Running Adventures

I started running a few months ago with my friend Ivy. She started up with a couple of other friends - 3 at first, that has now grown to be about 10 people (and will likely keep growing). I've had my hiccups along the way and in light of everything - I'm okay with being in the middle of "Week 3" right now.

Ivy, the glorious rockstar that she is (it's a thing, bear with me), finished her 9 week program two weeks ago, and ran her first 5k last week. We are all so proud of her and look to her as a sort of demi-goddess/ hero. Her next goals are to run a 10k, but before she got started she wanted to kind of take it easy since she had just run her fist race. We have been going out on the same nights, and doing the "warm-up" portion and the post-workout stretching together since the beginning. Though this week she's been pacing me, and helping with the stroller to change up her routine as preparation for the 5k to 10k training.

We were talking last night, as we were out running, about future plans (which I won't ruin). In a roundabout way we got to talking about how few articles there are about running in mother/fatherhood. The articles that one CAN find are geared towards the parents who ran before baby came along, and how you should ease back into things before getting back on your marathon schedule. Or the articles are geared towards upper-middle class, two parent households where mom and dad can actually take turns with minding the baby. I haven't found one yet that is actually helpful for single parent households, or for two parent households where mom and dad can't take turns with minding the baby. (Note: "mom and dad" is my chosen phrase to denote parent 1 and parent 2 - please substitute for your preferred terms as you feel called to do so.)

So I figured... why not write one myself? When I finish my first 5k I may write a revision in a new post.

For clarity's sake - this is for parents who have never run before, but may also serve to be helpful for other newbies to the running world. I am a single mother to a 3 year old, and the remainder of this post will be the things I wish I had known before I got started.

1) Getting started. I should have checked in with my body more-so than what I did. I have asthma as well as knee and back problems. None of which I took care of BEFORE I started. Granted I started as a spur of the moment sort of thing and took things as they came, but I really should have put more thought into it before jumping off the deep end. Getting new asthma meds, physical therapy and a knee strap for my knee, as well as a self-inspired purchase of a stomach/back brace. Most of my ailments have been fixed.

As we all know, every exercise and fitness program recommends that you talk to your doctor before getting started. Use your better judgement on this and check-in with yourself, and seek treatment for things that may become a problem.

2) Get good shoes. No really... go out, spend the money, and get ACTUAL running shoes.
The first week I started I just used the only decent shoes I had since I didn't have the time or the money to go out and spend on new shoes. That part wasn't so bad, and I'm glad I tested the waters of the program like that - but when I did go out and get new shoes I got the wrong ones. I wound up getting a pair of Propet's - which is specifically a walking shoe. Trying to run in them just caused me a ton of unnecessary pain, and wound up aggravating my knee problems and put me out of commission for a couple of weeks.

I recommend that you go out and find a small business running shoe store. East Bay women can check out See Jane Run - they are FANTASTIC. The staff is super helpful, and they will take the time to get you what you need. They hooked me up with a pair of Brooks (the Ghost 6 to be exact), and I am in LOVE. There was no "break-in" time, and my feet were just instantly happy. Several of the women in the group (plus a few men that are not associated with the group) have found this brand of shoe to be just what they needed. Downside is that they cost about $100 - but it really is worth every penny. Find the right brand and model for your feet - your feet will thank you!

3) Get a decent jogging stroller. Clearly this one only applies to parents who will be taking their children with them. Even if you only plan to take your child with you once a week, or once a month - you need a jogger. Going back to my previous statement of "time and money were not things that I had when I started", I did my first run with my standard 4-wheeled travel system stroller. Those strollers are not built for running, and I jacked up my back for trying. Before my second run I went and got a jogger. I wish I had the money to get a better one, but the Baby Trend that I did get ($99 at Target) is working well for me. I go out 3 days a week for my runs, and I use it when we go walking around shopping centers - it does what I need it to do, and for the more "every day" trips I like it a little better than the other one (the tighter turns are marvelous).

There are tons of articles out there going over stroller specs and which one is best for what. I waded through them, and wished I could try them all myself. I went with budget friendly over true desire. One day I'll upgrade, but for now it works.

4) Running with a stroller is WAAAAAY different than running without. It's going to take time to acclimate to it. Remember, not only are you pushing the weight of your child (and any toys s/he's brought along), you're also pushing the weight of the stroller itself - for me that adds up to about 50lbs. Depending on the stroller height and your personal height you may not be at an optimal posture either - do try to aim of the more upright, slightly-forward posture. Find what works and keep going.

5) Find an app that you can follow. Beginning a running routine is no easy feat if you've never gone out before. A lot of it is stamina building, and is best done with run/walk intervals. I mainly use Red Rock Apps' Run a 5k!, and several of the girls in the group use Active's Couch to 5k. There are others around, and no 2 are the same. Run a 5k! is a 7 week program, where Couch to 5k is 9.

I like the intervals on the one I use on a mentality level, though I see the benefits of Couch to 5k as well. Ivy herself "really endorses the Active, Inc. as a Couch to 5K program, she found it hit a great spot of challenging but doable for somebody super un-athletic (but a non-parent)."

6) Make a schedule and stick to it. Put your runs on your calendar, so that you don't schedule something else. And if you do have an event that you need to attend, you can rearrange your whole week before you even begin it. During my first "Week 2" a friend of mine had a baby blessing on my regular run night and it threw me off kilter for the whole week. Knowing that I run Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I can make plans for things any other night of the week and not feel bad that I'm going to miss out on a whole week's worth of progress.

7) Find people that you can go out with, or otherwise connect with. Having a buddy system, or a level of accountability will keep you motivated. In the beginning, if I didn't meet up with someone - I didn't go. And if I didn't have people to go out with, I wouldn't have even started. If you're unable to do that, pick a destination or a great running spot that will keep you wanting to go back. Now that I'm more acclimated to the process, and running along the beach - if I have to go out by myself I'm totally cool with it. Plus, meeting up with my friends keeps my son somewhat interested. "Oh, go see Ivy" is the hook factor of getting him into the car and ready to go.

8) Week 1 is going to suck. If not Week 1, it'll be Week 2. It's TOTALLY okay, and it DOES get better. I never did go through the "sore for days" thing that several of the others did, but Week 2 was a killer point for me (granted I blame most of that on the horrible shoes). It's better to be fore-warned, but please don't get discouraged. Even knowing what I was getting into when I finally came back into the program (after getting my knee dealt with), Week 2 day 2 (round 2) kinda sucked. Though doing Week 3 day 1 last night was awesome and exhilarating.

9) Monthly cycles will throw you off. Also in the note of the "sucky" category - running while you're menstruating. I realize everyone has different symptoms during that time, and not everyone will hate it as much, but it is something to be aware of. And just remember, the run that you have after you're done is going to feel AMAZING.

Running during this time is likely to make you more sore, and your times are likely to go down even if you feel completely fine. I know for me running the day or two before I started bleeding, and while I was bleeding (even the light, only spotting every few hours day) was generally discouraging. Though the day after I had stopped I was back to feeling normal (if you take out the unrelated insomnia I had). It's normal, just keep at it and keep going! :)

For any dad's out there reading this, if you have monthly fluctuations this is something to keep in mind as well. Beings that I'm not a man I can't attest to what may or may not happen, but keep your chin up.

10) Its okay to take a break. I mention this one only because getting sick, or generally feeling ill, is something that happens - especially with kids in the picture. The general rule of thumb is that it's okay to go on your normal run if all of your symptoms are above the neck, anything below the neck warrants rest or you'll be out of the game for longer. Don't beat yourself up if your body is requesting a break, it's okay. Just be mindful and check-in with yourself.