Oh how good it feels!

Hey y'all! It certainly has been awhile!

Well today was my first run in about a month and it went great! Today was the first group run at my school for Team World Vision! I am so excited to be a part of Team World Vision and run the half marathon to raise money for clean water in Africa! Even though it was a little chilly at 7:30 this morning we had a pretty good turn out and split into a more experience runners group and a more beginners group. There were so many people who had never  run a big race like the Half or the Full marathon before and it was great to see them come out! So congrats to everyone who finished our first day of training! I am so pumped to start running every day again! And I even have my roommate and more friends to run with this year, which make me and my partner in crime very happy indeed! :)

Anyway after having a half marathon and a full summer of training under my belt I want to give a few pointers to some of the new runners out there!

1)      YOU CAN DO IT! 

a)      Don't worry if you have never run before or if you are slower than you would like. If you follow a good training schedule you will be able to run that race that you are working up to. Last year when I started I could barely run a mile and now I can easily go 3 on a good day and after training I will hopefully be able to run the whole 13.1 miles this year without walking. And so can you!!!

2)      HYDRATE!

a)      Drink water and lots of it. Hydrating now will help you for the race. I didn’t hydrate enough last year and my calves seized up big time and it was awful. This also means staying away from caffeine as much as possible (I know this is hard for me too, so start with limiting your soda intake and move on from there).

3)      STRETCH!

a)      Stretching both before and after a run is a must. Stretching before warms up your muscles and gets them moving. Stretching after prevents cramps. I suggest stretching in the shower after you run because the water helps relax your muscles as well!

4)      GET REAL RUNNING SHOES!

a)      No but seriously do it. I ran in walking shoes last year unknowingly and it really messed up my knees and shins. I could barely walk ( Runner 1 can tell you how bad it was…she even made one of our friends carry me to our apartment building). If you can go to a store that specializes in running gear and have them help you find the shoes that are right for your feet and how you run. You won’t regret it I promise!

5)      GET A RUNNING BUDDY!

a)      A running buddy could make all the difference in the world (even if you live in two different states).  They are the ones who will push you to keep going and will encourage you and tell you that you can and will succeed. Or if there is a group of runners in your area join up with them and get to running!

And last but not least…

6)      ENCOURAGE THOSE ON YOUR TEAM!

a)      Encouragement can do a lot for new runners and even experienced runners. Last year at the Chicago Half Marathon there was a family of runners who encouraged everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE). Even if it is only a high five and you run past or if it is a shout of encouraging words telling them that they can do it, it really makes your day come mile 9, 10…etc.

Well I hope this helps the new runners or anyone who is thinking about running. It really is a great feeling! I can’t wait to continue training! See you all in Chicago!

Adiós from Runner 2!