everything in perspective. Running is discovering the wholeness, the unity that everyone seeks. Running is the fusion of body, mind, and soul in that beautiful relaxation that joggers and racers find so difficult to achieve."

And guess what? According to Owen Barder, author of Running for Fitness, you only understand the real definition of a runner when you actually experience it first-hand.

I am a runner.

I say this with utmost humility because I know that it is pure grace that I should experience what these two authors defined running to be.

The Miracle Run

I am not a runner. I actually hated running. When I joined the 10-km Miracle Run last August 17, 2008 it was literally a 'miracle' for me. It is my husband who really loves to run and he was the one who pre-registered for the event. As for me, it was a very last minute decision. But for someone who hated running, you should congratulate me for finishing the course.... by walking.

I finished it at 1:41:08.

That's when it all started.

Two days after the event, I was still taking Eperisone Hydrochloride (Myonal), a muscle relaxant and Ibuprofen-Paracetamol (Alaxan) three times a day. I could barely walk straight. Then I decided to learn how to run. And not just that, I decided to learn to love running.
So I searched through my husband's library and saw this book, "Running for Fitness" by Owen Barder. It's just a 154-paged book, nothing to be afraid of. Totally looked harmless to me. It was very easy to carry around so I brought it with me to work. When my friend congratulated me, having heard from my husband that I completed a 10-km venture, I proudly held up the book and showed him my latest book-find.

He looked at me with disbelief and uttered, "Do you really have to read that in order to run?"

That caught me offguard. I did not know that there are actually people who just get into a hobby or a new interest without exerting an effort to read about the stuff. For me, if you are interested in something, you have to read about it and learn as much as possible about the object of interest if you really wanted to get the most out of it. Call me nutty, which I am, if nutty means being very theoretical about things first before putting it into practice.

Reading the book was very informative and I swear, it prevented me from falling into the many pitfalls that beginners tend to get into as they embark in this totally new world of running. For those who dislike opening a reading material which is thicker than a magazine, I welcome you to my blogsite, where I shall share with you little pieces of information about running which shall not cause you indigestion or diarrhea. This is for those who just love to run and do not want to waste their precious time idling around with a thick book on their hand.