July 2, 2009

Run For Your Life!


An old friend sent me a message the other day asking for some helpful motivation & accountability to try and get back into running. I thought through it for awhile, having just gone through a bit of a hiatus myself. Moving to AL from KS I have had to get adjusted - my body has had 10 years of flat & dry, and now it's been thrust into hills & humidity. I've had to get re-motivated myself.

Thought I'd share with everyone else the encouragement I sent his way. For anyone trying to get your backside back off the sofa and back on the pavement - or for anyone who's thinking about giving running a try - here you go:

1. Find someone else you know well who's either a runner or who you can convert. For me - I'm lucky - that person lives under my roof. Morgan loves to run as well. Whether it's a friend, co-worker, whoever. And not that they have to run with you, but you can set goals with each other, etc.... This is probably less about about accountability, more about camaraderie.

2. Races are the easiest way to set goals! Start w/5 & 10K races. To give you an idea, I did at least 8-10 10K's and several 10 mile races before I ever thought about a marathon. Great distance, great atmosphere at those events. Most semi-metropolitan cities have at least a 5K or 10K.

3. Mix it up. Find different routes & routines.

4. Buy
Runner's World. It's a HUGE motivator when you start reading a running magazine. And that is by far the best one.

5. Make sure you have the right shoes. Do NOT buy your running shoes at Finish Line, Dick's, etc.... Find a good, local running store. It will make a big difference. Also, buy some good running clothes. Once you've spent $$ on this, you're more motivated & you're better equipped.

6. Hydrate. I drink 3-4 liters of H2O a day.

7. Make the decision to call yourself a "Runner". I know it sounds cheesy & crazy, but it will change your mentality. And when people begin to look at you that way, you start to expect it of yourself.


Hopefully that provides you some motivation - a swift kick in the can - to get you on your way. Maybe you have some additional thoughts or ideas. Let's hear it!

Run for your life!

3 comments:

Jan Owen said...

I biked a new trail today that you could loop and it would be long enough for you. It's about 30 minutes away but good for a time of solitude - shady, by a river alot of the time, etc. Hayes Nature Preserve on the other side of Monte Sano. Check it out!

Jan Owen said...

btw, we did 7 miles and never repeated anything and there are lots of trails we didn't go on.....

Rogillio said...

I enjoyed your encouragement to people who might want to become runners. And I've got a challenge for you. But first, I'll tell you a little of my running history. I have run 5 marathon and completed about 10 triathlons including two ironman triathlons (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). My last ironman completion was August of 2009. I was signed up to do another ironman triathlon this year but in early February I herniated a disc in my neck while lifting weights. This side-lined me for 6 months. I finally had to have surgery where they removed the disc and put a plate between the vertebrate so the bones would fuse. While riding the bench I pack on a lot of weight. When you go from working out all the time to doing nothing....well, it's easy to gain weight. I finally got the green light 3 weeks ago from the doctor to resume my training.

So what is the challenge? The Rocketman Triathlon. This is a sprint distance triathlon and a very well run event. The distances are .5 mile swim, 20 mile bike and 7k run. The swim is in the TN River. The race is held on RSA. I have done this race 5 or 6 times over the years. This was my first triathlon. I had run a 5k race and saw a flyer for the Rocketman. I knew I could run a 5k....even if I was slow as molasses. Biking? Heck, I did that when I was a kids...and they say you never forget how to ride a bike. Swimming 1/2 was an unknown but I rationalized the if someone dumped me overboard 1/2 mile from shore, I would not drown; eventually I'd make it back to shore.

So I completed the triathlon and fell in love with the sport. I love running too and have run the Disney Marathon 4 times and the Nashville Country Music marathon once and the Rocket City half marathon a couple of time.

If you don't want to do the Rocketman, perhaps you'll want to do the Rocket City 1/2 marathon. I will probably run that again this year. This is in November. The full Rocket City marathon is in December. I'd like to run that some day but I'm not sure I can get back into marathon shape that quickly.

So there's a few challenges for ya. Let me know if you're interested in doing a triathlon and/or if you'd like to go biking. There is a nice bike ride coming up the fall that I've done a couple of times - the Spring City Cycle Club Century ride. You don't have to ride the full century though as they have 25, 50 62, 75, 100 and 112 mile loops.

Mike Rogillio