The biggest rookie running mistake… Ahhhhhh we’ve all been there.
You start running and a minute later you’re winded. You stop and walk. You think “I suck, I’m so out of shape, I’m too fat for running, running is not for me, I can never do this”.
SLOW DOWN!
You don’t suck, you’re not too fat for running, you can be a runner. Just slow down. Doesn’t matter how embarrassingly slow you look, the first 4 weeks of running needs to be all about building your endurance and endurance cannot be built with sprints (sprints serve another purpose which we will talk about later).
Don’t feel bad that you’re not feeling completely exhausted after your first runs. Keep them slow and gradually increase your distance.
When I started, I literally couldn’t run for longer than 2 minutes. So run (slowly) for 2 minutes, then walk for 1 minute, run for 2, walk for 1 and keep repeating for 30 min per day to start. Within 3 weeks, training 4-5 times per week, you’ll be able to run the entire 30 min. Your quickest gains come in the first 3 weeks.
Forgive yourself for running slow and get out there.
Do you know what slow means for you? How do you know what is an easy, moderate or hard effort?
Please let me know by leaving a reply below.
100 FOR 100 Movement 
I love your blogs. I’ll have to remember to ease up on myself once I am able to get back running. Its been almost a year since my accident , a year without running….it will be like starting from scratch which I kind of dread. I always have high expectations of myself when I plan my miles but when the time comes when I can start back up again I will remember your words about forgiving myself for running slow. Thanks for that Andrea!
Oh I feel for you Ali! I’m sorry you had an accident and got hurt. How are you feeling now? Do you have any pain?
I was hit by a car when I was out on a run last May. 11 mths of rehab and still dealing with soft tissue damage and a complex moderate brain injury has kept me sidelined. Slowly making forward progress but dealing with concussion issues are a total bummer. I hope soon enough I will begin to get my old life back….especially the running part. Living vicariously through you! 😉
Soooo sorry you’re going through that. It’s bad enough to have an injury to an arm or a leg but concussions are that much worse! I wish you a quick and full recovery!