First, running is awesome. I may be biased being a triathlete but I’ve found so many great things from running. And I know what you’re thinking… Paul, I hate running. It’s the literal worst and I feel like I want to die every time I run. How did I know you were thinking that, you ask? I’ve helped a few of my friends get into running and now they love it. Throughout this article I’m going to give you a few reasons why you should get off your bed and give Netflix a break.
1. First and foremost, running will make you feel great (eventually). According to Legally Blonde, working out gives you endorphins, and endorphins make you happy, and happy people just don’t kill their husbands….or something like that. But it’s true! You may feel like you’re dying while you’re running at first, but as soon as you’re done, not only will you feel great from the run itself, but you will feel the benefits of improved health!
2. Finding other people to run with is the best. When you start out running, it’s sometimes hard to stay motivated. That’s why you should find one or two friends to run with you to start off! There’s no better way to bond with someone than mutual suffering… I mean mutually enjoying a run! And trust me, you’ll need a friend to keep you accountable to get out and run when there will be that one day where you just want to stay in your room in your comfy sweats and do nothing.
3. It’s a great stress reliever. Being college kids, we all have a fair bit of stress hanging around us for close to a million reasons. Running can help you release some of that pent up stress that you’ve been holding onto. One of my favorite things to do is to run without music every once in a while and just lose myself to what’s around me. We’re incredibly #blessed to be in Ann Arbor where there are beautiful places to run and the scenery allows us to have a distraction from whatever’s bothering us whether that be school, relationships, or how tired you’re getting from your run. It’s also a very easy way to have built-in study breaks when gearing up for exam season.
4. The playlists. All the playlists. I love music. I love finding new songs and I love messing with different playlists. Running allows you another excuse to spend hours and hours on creating the perfect playlist.
5. Finishing a race, no matter what distance, will leave you feeling accomplished. Crossing the finish line the first time I finished a major race was a feeling I’ll never forget. All your training goes into preparing for one day and when you invest yourself into something like that, being able to cross that finish line is an amazing feeling. No matter what happens in the race, none of it matters when you are done. When you cross that line, you try not to fall down from exhaustion, you see all the food tables waiting for you, and someone walks up to you and places a medal around your neck. That kind of euphoria will keep you coming back for more no matter what kind of race you run.
Now I know what you’re thinking… “Wow Paul, all those reasons sound so amazing, sign me up! How do I start my new journey as a runner?” Well, it will be different for everyone. If you don’t have much experience I would recommend alternating jogging and walking for 4/5 minutes at a time for a couple sets. This allows you to change speeds as you need to and as you get stronger, you can spend more time running until you’re a pro track athlete! And tune in next week and I’ll explain in better detail how you can start to get yourself ready for a 5K, 10K, or half marathon if you’re feeling ambitious!