FAST FACTS
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4: Am I too busy to run?
6: Is it too expensive to run?
8: Is it too demanding to run?
9: Must I give up alcohol to run?
10: Must I give up food I like to run?
How to start running
By Runner's World editor Amby Burfoot, winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon, Runner's World Complete Book of Beginning Running
How to start running
By John The Penguin
Bingham and Jenny Hadfield, winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon, Running for Mortals: A Commonsense Plan for Changing Your Life With Running
Reasons we don't exercise
Am I too busy and stressed to run?
The most common reason, excuse, or complaint I hear from people who want to start running but don't is they're too busy. They don't want to commit half-heartedly or give up just after they've started, so they don't start at all.
Finding the time to run is about priorities. If you want to do it, you'll find the time, not just the first few days and then give up, but you'll fit running into your daily routine.
But let's be fair to overworked people. You might be spending 50+ hours in the office, you have family to be with, kids to drive, jobs to do in the evening, yardwork, and so on. Where are you going to find the extra hours to devote to running?
One way to solve the problem is to ask a different set of questions. Do I want to be overweight? Do I want to carry this gut around? Do I want the increased risks of heart problems and diabetes? Do I want to be unfit? If you answer no to these, the next step is to find at least half an hour three to four days a week when you can exercise.
Remember too that running is a fantastic way to unwind after a busy and stressful day. After a run, you'll feel calm and relaxed. The stress and tension just washes out of you during and after a run.
The first 30 minutes is the hardest. Everything beyond is easier
(Amby Burfoot, winner Boston Marathon, 1968)
If you're in a job that demands being decisive, a leader, in control, and running seems to be something over which you have no control, devise a plan or a schedule that puts you in the driving seat. It might be regular training times, it might be specific targets to be met such as weight loss goals or training paces. Just do what you need to do to be in charge.
So, where is your running time going to come from? You have have to run during a 20-minute lunch break. It might mean running while waiting for your kids to finish soccer practice. It might mean less time spent watching tv. Or you might have to get up very early, or run just before you go to bed.
One thing I had to do in the early days was put my foot down with the family and tell them, No, I'm not going to the mall, I'm going running. You like me looking and feeling good. I need to run to make that happen.
By now, my family understands not to interfere with my daily dose of running. They know better than to try to guilt me into skipping a workout to go to the mall, the movies, or whatever it might be.
Running can become an essential part of your life. Once you have felt its pleasures and benefits, you'll be a lifelong runner.
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