When I decided to try for a month to make myself really enjoy running for the race Lifehacker Fitness ChallengeI admit my expectations were low. And then my first runThey fell even more than I thought possible. What followed over the next few weeks was a series of ups and downs culminating in this conclusion: I don’t quite like running yet, but I can actually tolerate it now, and I think I’ll like it more and more over time.
As you may remember when you’ve followed my journey I did this first run– just to get an overview of where I started – everything went wrong. I was running uphill in my neighborhood (for reasons I still can’t explain), my ankles felt like they couldn’t bend properly (for reasons I still can’t pinpoint), and I barely got two blocks before I cursed my decision to even try this challenge (this part makes sense).
Until the second week I had discovered the joy the zombies are, Run! Appwhat I found entertaining and what gave me extra motivation, and I ended up in a thoroughly neutral “Running is more” category – a major improvement. Week three had even more perks after interviewing Lifehacker’s editor-in-chief Jordan Calhoun and myself Jason Fitzgerald of Strength Running for Lifehackers Podcast The upgrade– Jason’s encouragement and advice prepared me for what was likely The most enjoyable run I’ve ever done in my life. I didn’t like all running yet, but I did like that one run in particular.
When I woke up the next morning with a sore ankle, I gave myself a few days to rest so as not to risk further injuring it. The following week was quite a bummer, including one final run that ended when the pain in my ankle suddenly flared up again just as I was slowing down for a walk. Until then it was going pretty well. I felt strong and proud of the progress I had made.
Despite the slight injury, I gave myself a “three” on my running mood scale from one to five for this week. (Five beings, “Oh, that’s what hell feels like”, and one being, “Weeee, I’m a runner! Look at me, go!”) I think this is still kind of a success because if you ‘ I had wondered a month ago how I would have expected when I ended this challenge on a painful remark. I would have said, “This will be the last run I’ll ever do.”
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I actually told myself at the beginning of this process that if I got to the end of the month and still hate running, I would never have to “run” again as long as I was alive and go back to my previous planned exercises that i really enjoy. But I can see now that in the past I have never stayed running long enough to get over the hump that most new runners experience in the beginning. And this time I can say that I’m right there – I’m so close.
Did I learn to like to run in 30 days? Not during that particular 30 days, I think, under the circumstances. But I’ve been able to develop a new appreciation for it, and I see a way to like it in the near future – a future where proper stretching is finally a top priority.
