Running is a passion - 1

When I got into running, it was not easy in the beginning. Let's be honest, it is not a pleasant experience. Couple of my friends got into the habit of running as well but did not last more than a month. I kept going. After a month or two of hardship, I started liking it. There are instances where I will have long days at work, get home at 7:30 pm, but will still go out to run for an hour, come back and work till late night. Initially I requested Lakshmi to push me to go run, but very soon, the table turned, she would request me not to go to gym (so we can spend time together) and I will not listen. Literally, in my last July's half marathon, around mile 3, I felt like a violin fell on me, I thoroughly enjoyed the run, the pace, the whole nine yards... I guess that what some call runner's high! All this verbose is to say one thing, running is difficult in the beginning, once you train your heart and muscles, it is one of the best things. First thing I guess everyone tells beginners is to hang in there long!

Running races (full, half, 10K or 5K does not matter) is all about personal goals, we are not competing against anyone but ourselves. So, with the race 6 months out, one of the first things to do is decide on the pace to run 3.1 mile. When I was a beginner, I set the thread mill speed to 6 miles per hour and could not finish a mile. After a week of running  at 6 mph, I was still struggling to finish a mile. so, I brought the speed down to 5.5 miles per hour and was able to finish 1 mile comfortably (in relative terms). At 5.5 mph I felt like I had a good rhythm to run atleast a mile. So, I set my target to be 5.5 miles per hour for the 13.1 race. Run at a pace that is comfortable to slowly build the pace and distance. If we try to over reach, we will soon get tired and de-motivated.

For now, with so many words, if I am not clear, I will repeat, you are in for a long RUN, so take it slowly and stay motivated!