On Running

I finally took running seriously and it ain't easy.

I never ran for the sake of running. Running was always a means to an end, conditioning for sports or "cardio" to accompany a bro split at the gym. Pure running, aiming for new distances and faster splits never appealed to me nor is it something I enjoy. I gotta just run? Nah fam, I'd rather go hit some squats and deadlifts. At the behest of some good old fashioned peer pressure from a friend (thanks Aswath), I signed up for the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon in late 2019, anticipating a race date of July 2020.

Large gatherings like half marathons would soon become a distant memory of the pre-pandemic world. Once covid was in full swing, gyms in California were closed leaving little choice for consistent exercise. No gyms paired with a challenging personal time left me with no other physical outlet, so running it was.

For the last year, I’ve faithfully laced up my shoes braving the elements on a regular basis, and got after it. Here are a few learnings from being a casual runner.

Overrated

Fitness trackers: I have an Apple Watch that I got in late 2020, after logging a few hundred miles of running. The value add of the watch for running is marginal. You can see specific split pace, heart rate, and overall time by looking at the watch, the phone already tracked steps, pace, etc. so the watch doesn't add much value from a run tracking perspective. That's not to say it hasn't been valuable in other ways (sleep tracking, easy timers, ad hoc phone calls, etc.) but for running itself it's not worth the price tag.

Running Social Media: Like most social media, the run tracking apps insist you add everyone and their mom to "share" your runs with, introducing an element of vanity and social striving I personally don't like. I've found it helpful to keep the pool of people I follow very small who's activity I'd enjoy keeping up with. Past a certain point it's not feasible or valuable to follow 9,192 runners as it becomes another feed to mindlessly scroll through.

Being "Fit": I've been working out for a decade doing everything from team sports, individual sports, powerlifting, bodybuilding, etc. so I admit when I first approached running I had a hubris based on the misguided notion of "I workout, I'm fit, running is gonna be easy." Holy hell was I wrong and boy did I get wrecked trying to reach splits I didn't have the physical conditioning for. Thinking that you're "fit" is a mistake. Different sports require specific conditioning, and if you haven't trained for it, you're likely not going to jump in and immediately reach your goals. It's important to put your ego to the side and interrogate the often arbitrary goals of "run X in Y time" which is a fast track to injury.

Underrated

Rest rest and rest: I found myself repeatedly injured from over training and doing "ego running" which like "ego lifting" were times when I let my desire to get to a certain milestone supersede the prioritization of physical well being. In retrospect this was stupid and each time I'd be kicking myself when having to take weeks, and at one point months off. The right podiatrist and some custom orthotics helped somewhat but adequate stretching, foam rolling, and rest are the not so secret, secret sauce.

The right footwear: I have what's sometimes called Greek toe where my index toe is longer than by big toe, most running shoes are designed for what's known as Roman toe where the big toe protrudes the furthest out. Given this, my index toes often stubs against the front of the toe box of most shoes leaving the nails on my index toes a mess after long runs. Fixing this with the right sized and designed shoe for my specific feet was pretty important to be able to do more double digit mile runs.

Non-cotton uppers: Nipple chafing is real. If you're an idiot like me that wears a cotton hoodie with a metal zipper, you're going to feel the stinging come on around mile 7. By mile 12 your nips are gonna be sandpapered over and you'll be white knuckling it each time you shower for a week. Be like a rave chick and get some pasties, or just wear synthetic uppers.

Leggings: I know, about 10 years late to this athliesure staple but damn are leggings nice to wear, they help reduce chub rub on thunder thighs, and they're simply cozy in the chilly winter months. 11/10 would recommend.

Community: Like many things in life, loved ones to share the journey with make the trials and tribulations tolerable and the accomplishments that much sweeter. A shared community with which you can grow with, learn from, and give back to is both incredibly motivating and personally gratifying. So thank you to all of you, you know who you are, I appreciate your support and wisdom over the last several months and I appreciate your patience with all my stupid questions.

The right playlist: When the right song, at the right bpm, with the perfect emotional resonance hits, it’s a performance enhancing drug like none other. Here’s some science that suggests there’s merit to this. Whatever the “brain mechanisms that underlie the psychological effects of auditory stimuli during physical activity” are, I can confirm they work. Here’s what got me through many a challenging run:

Running has been a humbling experience. Everyone hard until their knee starts buckling half through a distance run. No matter how tough you think you are, the grueling nature of running serves as a gentle reminder to keep the ego in check. I deeply respect serious runners and their ability to gut it out.

It’s no power lifting, but once you get the hang of it, running ain't so bad.