Like many others, running was something that very seldom crossed my mind. Running was just "this thing" other people did, and that I had no interest in doing.
My excuses came in all flavors and colors.
It is time consuming.
It is boring.
Even if I had the time, it takes forever.
I only run if there are dogs chasing me.
Why?
I only run if I buy this treadmill (of course the most expensive one).
I only run during Winter.
I only run during Summer.
I am diabetic. My sugars will go so low that I will pass out. (WRONG, so WRONG)
I can make a list of one thousand items that describe all the excuses. I have an endless supply of them. But, what changed? I mean, my wife always wanted to start running with me. She even asked me to start walking with her, which of course, I said no because walking is for old people. Right? 🤦♂️
I don't remember what, why, or where. But, I do remember, vaguely, seeing a bunch of kids (maybe high school) having a blast running on a trail my family and I were hiking. They were fast, smiling, just having fun. I don't know why I never put the two together. You can run in the mountains, you can use the bike/horse trails to run. The excuses above where all targeted to running on the streets. Go figure!
And then, it came Crossfit. I should write another "conversation" about Crossfit. Crossfit is very challenging. But with the challenge, it comes an immense sense of satisfaction every day a WOD is completed. While doing Crossfit, there was a lot of running. It was not about the distance of the running. It was more about how often we would run 100, 200, or 800 meters in between sets of weight lifting, kettlebell work, or whatever the coach would program that day.
This is an example of a running WOD.
After one year of Crossfit, the owner of the gym came up with an idea of a running competition between all the Crossfit members. It was simple. Run daily and report the total miles every week. Looking back, I think this is what started the whole running "addition" formally. However, there was something else that basically turn me into a crazy running guy. The same type of guy I had made fun of when I saw them running on the streets.
I was talking with a co-worker about running. I knew he was a runner. I was interested to know a little bit more. I was interested to know why I did not like running and he seemed to love it. From a Crossfit perspective, I had accepted the fact that I just had to endure the WODs that include running. But, I started to think. Can I get better at Crossfit if I get better at running? Maybe, if I like running, Crossfit would become easier.
My friend, who was a really good Crossfit athlete and a super dedicated runner , told me running was a time's game. He told me to just forget about distance and to just run every day. He told me: "go out every day, do a quarter of a mile out and back, keep records of how many times you stop and you heart rate". Don't add more distance until you can run the entire segment" If you run without stopping, the next week add 10% more distance and repeat.
That sounded simple. Anyone can do that, right? Well, I got bored. Like a smart man I am, I just wanted to run a marathon. In my infinite wisdom, I was wasting my time. Why in the world do I have to do this crap? I can do a marathon. I have finished a Crossfit workout called Murph. PLEASEEEE! So, I did what really smart man would do. No, I didn't run a marathon, but something closer. I decided to train for a half marathon on my own. I don't need anyone telling me what to do. I am going to download one of those apps and train for a half marathon. And of course, I am going to lie about my running experience so the app can give me the training I need. Sounds logical, right?
The training went as expected. Terrible! Less than a month and everything in my body was in some type of pain; shin splints, calf pain, IT band, my quads were on fire, my knees were on fire x 2. My last name was in pain. I basically stopped and went back to the drawing board.
As I started to talk to my running friend again, the conversation went to heart rate and my effort during my failed half marathon training. He pointed out that I should follow a running methodology called the Maffetone Method from Phil Maffetone. Holy crap, talk about a complete 180.
Since that moment in time, running became a joy. Running went from a "I should do this shit to get better at Crossfit" to "running half and full marathons, training for Ultra distance races, and just loving it". The method changed my look at running so much that I don't do Crossfit anymore. I just run. I run a lot; treadmill, streets, and trails.
In conclusion, study the Maffetone method, apply it, run everyday, add 10% more distance when the previous distance becomes too easy, have one day a week as your long day, buy a good running watch, listen to podcasts or audio books, talk to yourself and get lost in your own thoughts (you are going to love that part), and run everywhere (neighborhoods, parks, treadmills, trails, to the store and back, whatever).
PS: It is BS that you have to change your running shoes every 300 miles. I run on all my shoes until I get 1000 to 1500 miles out of them.
PS2: Looking at Strava, Endomondo, Runtastic, and Garmin, I think I first started running in 2014 which is before I ever started Crossfit. I truly don't remember exactly when but I can tell there has been many failed attempts. It is weird to think that I do remember clearly downloading an app called Runtastic because it was the only running app that supported Windows Phones. You read that right. A huge "thank you" to Runtastic for supporting Windows Phones.