Running for Beginners

Running

The Zen of Running Cover

Running is fun!

If you have never run or hated the idea of running, then this is for you!

I started running 2-3 months ago and I didn't think I would last this long.  Not just the idea of running fills me with dread but actually doing it…argghhhh!

Why would I start running at the age of sixty-two you might ask?  Good question, and I will attempt to not only answer this question but also inspire you to have a go yourself.

Why would you want to run?

Fred Rohe

I have always hated running since I was a kid.  I was made to run in long races at school and being a kid I didn't think about refusing or getting a sick certificate.  It is arduous and requires stamina and fortitude.  Two things I did not possess!

The worst thing about running was getting shin splints, muscle pain, and stitches.  All of these things I wanted to avoid, but school PT would not allow me to skip these courses/requirements.

So why now?

I didn't wake up one morning and say to myself, what a great day it is today, I should go for a run.  No, that is not what happened.  I happened to casually pick up a book, by accident (you don't think I would pick up a book about running by desire did you?) and it was about running.

The Author had made running a part of his life.  This was no ordinary person trying to tell you how to train or do a marathon.  He just wanted you to see how much fun and enjoyment you could get out of running and made some suggestions so that you could have this experience too.

Fun?  Enjoyment?  These two words are not usually associated with running, are they?

So I kept reading what this lunatic had to say.  Now, this book was written in the seventies so this was a different time.  Lots of experimentation going on.  He describes how you run freely, breathe deeply, feel the wind against your skin and most importantly, run barefooted.

Breathing is a very important part of running.  Once you get this right, the rest is easy.  Well, it was for me.  I didn't set out to run races or enter all these running competitions that seem to be prevalent around the globe.  No, I wanted to experience what this guy had been talking about and I had never experienced in my whole life.

At first, it felt like I was just kidding myself to think that this could be fun.  It's not like walking, you don't breathe naturally when you run, there is an element of effort in your breathing.

Fred Rohe

But, after a while, I started to experience something I had never experienced before.  My breathing started to match my running, I was in sync.  I felt like I had got into a rhythm and I could run like this forever.

There was no forcing myself, I was letting my body do what it wanted and I was running.  My first run was seven kilometers, yes, seven kilometers.  I couldn't believe it myself.  I had never run this far before and here I was running seven kilometers!

The book?  I am glad you asked.  You can get it here:

Zen of Running

THE ZEN OF RUNNING by Fred Rohe (Author) 1975

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.  It was a real eye opener for an activity that I have hated since childhood.

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