How I Learned to Love to Run

Three years ago the title of this post would be enough to make me roll my eyes and click onto something because people who say they love to run are lying!…But they aren’t it is actually great and you can learn to love it too.

My running journey started after I returned home from studying abroad in Spain feeling very bloated and unfit from months of inactivity and bad eating habits. One of the first things I did was join a gym and I mainly participated in the classes but I wanted something that I could do at any time and didn’t want to constrain myself to the schedule of the classes. My decision was to then can an App on my phone for a Couch to 5K Program. For me, this was a perfect way to start. I would do this on the treadmill alternating from walking to jogging to running. This was a great way for me to start building my endurance and because it was constantly changing and building it kept me interested.

Going into my senior year of college I kept up with the running…kind of..I Made it to the gym a couple days a week but would spend a half hour max on the treadmill and call it day. I always found the gym at school so intimidating with guys lifting weights and girls with amazing figures who knew what to do on the machines.

My last semester I had gotten lazy and stressed. My roommate was always a great runner and she encouraged me to try it again but to go outside. I was doubtful because I don’t like the cold and I don’t like the idea of having to dodge other students and traffic. I gave it a go and I really enjoyed it! It was hard but I did it and I loved how quick it was. I would literally walk out the door and start my work out versus making my way to the gym, swiping in, finding a locker, awkward locker room chit chat, and finally finding an open machine just to do my run.

As I got more into it I started making a playlist of my favorite songs and my goal was always to get to the next one. Whatever song was my favorite at the time I would time to come on when I normally started to get tired and that would give me a little extra motivation to continue on. My roommate also turned me onto Map My Run. This website but it also has an App which is amazing. It tracks your run to let you know how far you go and your time for each mile. When you are done, you can look at all the data from your run which I found fascinating.

My roommate was an absolute godsend and kept me motivated and even persuaded me to run my first 5K. My goal for this race was to not stop and just do my best. I wish I could say I didn’t stop but before I even finished the first mile I got a killer cramp! I walked/limped through it and was able to keep running and finish the race! It felt great and I was so proud of my accomplishment.

That summer after I graduated, I moved to Nantucket to work and was crazy busy with two jobs and lots of hours but I continued to run! I used Map My Run and started using Spotify to jazz up my music choices and my run became something I looked forward to each day. I had so much energy and was really enjoying the runners high that I decided to train for a half marathon. Unfortunately, a couple weeks before the race I was injured (remember to stretch people it’s important!) .

Running is still a constant part of my work out routine and something I genuinely enjoy. This is something anyone can do with just a pair of sneakers and some music. I loved being able to see how I progressed and found it very motivating to see a difference in my stamina. I heartily recommend starting with a couch to 5k program and see how it goes from there. Running will always have its up’s and down’s. Between sore muscles, cramps, and inclement weather I understand why people would stay away from it, but that runner’s high always keeps me coming back for more.