Good Afternoon Fellow New Runners!
Recently, I reached a major running milestone and I shared my accomplishment on Facebook. One of my family members asked me what plan I followed that allowed me to go from not running at all to being able to run 10 miles. My first thought was “I just made sure I was consistent with my running”.
Around the same time, I saw this amazing quote from Nelson Mandela. He extols the virtues he learned as a runner. He used the words diligence and discipline. Which means he just kept running. He never gave up trying and kept to his training schedule in order to improve.
As runners, we shouldn’t run everyday (rest days are imperative to prevent fatigue and injury) but we must be consistent with training. If it is raining, it’s very hot or super cold, you run. You had a terrible nights sleep or you slept like a baby, you run. If you want to continue to get better and reach your running goals, you must have the discipline to stick to your training schedule.
This is why, for some, signing up for a race is such a motivator. The deadline of race day looms large on your calendar and the desire to perform at your absolute best makes you stick to your schedule. I didn’t need this, for me the desire to just get better was what I wanted. As soon as I saw that I could run more with each run, run faster with each run, I kept going.
So don’t give up! Find a schedule that works for you and stick to it! You will start to see improvement in your runs. You will run more than you walk. You will run faster and longer. Soon you too will be able to post that first double digit run on Facebook!
Enjoy the Run!
Yvonne
Diary of a New Runner 