Musings from a New Runner

You would think it’d be unforgivable if I didn’t pick up running after starting a job at a running shop. Or, at least I thought it was an extreme faux pas for an athlete. Regardless, as sure as the sun rises I began to run as my main form of consistent exercise soon after starting to work at Lex Running.

Coincidentally, my interest in running also piqued around the same time that my interest in cars and professional racing piqued. The more I learned about racing fast cars the more it was easily applicable to my new found exercise routine. I began to look at shoes in a way different than how I had looked at them before. What used to be some rubber, foam, and fabric, quickly became sleek, fast, and streamlined.

Your performance and overall output in running shares a great dependency on how your attitude is towards it. If you are anything like me, the beginning stages of running were exciting but quickly fell away to tedious repetition. Same trail and routes, same everything. That can lead to burnout and disinterest faster than anything else. It was having a second look and interest in a relatable field that changed my view completely.

Instead of being a monotonous chore, it started to feel like an exciting race. The same way drivers get to know their vehicles and their tracks, I began to understand how my shoes reacted to twists and bumps, and I began to memorize the curves and turns of my route like a racetrack.

It’s understandable though, we all want to be a high speed racing champion. Going fast is fun! It’s something that once it’s happened, it is hard to sequester completely. Having the proper vehicle to push yourself through the finish line is another important factor in high performance. Some shoes are built to be different than others, some are made for long distance and others for sprints and circuits.

But perhaps the most important thing that crossed over from interest to interest was how to properly push yourself. A good driver, and similarly a good runner, first has to know his limits before he can be pushed. It is imperative that an understanding of how you can be pushed happens before the actual push does. In the event that this doesn’t happen, it can lead to injury, fatigue, or burnout. A lesson quickly learned and not sooner forgotten.

To put it clearly, there are a few things that I have found to be vital to success on the way to being more than a beginner. Patience, consistency, a good attitude and understanding of myself and my gear, and ultimately a want and a need to get it done. I want to push myself through the next corner, I want to know when to speed up, I want to go fast and to run. You should too. Both of our individual roads to success are paved with the culmination of those key attributes, and the capacity to enjoy it along the way; I hope to see you out there burning rubber with me.